Oriontriedtheexperimentofaserialstory。Hewrotetoanumberofwell—knownauthorsintheEast，butwasunabletofindonewhowouldsupplyaserialforthepricehewaswillingtopay。FinallyheobtainedatranslationofaFrenchnovelforthesumoffered，whichwasfivedollars。Itdidnotsavethesinkingship，however。Hemadetheexperimentofatri—weekly，withoutsuccess。Henoticedthatevenhismothernolongerreadhiseditorials，butturnedtothegeneralnews。

Thiswasafinalblow。

"Isatdowninthedark，"hesays，"themoonglintinginattheopendoor。Isatwithonelegoverthechairandletmymindfloat。"

Hehadreceivedanofferoffivehundreddollarsforhisoffice——theamountofthemortgage——andinhismoonlightreveriehedecidedtodisposeofitonthoseterms。Thiswasin1853。

HisbrotherSamuelwasnolongerwithhim。Severalmonthsbefore，inJune，Samdecidedhewouldgooutintotheworld。Hewasinhiseighteenthyearnow，agoodworkman，faithfulandindustrious，buthehadgrownrestlessinunrewardedservice。Beyondhismasteryofthetradehehadlittletoshowforsixyearsofhardlabor。OncewhenhehadaskedOrionforafewdollarstobuyasecond—handgun，Orion，exasperatedbydesperatecircumstances，fellintoapassionandratedhimforthinkingofsuchextravagance。SoonafterwardSamconfidedtohismotherthathewasgoingaway；thathebelievedOrionhatedhim；thattherewasnolongeraplaceforhimathome。HesaidhewouldgotoSt。Louis，wherePamelawas。TherewouldbeworkforhiminSt。Louis，andhecouldsendmoneyhome。HisintentionwastogofartherthanSt。Louis，buthedarednottellher。Hismotherputtogethersadlyenoughthefewbelongingsofwhatsheregardedasheronewaywardboy；thensheheldupalittleTestament：

"Iwantyoutotakeholdoftheotherendofthis，Sam，"shesaid，"andmakemeapromise。"

Ifonemighthaveatruepictureofthatscene：theshin，wirywomanofforty—nine，herfigureasstraightasherdeportment，gray—eyed，tender，andresolute，facingthefair—cheeked，auburn—hairedyouthofseventeen，hiseyesaspiercingandunwaveringasherown。Motherandson，theywereofthesamemetalandthesamemold。

"Iwantyoutorepeatafterme，Sam，thesewords，"JaneClemenssaid。

IdosolemnlyswearthatIwillnotthrowacardordrinkadropofliquorwhileIamgone。"’

Herepeatedtheoathafterher，andshekissedhim。

"Rememberthat，Sam，andwritetous，"shesaid。

"Andso，"Orionrecords，"hewentwanderinginsearchofthatcomfortandthatadvancementandthoserewardsofindustrywhichhehadfailedtofindwhereIwas——gloomy，taciturn，andselfish。Inotonlymissedhislabor；weallmissedhisboundingactivityandmerriment。"

XIX

INTHEFOOTSTEPSOFFRANKLIN

HewenttoSt。Louisbythenightboat，visitedhissisterPamela，andfoundajobinthecomposing—roomoftheEveningNews。Heremainedonthepaperonlylongenoughtoearnmoneywithwhichtoseetheworld。

The"world"wasNewYorkCity，wheretheCrystalPalaceFairwasthengoingon。Therailwayhadbeencompletedbythistime，buthehadnottraveledonit。Ithadnotmanycomforts；severaldaysandnightswererequiredfortheNewYorktrip；yetitwasawonderfulandbeautifulexperience。HefeltthatevenPetMcMurrycouldhardlyhavedoneanythingtosurpassit。HearrivedinNewYorkwithtwoorthreedollarsinhispocketandaten—dollarbillconcealedintheliningofhiscoat。

NewYorkwasagreatandamazingcity。Italmostfrightenedhim。ItcoveredtheentirelowerendofManhattanIsland；visionarycitizensboastedthatonedayitwouldcoveritall。TheWorld’sFairbuilding，theCrystalPalace，stoodagoodwayout。ItwaswhereBryantParkisnow，onForty—secondStreetandSixthAvenue。YoungClemensclasseditasoneofthewondersoftheworldandwrotelavishlyofitsmarvels。

AportionofalettertohissisterPamelahasbeenpreservedandisgivenherenotonlyforwhatitcontains，butastheearliestexistingspecimenofhiscomposition。Thefragmentconcludeswhatwasdoubtlessanexhaustivedescription。

Fromthegallery(secondfloor)youhaveaglorioussight——theflagsofthedifferentcountriesrepresented，theloftydome，glitteringjewelry，gaudytapestry，etc。，withthebusycrowdpassingtoandfro’tisaperfectfairypalace——beautifulbeyonddescription。

