Life on the Mississippi. Марк Твен

15

      The Pilots’ Monopoly

      ONE day, on board the ‘Aleck Scott,’ my chief, Mr. Bixby, was crawling carefully through a close place at Cat Island, both leads going, and everybody holding his breath. The captain, a nervous, apprehensive man, kept still as long as he could, but finally broke down and shouted from the hurricane deck —

      ‘For gracious’ sake, give her steam, Mr. Bixby! give her steam! She’ll never raise the reef on this headway!’

      For all the effect that was produced upon Mr. Bixby, one would have supposed that no remark had been made. But five minutes later, when the danger was past and the leads laid in, he burst instantly into a consuming fury, and gave the captain the most admirable cursing I ever listened to. No bloodshed ensued; but that was because the captain’s cause was weak; for ordinarily he was not a man to take correction quietly.

      1

      Hannibal, Missouri

      2

      ‘Deck’ Passage, i.e. steerage passage.

      3

      It may not be necessary, but still it can do no harm to explain that ‘inside’ means between the snag and the shore. – M.T.

      4

      Two fathoms. ‘Quarter twain’ is two-and-a-quarter fathoms, thirteen-and-a-half feet. ‘Mark three’ is three fathoms.

      5

      ’Partner’ is a technical term for ‘the other pilot’.

      6

      ’Teach’ is not in the river vocabulary.

      7

      True at the time referred to; not true now (1882).

      8

      The term ‘larboard’ is never used at sea now, to signify the left hand; but was always used on the river in my time

      9

      Door