1
/
of
1
OGB
OLD TIMES ON THE MISSISSIPPI and A LITERARY NIGHTMARE
OLD TIMES ON THE MISSISSIPPI and A LITERARY NIGHTMARE
Regular price
$1.49 USD
Regular price
Sale price
$1.49 USD
Shipping calculated at checkout.
Quantity
Couldn't load pickup availability
Scanned, proofed and corrected from the original edition for your reading pleasure. (Worth every penny!)
***
Below are are few excerpts from the book and as Shakespeare said: "What's in a name?"
***
"Jim, how did you run Plum Point, coming up?"
"It was in the night, there, and I ran it the way one of the boys on the Diana told me; started out about fifty yards above the wood pile on the false point, and held on the cabin under Plum Point till I raised the reef quarter less twain— then straightened up for the middle bar till I got well abreast the old one-limbed cotton-wood in the bend, then got my stern on the cotton-wood and head on the low place above the point, and came through a-booming — nine and a half."
"Pretty square crossing, an't it?"
"Yes, but the upper bar's working down fast."
Another pilot spoke up and said:—
"I had better water than that, and ran it lower down; started out from the false point— mark twain— raised the second reef abreast the big snag in the bend, and had quarter less twain."
**********
"Labboard lead, there! Stabboard lead!"
The cries of the leadsmen began to rise out of the distance, and were gruffly repeated by the word-passers on the hurricane deck.
"M-a-r-k three! M-a-r-k three! Quarter-less-three! Half twain! Quarter twain! M-a-r-k twain! Quarter-less"—
**********
That night we had the watch until twelve. Now it was an ancient river custom for the two pilots to chat a bit when the watch changed. While the relieving pilot put on his gloves and lit his cigar, his partner, the retiring pilot, would say something like this:—
"I judge the upper bar is making down a little at Hale's Point; had quarter twain with the lower lead and mark twain with the other."
**********
This was another shock. I began to climb the wheel like a squirrel; but I would hardly get the boat started to port before I would see new dangers on that side, and away I would spin to the other; only to find perils accumulating to starboard, and be crazy to get to port again. Then came the leadsman's sepulchral cry:—
"D-e-e-p four!"
Deep four in a bottomless crossing! The terror of it took my breath away.
"M-a-r-k three! M-a-r-k three! Quarter less three! Half twain!"
This was frightful! I seized the bell-ropes and stopped the engines.
"Quarter twain! Quarter twain! Mark twain!"
***
Below are are few excerpts from the book and as Shakespeare said: "What's in a name?"
***
"Jim, how did you run Plum Point, coming up?"
"It was in the night, there, and I ran it the way one of the boys on the Diana told me; started out about fifty yards above the wood pile on the false point, and held on the cabin under Plum Point till I raised the reef quarter less twain— then straightened up for the middle bar till I got well abreast the old one-limbed cotton-wood in the bend, then got my stern on the cotton-wood and head on the low place above the point, and came through a-booming — nine and a half."
"Pretty square crossing, an't it?"
"Yes, but the upper bar's working down fast."
Another pilot spoke up and said:—
"I had better water than that, and ran it lower down; started out from the false point— mark twain— raised the second reef abreast the big snag in the bend, and had quarter less twain."
**********
"Labboard lead, there! Stabboard lead!"
The cries of the leadsmen began to rise out of the distance, and were gruffly repeated by the word-passers on the hurricane deck.
"M-a-r-k three! M-a-r-k three! Quarter-less-three! Half twain! Quarter twain! M-a-r-k twain! Quarter-less"—
**********
That night we had the watch until twelve. Now it was an ancient river custom for the two pilots to chat a bit when the watch changed. While the relieving pilot put on his gloves and lit his cigar, his partner, the retiring pilot, would say something like this:—
"I judge the upper bar is making down a little at Hale's Point; had quarter twain with the lower lead and mark twain with the other."
**********
This was another shock. I began to climb the wheel like a squirrel; but I would hardly get the boat started to port before I would see new dangers on that side, and away I would spin to the other; only to find perils accumulating to starboard, and be crazy to get to port again. Then came the leadsman's sepulchral cry:—
"D-e-e-p four!"
Deep four in a bottomless crossing! The terror of it took my breath away.
"M-a-r-k three! M-a-r-k three! Quarter less three! Half twain!"
This was frightful! I seized the bell-ropes and stopped the engines.
"Quarter twain! Quarter twain! Mark twain!"
Share