Themachinerydepartmentisonthemainfloor，butIcannotenumerateanyofitonaccountofthelatenessofthehour(past1

o’clock)。Itwouldtakemorethanaweektoexamineeverythingonexhibition；andIwasonlyinalittleovertwohoursto—night。

Ionlyglancedataboutone—thirdofthearticles；and，havingapoormemory，Ihaveenumeratedscarcelyanyofeventheprincipalobjects。ThevisitorstothePalaceaverage6，000daily——doublethepopulationofHannibal。Thepriceofadmissionbeing50cents，theytakeinabout$3，000。

TheLattingObservatory(heightabout280feet)isnearthePalace—

fromityoucanobtainagrandviewofthecityandthecountryaround。TheCrotonAqueduct，tosupplythecitywithwater，isthegreatestwonderyet。ImmensesewersarelaidacrossthebedoftheHudsonRiver，andpassthroughthecountrytoWestchesterCounty，whereawholeriveristurnedfromitscourseandbroughttoNewYork。FromthereservoirinthecitytotheWestchesterCountyreservoirthedistanceisthirty—eightmilesand，ifnecessary，theycouldeasilysupplyeveryfamilyinNewYorkwithonehundredbarrelsofwaterperday！

IamverysorrytolearnthatHenryhasbeensick。Heoughttogotothecountryandtakeexercise，forheisnothalfsohealthyasMathinksheis。Ifhehadmywalkingtodo，hewouldbeanotherboyentirely。FourtimeseverydayIwalkalittleoveramile；andworkinghardalldayandwalkingfourmilesisexercise。Iamusedtoitnow，though，anditisnotrouble。WhereisitOrion’sgoingto？TellMamypromisesarefaithfullykept；andifIhavemyhealthIwilltakehertoKy。inthespring——Ishallsavemoneyforthis。TellJim(Wolfe)andalltherestofthemtowrite，andgivemeallthenews……

(Ithasjuststruck2A。M。，andIalwaysgetupat6，andamatworkat7。)YouaskwhereIspendmyevenings。Wherewouldyousuppose，withafreeprinter’slibrarycontainingmorethan4，000volumeswithinaquarterofamileofme，andnobodyathometotalkto？

Writesoon。

Trulyyourbrother，SAM

P。S。—IhavewrittenthisbyalightsodimthatyounorMacouldnotreadbyit。Write，andletmeknowhowHenryis。

Itisagoodletter；itisdirectandclearinitsdescriptivequality，anditgivesusascaleofthings。DoublethepopulationofHannibalvisitedtheCrystalPalaceinoneday！andthewatertosupplythecitycameadistanceofthirty—eightmiles！Doubtlessthesewereamazingstatistics。

Thentherewastheinterestinfamilyaffairs——alwaysstrong——hisconcernforHenry，whomhelovedtenderly；hismemoryofthepromisetohismother；hisunderstandingofhercravingtovisitheroldhome。Hedidnotwritetoherdirect，forthereasonthatOrion’splanswerethenuncertain，anditwasnotunlikelythathehadalreadyfoundanewlocation。Fromthisletter，too，welearnthattheboywhodetestedschoolwasrevelinginalibraryoffourthousandbooks——morethanhehadeverseentogetherbefore。Wehavesomehowthefeelingthathehadallatoncesteppedfromboyhoodtomanhood，andthattheseparationwasmarkedbyaverydefiniteline。

TheworkhehadsecuredwasinCliffStreetintheprintingestablishmentofJohnA。Gray&Green，whoagreedtopayhimfourdollarsaweek，anddidpaythatamountinwildcatmoney，whichsavedthemabouttwenty—fivepercent。ofthesum。Helodgedatamechanics’boarding—houseinDuaneStreet，andwhenhehadpaidhisboardandwashinghesometimeshadasmuchasfiftycentstolayaway。

Hedidnotliketheboard。HehadbeenaccustomedtotheSouthernmodeofcooking，andwrotehomecomplainingthatNew—Yorkersdidnothave"hot—bread"orbiscuits，butate"light—bread，"whichtheyallowedtogetstale，seemingtopreferitinthatway。Onthewhole，therewasnotmuchinducementtoremaininNewYorkafterhehadsatisfiedhimselfwithitswonders。Helingered，however，throughthehotmonthsof1853，andfounditnoteasytogo。InOctoberhewrotetoPamela，suggestingplansforOrion；alsoforHenryandJimWolfe，whomheseemsnevertohaveoverlooked。Amongotherthingshesays：

