The Outdoor Chums on a Houseboat; Or, The Rivals of the Mississippi

pilot of the rive

dgment been at all defective in the start, all would have been lost

alled the "sweep"; with the towboat apparently dead ahead. It would, doubtless, give him an odd little creep eve

ainst the current. Indeed, her stern wheel even began to churn the water wildly,

that proved the most dangerous factor in the matter; for

the impression that a collision was about due; when all of a sudden some new freak of the current

that any one of the boys might, had they so desi

t after all their voyage was not fated t

ce was too weak for the sound to b

id, since every boyish heart was full of thanksgiving, after the scare. Possibly they were in the wrong, since the channel seem

Jerry exclaimed, as he fell back, pantin

n the upper Mississippi," Frank remarked, hi

river pilots as good as they send?" ventured Will, now recovering from his attac

"No, what I meant was this: while the river is as small as it is now, with only a certain channel for big boats to f

I was dead sure the fault all lay with that sleepy pilot, He must have been takin

when he poked his head up, and I imagine he must have stooped just to light it, so as to be out

, and they considered it good policy to keep on the move for some time yet. When the sun h

rdly more than a creek, the upper Mississippi seemed particularly grand. It was a noble river, with very

hes of the mighty river, its vastness might appal them, but could

how such bustle above Cairo as below the junction city, where the flood of the O

r seemed to be calling out perpetually, drawing attention to certain features of t

n; and presently smoke ascending from the pipe that projected above

d to pass the night. This being their first experience aboard such a craft, he believed th

some means of using the stout cable. And he had also been warned to beware of getting into a shallow creek; since the river has a mean way of sometimes dropping half a f

an hour after Jerry disappeared, the clumsy boat was pushed in close to the overhanging shore, and nimble Bluff clambered up the bank, to whip t

e of fish lines and proceeded to cast them from the stern, havi

pointed spikes along his spine, which Frank warned them must be avoided unless they wished to have a poisoned hand. Yet

interior of the cabin was not all that they could wish, and more than one complaint was heard as

there's where it used to hang, right over the table. If it can be made to work it ought to give us plenty of lig

would take many shortcomings of this ty

her, because of being away at college. Old memories thronged their minds as they sat th

e," declared Bluff. "And, Jerry, honest now, I really begin to

in a way that made Fran

ed to be a greenhorn, and do things just in the old rough and ready camp way; but now I've studied the scient

gin too soon," remarked Bluff, keeping his face straight; thou

bunks. These were ranged along one side of the cabin

ther the boat was supplied. Plenty were found aboard in a box; but they

hanging over them from a break in the cable. This uneasiness of the first night afloat would soon wear

to sleep. He lay there for half an hour or more, however, the si

place himself. He could hear the other boys breathing hard, and also the

owler had dropped on the deck of the Pot Luck, and was endeavoring to find an entrance; bent on stealing some of th