The Northern Pacific farmer., 1883-08-23
MARK TWAIN'S NEW BOOK
Life On the Mississippf-A Thrilling
Night Scene.

MARK TWAIN's NEW oooH
Life On the mississippi Thrilling
Night Scene.
In his boyhood Mr.. Clemens was
trained to be pilot on the MISSISSIPPI
ri. and it is his own youthful personal
experience in this period of tutelage
that he first describes. The serious
manner of Mr.. Clemens is shown In his
narrative of Mr.. Bixby's exploit IN
passing Hat island at night:
Coming upstream, pilots did not mind
low water or any KIND OF darkness,
nothing stopped them but Iog But
downstream work was d1Herent;
boat was too nearly helpless; with 8,
stiff current pushing behind her; SO: 4 !
was. not customary to ruin downstream
at night in, low water. j.. -.:.., =,
There seemed to be one small hope,
however; if we could get through the
intricate and dangerous Hat island
crossing before night, we could. ven
ture the rest, for we could have plain
er sailing and better water. But 1T
would be insanity to attempt Hat island
at night. So there was a deal OF looking
Mt watches all the rest of the day, and
constant ciphering upon the
speed we were making; HAT
Island was the eternal subject; some
times hope was high and sometimes we
we're delayed by bad crossing, and
down it: went again. For hours all hands
Law under the burden of this Suppressed
excitement; it was even communicated
to me, and [ got to feeling so solicitous
about Hat Island, and under such an
awful pressure OF responsibility, that
wished that l might have five minutes
on shore to draw good, full relieving
breath, and start over again. We were
standing no regular watches. Each of
our pilots ran such portions of the river
! as he had run when coming upstream,
because of his greater familiarity withit:
but both remained i'll the pilot house
constantly.
An hour before sunset, Mr.. Bixby
took the wheel and Mr.W-- stepped
| aside. For the next thirty minutes
| every man held his watch in his hand
and WAS restless, silent and uneasy,
At last somebody said, with doomful
"Well, yonder's Hat Island-and We
can't make it. ....., .,
! All the watches closed with g snap,
! everybody sighed and muttered' some
thing about it's being "too bad, too bad-
ha, if we could only have got here hall
an hour sooner!" and the place was thick
with the atmosphere Of disappointment
Some started to 60 out, but loltered,
hearing no bell-tap to land. The sun
dipped behind the horizon, the boat
went on. lnquiring looks passed frp}o
one guest to another; and one who Rl!
| his hand on the door-knob and had
| turned it, waited, then presently 'ook
| T.; nd 1af 70 nj,
back again. We bore steadily down the
! bend. More looks we're exchanged, and
mods of surprised admiration-but no
! words. InsensibIv the men drew
together behind Mr.. Bixby, as the sky
! darkened and one or two dim stars came
| out. The dead silence and sense OF
waiting became oppressive. Mr.. Eixbv
| pulled the cord, and two deep, mellow
(! notes from the hi bell ttoated of on tue
| night. Then q pause, AMI one more
| note was struck. The watchinan yo'cr
| followed, from the hurricane deck
! "Iabboard lead, there! Stabhoar:
leadn' :. .
The cries. Of the leadsmen began io
rise ont of the distance, and were grutfv
| repeated by the word-passers on the
hurricane deck.
| MARK three! >. Mark three!
Quarter-less-t three! ;. Halftwain
Quarter, twainl Mark twain!
Quarter-less"
Mr.. Bixby pulled two bell-ropes, and
was answered by faint junglllngs Tar be,
low in the engine-ro ON, and our speed
slackened. The steam began to whistle
through the guage-cocks. The cries Of
| leadsmen went on-and 1t Is weird
sound, always in the night. Every pilot
in the lot was watching now witt, fixed
| toll
| No body WAS calm and easy but Alr. Blk
| by. He would put bis wheel down and
stand on a spoke, and as the steamer
swung into herGo me) utterly invisible
marks-for we seemed to DE in the midst
ola wide and gloomy sea-he would
meet and fasten her there. Out of the
murmur of half audible talk, one cangh,
cohere mt sentence now and then
such as:
'.There; she's over the first reef ali
right
voice.
"Her stern's coming down just exact
iv right, by George!'
"Now she's in the marks; over she
goesW
Somebody else muttered:-
"Oh, it was done beauti;ul-beauti-
fuli''
Now the engines were stopped alto
gether and we drifted with the current
Not that | could see the boat drift tor I
could not, the stars being all gone by
this time This drifting was the dis
mallest work; it held ones heart still.
Presently discovered b'acker gloo,n
than that which surrounded us. 1t was
the head of the island. We were closing
right down upon it: We entered It's
deeper shadow, and SO imminent seem"
ed the peril that was likely to s,locate, !,
and had the strongest impulse: to do
something, anything, to save the vessel.
But still Mr.. Bixby stood By his wiIres.
, silent, intent as a cat, and all tIir r'l"ts
stood shoulder to shoulder at his hack.
"SheIl not make it," someboiy whis-
pered.
The water grew shoaler an / sIoaler,
| hy the leadsman's cries, till it Was down
"Eight-and-a half! .... Eight
: feet! Seven-and"-
Mr.. Bixby said warningly through his
speaking tube to the engineer
''>tand by, now!"
"Aye-ave, sir"
u "Seven-and-a-half Seven feet! Six
/ and"-
, We touched the bottom. Instantly
Mr.. Bixby set lot of bells ringing,
shouted through the tube, ST1o: ic1 ~
have it-every ounce you've got"' the II
' to his partner. Put her hard down.
8 snatch her! snatch herr The boat
[ rasped and ground her way through the
! sand, hung upon the apex of Il disaster
a sin gle tremendous instant, and then
d over she vent And then such shout
r as went up at Mr.. Bixby's back never
a loosened the roof of pilot be-
z fore!
There was no more trouble after that.
Mr.. Bixby was hero that night: and it
| was some little time, too, before his ex
l plot ceased to be talked about by river
men.
NOAH'S ARK