Ihavenotwrittentoanyofthefamilyforsometime，fromthefact，firstly，thatIdidn’tknowwheretheywere，and，secondly，becauseIhavebeenfoolingmyselfwiththeideathatIwasgoingtoleaveNewYorkeverydayforthelasttwoweeks。Ihavetakenalikingtotheabominableplace，andeverytimeIgetreadytoleaveIputitoffadayorso，fromsomeunaccountablecause。IthinkI

shallgetoffTuesday，though。

EdwinForresthasbeenplayingforthelastsixteendaysattheBroadwayTheater，butIneverwenttoseehimtilllastnight。Theplaywasthe"Gladiator。"Ididnotlikepartsofitmuch，butotherportionswerereallysplendid。Inthelatterpartofthelastact，wherethe"Gladiator"(Forrest)diesathisbrother’sfeet(inallthefiercepleasureofgratifiedrevenge)，theman’swholesoulseemsabsorbedinthepartheisplaying；anditisreallystartlingtoseehim。IamsorryIdidnotseehimplay"DamonandPythias"——

theformercharacterbeingthegreatest。HeappearsinPhiladelphiaonMondaynight。

Ihavenotreceivedaletterfromhomelately，butgota"Journal"

theotherday，inwhichIseetheofficehasbeensold……

Ifmylettersdonotcomeoften，youneednotbotheryourselfaboutme；forifyouhaveabrothernearlyeighteenyearsofagewhoisnotabletotakecareofhimselfafewmilesfromhome，suchabrotherisnotworthone’sthoughts；andifIdon’tmanagetotakecareofNo。1，beassuredyouwillneverknowit。Iamnotafraid，however；Ishallaskfavorsofnooneandendeavortobe(andshallbe)as"independentasawood—sawyer’sclerk。"……

PassagetoAlbany(160miles)onthefineststeamersthatplytheHudsonisnow25cents——cheapenough，butisgenerallycheaperthanthatinthesummer。

"IhavebeenfoolingmyselfwiththeideathatIwasgoingtoleaveNewYork"isdistinctlyaMarkTwainphrase。Hemighthavesaidthatfiftyyearslater。

HedidgotoPhiladelphiapresentlyandfoundwork"subbing"onadailypaper，’TheInquirer。’Hewasafairlyswiftcompositor。Hecouldsettenthousandemsaday，andhereceivedpayaccordingtotheamountofworkdone。Daysoreveningswhentherewasnovacantplaceforhimtofillhevisitedhistoricsites，theart—galleries，andthelibraries。

Hewasstillacquiringeducation，yousee。Sometimesatnightwhenhereturnedtohisboardinghousehisroom—mate，anEnglishmannamedSumner，grilledaherring，andthiswasregardedasafeast。HetriedhishandatwritinginPhiladelphia，thoughthistimewithoutsuccess。ForsomereasonhedidnotagainattempttogetintothePost，butofferedhiscontributionstothePhiladelphia’Ledger’——mainlypoetryofanobituarykind。Perhapsitwasburlesque；heneverconfessedthat，butitseemsunlikelythatanyotherobituarypoetrywouldhavefailedofprint。

"Myeffortswerenotreceivedwithapproval，"wasallheeversaidofitafterward。

Thereweretwoorthreecharactersinthe’Inquirer’officewhomhedidnotforget。Oneofthesewasanoldcompositorwhohad"heldacase"inthatofficeformanyyears。HisnamewasFrog，andsometimeswhenhewentawaythe"officedevils"wouldhangalineoverhiscase，withahookonitbaitedwithapieceofredflannel。Theynevergottiredofthisjoke，andFrogwasalwaysabletogetasmadoveritashehadbeeninthebeginning。Anotheroldfellowtherefurnishedamusement。Heownedahouseinthedistantpartofthecityandhadanabnormalfearoffire。Nowandthen，wheneverythingwasquietexcepttheclickingofthetypes，someonewouldsteptothewindowandsaywithaconcernedair：

"Doesn’tthatsmoke——[orthatlight，ifitwasevening]——seemtobeinthenorthwesternpartofthecity？"or"Theregothefire—bellsagain！"

andawaytheoldmanwouldtrampuptotherooftoinvestigate。Itwasnotthemostconsideratesport，anditistobefearedthatSamClemenshadhisshareinit。

HefoundthathelikedPhiladelphia。Hecouldsavealittlemoneythere，foronething，andnowandthensentsomethingtohismother——smallamounts，butwelcomeandgratifying，nodoubt。InalettertoOrion——

whomheseemstohaveforgivenwithabsence——writtenOctober26th，heinclosesagolddollartobuyherahandkerchief，and"toserveasaspecimenofthekindofstuffwearepaidwithinPhiladelphia。"Furtheralongheadds：

UnlikeNewYork，IlikethisPhiladelphiaamazingly，andthepeopleinit。Thereisonlyonethingthatgetsmy"dander"up——andthatisthehandsarealwaysencouragingme：tellingme"it’snousetogetdiscouraged——nousetobedownhearted，forthereismoreworkherethanyoucando！""Downhearted，"thedevil！IhavenothadaparticleofsuchafeelingsinceIleftHannibal，morethanfourmonthsago。Ifancythey’llhavetowaitsometimetilltheyseemedownheartedorafraidofstarvingwhileIhavestrengthtoworkandaminacityof400，000inhabitants。WhenIwasinHannibal，beforeIhadscarcelysteppedoutofthetownlimits，nothingcouldhaveconvincedmethatIwouldstarveassoonasIgotalittlewayfromhome。

