River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1884-04-10
Training a Cub"

u AiSSaSSlppl pilOL never uses the
feeble phrase, II thnk . he always says,
i know. He has cultivated his memory
until it retains every trivial letail of
twelve hundred miles of river. He
must know it, In order to keep his
steamer out of trouble, and he must SO
know it that nothing shall shake his
confidence in his knowledge.
When pilots "cub," as his appren-
ice is called, has become so thoroughly
acquainted with the river that he can be
trusted to steer the boat alone, the pilot
plays friendly swindle upon him. His
purpose is to test the cubs confidence
in his own knowledge, and to train him
to calmly look danger in the face.
Mark Twain tells, in his Life on the
Mississippi" how he was once thus
trained by his pilot-boss. Mr.. Bixby:
Il am going below while, said Mr..
Bixby. Il suppose you know the next
crossing?"
"Know how to run it? Why, / can
run it with my eyes shut"
How much water is there in ito"
"Well that is an odd question. /
couldn't get bottom there with a church
steeple"
you think so, do you?"
The very tone of the question shook
my confidence That was what Mr..
Bixby was expecting. He left without
saying anything more. I began to i'm
agine all sorts of things.
Mr.. Bixby, unknown to me, sent
somebody down to the forecastle with
some mysterious instructions to the
leadsmen, another messenger was sent
to whisper among the officers, and then
Mr.. Bixby went into hiding behind q
smokes stack where he could observe re-.
suits
Presently the captain stepped out on
the hurricane deck; next the chief mate
appeared, and then clerk. Every mo-
ment or two straggler was added to
my audience; and before got to the
head of the island, / had fifteen OF
twenty people assembled down there
under my nose.
] began to wonder what the trouble
was. As I started across, the captain
glanced aloft at me, and said, with a
sham uneasiness in his voice.
"Where is Bixby?"
"Gone below, sir"
But that did the business for me. My
imagination began to construct dangers
out of nothing. All my confidence in
that crossing vanished.
i seized the belt-rope; dropped it.
ashamed; seized it again; dropped it
once more; clutched it tremblingly once
again, and pulled it so feebly that /
could hardly hear the stroke myself.
Captain and mate sang out instantly,
and both together, "Starboard lead
therel and quick about it,
This was another shock. / began to
climb the wheel like squirrel; but |
could hardly get the boat started to port
before I would see new dangers on that
side and away / would spin to the other,
only to find perils accommodating to star
board, and be crazy to get to port again.
Then came the leadsman's sepulchral
cry, "D-e-e-p four!"
Deep four in bottomless crossing !
The terror of it took my breath away.
Mark threel Mark three
(. Quarter less threel +. Half
twain!S
This was frightful seized the bell
ropes and stopped the engines.
"Quarter twain! Quarter twain
Mark twain!"
/ was helpless. did not know what
in the world to do.
Quarter less twain! Nine and q
half"
We were drawing nine! My hands
were in a nerveless fiutter. / could
not ring bell intelligibly with them,
l flew to the speaking-tube and shouted
to the engineer
80 Ben, if Won love me. back her
Quick, Ben! Oh, back the soul out OF
her!"
I heard the door of the pilot-house
close gently. ] looked around, and
there stood Mr.. Bixby, smiling bland,
sweet smile. Then the audience on
the hurricane-deck sent up a thunder
gush of humiliating laughter.
saw it all, and | felt meaner than
the meanest man in human history. |
set the boat in her marks, came ahead
on the engines, and said,-
at was fine trick to play on me,
wasn't it? I suppose I'll never hear
the last of how was ass enough to
heave the lead at the head of sc"
"Well, hope you won't, for | want
you to learn something by that expert
1r3% n
bottom in that crossing?"
Eyes, sir, did,"
every we'll, then. You shouldn't
have allowed me or anybody else, to
shake your confidence in that knowl-
edge. Try to remember that. And
another thing; when you get into a
dangerous place. don't turn coward.
That isn't going to help matters any. !"
It was good enough lesson, but
pretty hardly learned.