The River and I

oat captain and my vainglorious answer at the Cheyenne crossing, I learned to respect the words of the man who invented the ecce

muscles cried out within me: "The devil I won't, O, you inventor of rain-water creeks!" Hour by hour, day by day, against almost continual head winds and with the lo

Kansas City; and at that time I thought I knew the meaning of pride. I did not. All three of us were a bit puffed up over that boat. Something of that ride that goes before a

wn landing, and proceed to put to shame a few of these loca

that will break his heart to get under the wire first; a high-power rifle, slim of muzzle, thick of breech, with its wicked little throaty cry, d

t captain's bearing. To be master of the Atom I seemed quite enough; but to be the

ndred feet in sixteen miles, ran briskly. Everything was in readiness

e throttle over to the notch numbered with a big "2." I p

y, and the kind word encourage

f! P

sis. Like a model father who walks the floor with the weeping child, tenderly seeking the offending pin, I lo

own soul right in the middle of press day. I remembered this with forebodings. I remembered how firm but kind I was obliged to be with that old engine. I remembered how it always put its

s its little carburetor hurt it? Or did the bad

it barked right in my face. I wanted to slap it. I lifted my eyes and saw that the rapid current would soon carry me past the town landing. I seized a pad

h the line. "There must be something wrong with it!" The remark was indeed il

remarked. "That really must be the troubl

ous bureau. When I returned, I found half a dozen other benevolent members at the landing.

r with your engin

n to crank, praying steadily for a miracle. Now and then I managed to coax forth a gaseous cho

of finality. "When an engine has run for a while (!) the spa

feed! Look how she puffs! W'y it's in the oil feed-pla

d on her

see that little brass lever back there? Well,

d on sha

d me of a bass-drum booming up among the wind instruments in a medley. Lik

d a weazened little man who had been grinning wisely at the la

uplifted explanatory forefinger: "in a jump-spark engine, gentlemen, there is a number of thi

ned out by the earsplitting rapid-fire of th

t. Her fourteen-inch screw, suddenly started at full speed ahe

ir like an offended lady, and started up the bank after that information

t her

om an information bureau, the statement was marvellously correct

e, and push me off," I said confiden

oppe

rimp in some people'

imping department. I continued to crank; also, I continued to drif

wildly with that forefinger of his. He was explaining something. The information bureau, stea

inded me, and trickled off the tip of my nose. My hands began to develop blisters. Finally, a deep disgust seized me. I once saw a tender-hearted lady on her

e lady. In that moment I believe I would have fought a bear for her! Oh that all the gasoline engines in the world could

s. A hundred yards ahead of me I saw rapids. The words of the information bureau came back t

ried to the balky craft. And then I waited to see her do it. She swung 'round sharply with the first suck of th

ered that they said the name meant "the big bridge of the nose." The name had a powerf

New Orleans at once; I had made other arrangements. So I grasped a paddle and drove her into shallow water. I leaped out, waist-deep in the cold stream, and t

to her; but it seemed that she had taken some offence. Without the least warning, she leaped fo

the drink! She made a soppy rag of me! I managed to scramble aboard-

her with all my heart. I held her nose well out into the ch

I" under C

Ferry To

ith a Bro

s. A light, V-shaped wake spread after, scarcely agitating the surface. She dragged no water. There was no churning at her stern. Only the

like a bottle-fly on the flank of a spirited mare. She shook herself, quivering through all her

ngry for distance, she raced towa

her pounding heels showered down upon me. I climbed forward and let her hammer away. She cleared the gravel bar, and as she plu

mbed that current, I learned afterward. Alas! I was getting my triumph early and in one big chunk! I figure that that one huge breakfast of triumph, if properly distributed, would have fed

I plunged past them, I could see them leaping into the air and cracking their heels together with delight. They had wet every plank

ed that she had only then begun to lift her heels! With the rapid current to aid, her speed

rrent, eighteen miles per hour. Every day meant fifteen hours of light. Sioux City was

a sort of unreasoning hunger for New Orleans-a kind of violent thirst for the Gulf of Mexico! Nothing short of these, it seemed to me

ttle Cornishman fought angry seas and heard a dream-wind shrieking in the cordage, and felt the salt spume on his face. "I wonder why I am

d squat four inches. It was the first of August and the water, which had reached in the spring its highest point for twenty years, had been fall

upon fifteen days. The cable ferry towed us out beyond the gravel bars that, during the l

d. "Squash!" it said wearily. Then it let off a gasoline sigh and went into a peaceful sleep. We had reached the brick

" I said. "How about Mr. Blank? Th

an engine in

't want it ruined!" said others. A man who can arouse a diversity o

h. He sat down in front of the patient (how that

crewed that-and whistled some more. Then he s

at the doctor smiled knowingly. It was

d I, with that tone of voi

d to be ap

," muttered

her?" I asked, ha

grunted

gs. I made a very fine collection of them1 and hastened back to the doctor. He didn't seem to appreciate my efforts. He had the patient o

trouble?"

to medical tyranny. I ran down a man who once owned a power boat, and he had a spark coil. He finally agreed to forgo the pleasure of

tor. He was now screwing up all

ll go now?"

ed a while. Then the oracle gave voice: "'Frai

mber of gentlemen who were evidently connoisseurs in the battery business. They had batteries of which they were extremely fond. They parted w

d vanished. Rumor had it that he had gone home to lunch, for

n. Other remaining things I drove into convenient holes. All the while I begged blind fate to guide me. Then I

a lady. There were no ladies present, so I spoke out freely. "A

or other they seemed to doubt that engine. I don't know how long I cranked. I

Putting our shoulders against the power of the screw, we walked her out i

ges. At 5:30 engine bucked. A heavy wind from the west beat us against a ragged shore for an hour and a half. Impossible to proceed without power, except by cordelling-which we did, walking waist-deep in the water much of the time. Paddles useless in such a head wind. The wind falling at su

t on spark-plugs. I sowed them all along up there. Take a drag-net. You will scoop