HementionsthegraveofFranklininChristChurchyardwithitsinscription"BenjaminandDeborahFranklin，"andoneissharplyremindedofthesimilaritybetweentheearlycareersofBenjaminFranklinandSamuelClemens。Eachlearnedtheprinter’strade；eachworkedinhisbrother’sprinting—officeandwroteforthepaper；eachleftquietlyandwenttoNewYork，andfromNewYorktoPhiladelphia，asajourneymanprinter；eachindueseasonbecameaworldfigure，many—sided，human，andofincrediblepopularity。

TheforegoingletterendswithalongdescriptionofatripmadeontheFairmountstage。Itisagood，vividdescription——impressionsofafresh，sensitivemind，setdownwithlittleeffortatfinewriting；alettertoconveyliteralratherthanliteraryenjoyment。TheWireBridge，FairmountParkandReservoir，newbuildings——allthesepassedinreview。Afineresidenceaboutcompletedimpressedhim：

Itwasbuiltentirelyofgreatblocksofredgranite。Thepillarsinfrontwereallfinishedbutone。Thesepillarswerebeautiful，ornamentalflutedcolumns，considerablylargerthanahogsheadatthebase，andaboutashighasClapinger’ssecond—storyfrontwindows……Toseesomeofthemfinishedandstanding，andthenthehugeblockslyingabout，lookssomassy，andcarriesone，inimagination，totheruinedpilesofancientBabylon。Idespisetheinfernalbogusbrickcolumnsplasteredoverwithmortar。Marbleisthecheapestbuilding—stoneaboutPhiladelphia。

Thereisaflavorofthe’Innocents’aboutit；thenalittlefurtheralong：

Isawsmallsteamboats，withtheirsignsup——"ForWissahickonandManayunk25cents。"Geo。Lippard，inhisLegendsofWashingtonandhisGenerals，hasrenderedtheWissahickonsacredinmyeyes，andI

shallmakethattrip，aswellasonetoGermantown，soon……

ThereisonefinecustomobservedinPhila。Agentlemanisalwaysexpectedtohandupalady’smoneyforher。YesterdayIsatinthefrontendofthebus，directlyunderthedriver’sbox——aladysatoppositeme。Shehandedmehermoney，whichwasright。But，Lord！

aSt。Louisladywouldthinkherselfruinedifsheshouldbesofamiliarwithastranger。InSt。Louisamanwillsitinthefrontendofthestage，andseealadystaggerfromthefarendtopayherfare。

TherearetwomorelettersfromPhiladelphia：oneofNovember，28th，toOrion，whobythistimehadboughtapaperinMuscatine，Iowa，andlocatedthefamilythere；andonetoPameladatedDecember5th。

EvidentlyOrionhadrealizedthathisbrothermightbeofvalueasacontributor，forthelattersays：

Iwilltrytowriteforthepaperoccasionally，butIfearmyletterswillbeveryuninteresting，forthisincessantnightworkdullsone’sideasamazingly……IbelieveIamtheonlypersonintheInquirerofficethatdoesnotdrink。Oneyoungfellowmakes$18

forafewweeks，andgetsonagrand"bender"andspendseverycentofit。

Howdoyoulike"freesoil"？——Iwouldlikeamazinglytoseeagoodold—fashionednegro。Mylovetoall。

Trulyyourbrother，SAM

InthelettertoPamelaheisclearlyhomesick。

"Ionlywanttoreturntoavoidnightwork，whichisinjuringmyeyes，"

istheexcuse，butinthenextsentencehecomplainsofthescarcityoflettersfromhomeandthose"notwrittenastheyshouldbe。""Oneonlyhastoleavehometolearnhowtowriteinterestingletterstoanabsentfriend，"hesays，andinconclusion，"Idon’tlikeourpresentprospectforcoldweatheratall。"

Hehadbeengonehalfayear，andthefirstattackofhome—longing，foraboyofhisage，wasdue。Thenoveltyofthingshadwornoff；itwascomingonwinter；changeshadtakenplaceamonghishomepeopleandfriends；thelifehehadknownbestandlongestwasgoingonandhehadnopartinit。Leaningoverhiscase，hesometimeshummed：

"Anexilefromhome，splendordazzlesinvain。"

Heweatheredtheattackandstuckitoutformorethanhalfayearlonger。InJanuary，whenthedaysweredarkandhegrewdepressed，hemadeatriptoWashingtontoseethesightsofthecapital。Hisstaywascomparativelybrief，andhedidnotworkthere。HereturnedtoPhiladelphia，workingforatimeontheLedgerandNorthAmerican。

FinallyhewentbacktoNewYork。Therearenolettersofthisperiod。

HissecondexperienceinNewYorkappearsnottohavebeenrecorded，andinlateryearswasonlyvaguelyremembered。Itwaslateinthesummerof1854whenhefinallysetoutonhisreturntotheWest。His’Wanderjahr’

hadlastednearlyfifteenmonths。

HewentdirectlytoSt。Louis，sittingupthreedaysandnightsinasmoking—cartomakethejourney。Hewaswornoutwhenhearrived，butstoppedthereonlyafewhourstoseePamela。Itwashismotherhewasanxiousfor。HetooktheKeokukPacketthatnight，and，flinginghimselfonhisberth，slepttheclockthreetimesaround，scarcelyrousingorturningover，onlywakingatlastatMuscatine。Foralongtimethatmissingdayconfusedhiscalculations。

WhenhereachedOrion’shousethefamilysatatbreakfast。Hecameincarryingagun。Theyhadnotbeenexpectinghim，andtherewasageneraloutcry，andarushinhisdirection。Hewardedthemoff，holdingthebuttoftheguninfrontofhim。

"Youwouldn’tletmebuyagun，"hesaid，"soIboughtonemyself，andI

amgoingtouseit，now，inself—defense。"

"You，Sam！You，Sam！"criedJaneClemens。"Behaveyourself，"forshewaswaryofagun。

Thenhehadhadhisjokeandgavehimselfintohismother’sarms。

XX

KEOKUKDAYS

OrionwishedhisbrothertoremainwithhimintheMuscatineoffice，buttheyoungmandeclaredhemustgotoSt。Louisandearnsomemoneybeforehewouldbeabletoaffordthatluxury：HereturnedtohisplaceontheSt。LouisEveningNews，whereheremaineduntillatewinterorearlyspringofthefollowingyear。

HelivedatthistimewithaPaveyfamily，probablyoneoftheHannibalPaveys，roomingwithayouthnamedFrankE。Burrough，ajourneymanchair—

makerwithatasteforDickens，Thackeray，Scott，andDisraeli。Burroughhadreallyafineliteraryappreciationforhisyears，andtheboyswerecomradesandclosefriends。Twenty—twoyearslaterMarkTwainexchangedwithBurroughsomeimpressionsofhimselfatthatearliertime。Clemenswrote：

MYDEARBURROUGH，——AsyoudescribemeIcanpicturemyselfasIwas22yearsago。Theportraitiscorrect。YouthinkIhavegrownsome；uponmywordtherewasroomforit。Youhavedescribedacallowfool，aself—sufficientass，amerehumantumble—bug，sterninair，heavingathisbitofdung，imaginingthatheisremodelingtheworldandisentirelycapableofdoingitright……ThatiswhatIwasat19—20。

OrionClemensinthemeantimehadmarriedandremovedtoKeokuk。Hehadmarriedduringavisittothatcity，inthecasual，impulsivewaysocharacteristicofhim，andthefactthathehadacquiredawifeintheoperationseemedatfirsttohaveescapedhisinnerconsciousness。Hetellsithimself；hesays：

AtsunriseonthenextmorningaftertheweddingweleftinastageforMuscatine。WehaltedfordinneratBurlington。Afterdespatchingthatmealwestoodonthepavementwhenthestagedroveup，readyfordeparture。Iclimbedin，gatheredthebuffalorobearoundme，andleanedbackunconsciousthatIhadanythingfurthertodo。Agentlemanstandingonthepavementsaidtomywife，"Miss，doyougobythisstage？"Isaid，"Oh，Iforgot！"andsprangoutandhelpedherin。AwifewasanewkindofpossessiontowhichI

hadnotyetbecomeaccustomed；Ihadforgottenher。

Orion’swifehadbeenMaryStotts；hermotherafriendofJaneClemens’sgirlhood。SheprovedafaithfulhelpmatetoOrion；butinthoseearlydaysofmarriageshemayhavefoundlifewithhimrathertrying，anditwasherhomesicknessthatbroughtthemtoKeokuk。BrotherSamcameupfromSt。Louis，byandby，tovisitthem，andOrionofferedhimfivedollarsaweekandboardtoremain。Heaccepted。Theofficeatthistime，orsoonafter，waslocatedonthethirdfloorof52MainStreet，inthebuildingatpresentoccupiedbythePatersonShoeCompany。HenryClemens，nowseventeen，wasalsoinOrion’semploy，andaladbythenameofDickHingham。HenryandSamsleptintheoffice，andDickcameinforsocialevenings。AlsoayoungmannamedEdwardBrownell，whoclerkedinthebook—storeonthegroundfloor。

Thesewerelikelytobelivelyevenings。Amusicdealerandteacher，ProfessorIsbell，occupiedthefloorjustbelow，anddidnotcarefortheirdiversions。Heobjected，buthardlyintherightway。HadhegonetoSamuelClemensgently，heundoubtedlywouldhavefoundhimwillingtomakeanyconcessions。Instead，heassailedhimroughly，andthenexteveningtheboyssetupalotofemptywine—bottles，whichtheyhadfoundinabarrelinacloset，and，withstonesforballs，playedtenpinsontheofficefloor。ThiswasDickandSam；Henrydeclinedtojointhegame。Isbellrushedup—stairsandbatteredonthedoor，buttheypaidnoattention。Nextmorninghewaitedfortheyoungmenanddenouncedthemwildly。Theymerelyignoredhim，andthatnightorganizedamilitarycompany，madeupofthemselvesandanewGermanapprentice—boy，anddrilledupanddownoverthesinging—class。DickHinghamledthesemilitarymanoeuvers。Hewasagirlishsortofafellow，buthehadanaturaltasteforsoldiering。Theothersusedtolaughathim。Theycalledhimadisguisedgirl，anddeclaredhewouldrunifagunwerereallypointedinhisdirection。Theyweremistaken；sevenyearslaterDickdiedatFortDonelsonwithabulletinhisforehead：this，bytheway。

Isbellnowadoptednewtactics。Hecameupverypleasantlyandsaid：

"Ilikeyourmilitarypracticebetterthanyourtenpinexercise，butonthewholeitseemstodisturbtheyoungladies。Youseehowitisyourself。Youcouldn’tpossiblyteachmusicwithacompanyofrawrecruitsdrillingoverhead——now，couldyou？Won’tyoupleasestopit？

Itbothersmypupils。"

SamClemensregardedhimwithmildsurprise。

"Doesit？"hesaid，verydeliberately。"Whydidn’tyoumentionitbefore？Tobesurewedon’twanttodisturbtheyoungladies。"

Theygaveupthehorse—play，andnotonlystoppedthedisturbance，butjoinedoneofthesinging——classes。SamuelClemenshadaprettygoodvoiceinthosedaysandcoulddrumfairlywellonapianoandguitar。

Hedidnotbecomeabrilliantmusician，buthewaseasilythemostpopularmemberofthesinging—class。

Theylikedhisfranknature，hisjokes，andhishumor；hisslow，quaintfashionofspeech。Theyoungladiescalledhimopenlyandfondlya"fool"——atermofendearment，astheyapplieditmeaningonlythathekepttheminamoreorlessconstantstateofwonderandmerriment；andindeeditwouldhavebeenhardforthemtosaywhetherhewasreallylight—mindedandfrivolousorthewisestofthemall。Hewastwentynowandattheageforlove—making；yetheremained，asinHannibal，abeauratherthanasuitor，goodfriendandcomradetoall，wooerofnone。

EllaCreel，acousinontheLamptonside，agreatbelle；alsoEllaPatterson(relatedthroughOrion’swifeandgenerallyknownas"Ick")，andBelleStottswereperhapshisfavoritecompanions，butthereweremanymore。Hewasalwaysreadytostopandbemerrywiththem，fullofhispranksandpleasantries；thoughtheynoticedthathequiteoftencarriedabookunderhisarm——ahistoryoravolumeofDickensorthetalesofEdgarAllanPoe。

Hereadatoddmoments；atnightvoluminously——untilverylate，sometimes。Alreadyinthatearlydayitwashishabittosmokeinbed，andhehadmadehimanOrientalpipeofthehubble—bubblevariety，becauseitwouldholdmoreandwasmorecomfortablethantheregularshortpipeofdaytimeuse。

Butithaditsdisadvantages。Sometimesitwouldgoout，andthatwouldmeansittingupandreachingforamatchandleaningovertolightthebowlwhichstoodonthefloor。YoungBrownellfrombelowwaspassingupstairstohisroomonthefourthflooronenightwhenheheardSamClemenscall。Thetwoweregreatchumsbythistime，andBrownellpokedhisheadinatthedoor。

"Whatwillyouhave，Sam？"heasked。

"Comein，Ed；Henry’sasleep，andIamintrouble。Iwantsomebodytolightmypipe。"

"Whydon’tyougetupandlightityourself？"Brownellasked。

"Iwould，onlyIknewyou’dbealonginafewminutesandwoulddoitforme。"

Brownellscratchedthenecessarymatch，stoopeddown，andappliedit。

"Whatareyoureading，Sam？"heasked。

"Oh，nothingmuch——aso—calledfunnybook——oneofthesedaysI’llwriteafunnierbookthanthat，myself。"

Brownelllaughed。

"No，youwon’t，Sam，"hesaid。"Youaretoolazyevertowriteabook。"

Agoodmanyyearslaterwhenthename"MarkTwain"hadbeguntostandforAmericanhumortheownerofitgavehis"SandwichIsland"lectureinKeokuk。Speakingoftheunreliabilityoftheislanders，hesaid："Thekingis，Ibelieve，oneofthegreatestliarsonthefaceoftheearth，exceptone；andIamverysorrytolocatethatonerighthereinthecityofKeokuk，inthepersonofEdBrownell。

TheKeokukepisodeinMarkTwain’slifewasneitherverylongnorveryactivelyimportant。Itextendedoveraperiodoflessthantwoyears——

twovitalyears，nodoubt，ifallthebearingscouldbeknown——buttheywerenotyearsofstartlingoccurrence。

Yethemadeatleastonebeginningthere：ataprinters’banquethedeliveredhisfirstafter—dinnerspeech；ahilariousspeech——itshumorofaprimitivekind。Whateveritsshortcomings，itdelightedhisaudience，andraisedhimmanypointsinthepublicregard。Hehadenteredafieldofentertainmentinwhichhewouldonedayhavenorival。Theyimpressedhimintoadebatingsocietyafterthat，andtherewasgenerallyastirofattentionwhenSamClemenswasabouttotakethefloor。

OrionClemensrecordshowhisbrotherundertooktoteachtheGermanapprenticemusic。

"TherewasanoldguitarintheofficeandSamtaughtFritzasongbeginning：

Grasshoppersittingonasweet—potatovine，Turkeycamealongandyankedhimfrombehind。"

Themainpointinthelessonwasingivingtotheword"yanked"theproperexpressionandemphasis，accompaniedbyasweepofthefingersacrossthestrings。WithseriousfaceanddeepearnestnessFritzinhisbrokenEnglishwouldattempttheselines，whilehisteacherwouldbendoverandholdhissideswithlaughterateachridiculouseffort。Withoutintendingit，Fritzhadhisrevenge。Onedayhistormentor’shandwascaughtinthepresswhentheGermanboywasturningthewheel。Samcalledtohimtostop，buttheboy’smindwasslowtograspthesituation。Thehandwasbadlywounded，thoughnoboneswerebroken。Induetimeitrecovered，itspoweranddexterity，butthetraceofthescarsremained。

Orion’sprinting—officewasnotaprosperousone；hehadnotthegiftofprosperityinanyform。Whenhefounditdifficulttopayhisbrother’swages，hetookhimintopartnership，whichmeantthatSamgotnowagesatall，barelyaliving，fortheofficecouldnotkeepitsheadabovewater。

Thejuniorpartnerwasnotdisturbed，however。Hecaredlittleformoneyinthosedays，beyondhisactualneeds，andtheseweremodestenough。

Hismother，nowwithPamela，wasamplyprovidedfor。Orionhimselftellshowhisbusinessdwindledaway。HeprintedaKeokukdirectory，butitdidnotpaylargely。Hewasalwaystooeagerforthework；toolowinhisbidforit。SamuelClemensinthisdirectoryissetdownas"anantiquarian"ajoke，ofcourse，thoughthepointofitisnowlost。

OnlytwoofhisKeokuklettershavebeenpreserved。Thefirstindicatesthegeneraldisorderoftheofficeandagrowingdissatisfaction。ItisaddressedtohismotherandsisterandbearsdateofJune10，1856。

Idon’tliketoworkattoomanythingsatonce。TheytakeHenryandDickawayfromme，too。BeforewecommencedtheDirectory，——

[Orionprintedtwoeditionsofthedirectory。Thiswasprobablythesecondone。]——Icouldtellbeforebreakfastjusthowmuchworkcouldbedoneduringtheday，andmanageaccordingly——butnow，theythrowallmyplansintodisorderbytakingmyhandsawayfromtheirwork……Iamnotgettingalongwellwiththejob—work。Ican’tworkblindly——withoutsystem。IgaveDickajobyesterday，whichI

calculatedhecouldsetintwohoursandIcouldworkoffonthepressinthree，andthereforejustfinishitbysupper—time，buthewastransferredtotheDirectory，andthejob，promisedthismorning，remainsuntouched。Throughallthegreatpressureofjob—

worklately，Ineverbeforefailedinapromiseofthekind……

Theotherletterisdatedtwomonthslater，August5th。ItwaswrittentoHenry，whowasvisitinginSt。LouisorHannibalatthetime，andintroducesthefirstmentionoftheSouthAmericanfever，whichnowpossessedthewriter。LynchandHerndonhadcompletedtheirsurveyoftheupperAmazon，andLieutenantHerndon’saccountoftheexplorationwasbeingwidelyread。Poringoverthebooknights，youngClemenshadbeenseizedwithadesiretogototheheadwatersoftheSouthAmericanriver，theretocollectcocaandmakeafortune。Allhislifehewassubjecttosuchimpulsesasthat，andwaysandmeanswerenotalwaysconsidered。ItdidnotoccurtohimthatitwouldbedifficulttogettotheAmazonandstillmoredifficulttoascendtheriver。Itwashisnaturetoseeresultswithadazzlinglargenessthatblindedhimtothedetailoftheirachievement。Inthe"Turning—point"articlealreadymentionedhereferstothis。Hesays：

Thatwasmorethanfiftyyearsago。Inallthattimemytemperamenthasnotchangedbyevenashade。Ihavebeenpunishedmanyandmanyatime，andbitterly，fordoingthingsandreflectingafterward，butthesetortureshavebeenofnovaluetome；IstilldothethingcommandedbyCircumstanceandTemperament，andreflectafterward。

Alwaysviolently。WhenIamreflectingontheseoccasions，evendeafpersonscanhearmethink。

InthelettertoHenryweseethathisresolvewasalreadymade，hisplansmatured；alsothatOrionhadnotasyetbeentakenintofullconfidence。

Maknowsmydetermination，butevenshecounselsmetokeepitfromOrion。ShesaysIcantreathimasIdidherwhenIstartedtoSt。

LouisandwenttoNewYork——IcanstartforNewYorkandgotoSouthAmerica。

HeaddsthatOrionhadpromisedhimfiftyoronehundreddollars，butthathedoesnotdependuponit，andwillmakeotherarrangements。Hefearsobstaclesmaybeputinhisway，andhewillbringvariousinfluencestobear。

IshalltakecarethatMaandOrionareplentifullysuppliedwithSouthAmericanbooks：TheyhaveHerndon’sreportnow。WardandtheDr。andmyselfwillholdagrandconsultationto—nightattheoffice。Wehaveagreedthatnomoreshallbeadmittedintoourcompany。

Hehadenlistedthosetwoadventurersinhisenterprise：aDoctorMartinandtheyoungman，Ward。Theywereverymuchinearnest，butthestartwasnotmadeasplanned，mostlikelyforwantofmeans。

YoungClemens，however，didnotgiveuptheidea。Hemadeuphismindtoworkinthedirectionofhisdesire，followinghistradeandlayingbymoneyfortheventure。ButFateorProvidenceorAccident——whateverwemaychoosetocalltheunaccountable——steppedinjustthen，andlaidbeforehimthemeansofturninganothersharpcornerinhiscareer。Oneofthosethingshappenedwhichwerefusetoacceptinfictionaspossible；butfacthasasmallerregardforthecredibilities。

AsinthecaseoftheJoanofArcepisode(andthisaddstoitsmarvel)，itwasthewindthatbroughtthetalismanicgift。ItwasadayinearlyNovember——bleak，bitter，andgusty，withcurlingsnow；mostpersonswereindoors。SamuelClemens，goingdownMainStreet，sawaflyingbitofpaperpasshimandlodgeagainstthesideofabuilding。Somethingaboutitattractedhimandhecapturedit。Itwasafifty—dollarbill。Hehadneverseenonebefore，butherecognizedit。Hethoughthemustbehavingapleasantdream。

Thetemptationcametopockethisgood—fortuneandsaynothing。Hisneedofmoneywasurgent，buthehadalsoanurgentandtroublesomeconscience；intheendheadvertisedhisfind。

"Ididn’tdescribeitveryparticularly，andIwaitedindailyfearthattheownerwouldturnupandtakeawaymyfortune。ByandbyIcouldn’tstanditanylonger。Myconsciencehadgottenallthatwascomingtoit。

IfeltthatImusttakethatmoneyoutofdanger。"

Inthe"Turning—point"articlehesays："IadvertisedthefindandleftfortheAmazonthesameday，"astatementwhichwemayacceptwithaliterarydiscount。

Asamatteroffact，heremainedampletimeandnobodyevercameforthemoney。Itmayhavebeensweptoutofabankorcaughtupbythewindfromsomecounting—roomtable。Itmayhavematerializedoutoftheunseen——whoknows？Atalleventsitcarriedhimthefirststageofajourney，theendofwhichhelittledreamed。

XXI

SCOTCHMANNAMEDMACFARLANE

HeconcludedtogotoCincinnati，whichwouldbeonthewayeithertoNewYorkorNewOrleans(heexpectedtosailfromoneofthesepoints)，butfirstpaidabriefvisittohismotherinSt。Louis，forhehadafarjourneyandalongabsenceinview。JaneClemensmadehimrenewhispromiseastocardsandliquor，andgavehimherblessing。HehadexpectedtogofromSt。LouistoCincinnati，butanewidea——aliteraryidea——cametohim，andhereturnedtoKeokuk。TheSaturdayPost，aKeokukweekly，wasaprosperoussheetgivingitselfcertainliteraryairs。Hewasinfavorwiththemanagement，ofwhichGeorgeReeswasthehead，andithadoccurredtohimthathecouldsendlettersofhistravelstothePost——for，aconsideration。Hemayhavehadastilllargerambition；atleast，thepossibilityofabookseemstohavebeeninhisconsciousness。Reesagreedtotakelettersfromhimatfivedollarseach——goodpaymentforthattimeandplace。Theyoungtraveler，jubilantintheprospectofreceivingmoneyforliterature，nowmadeanotherstart，thistimebywayofQuincy，Chicago，andIndianapolisaccordingtohisfirstletterinthePost。——[SuppliedbyThomasRees，oftheSpringfield(Illinois)Register，sonofGeorgeReesnamed。]

ThisletterisdatedCincinnati，November14，1856，anditisnotapromisingliteraryproduction。Itwaswrittenintheexaggerateddialectthenregardedashumorous，andwhilehereandthereareflashesoftheundoubtedMarkTwaintype，theyarefewandfarbetween。Thegeniusthatalittlemorethantenyearslaterwoulddelighttheworldflickeredfeeblyenoughattwenty—one。TheletterisaburlesqueaccountofthetriptoCincinnati。Abriefextractfromit，ascharacteristicasany，willserve。

Iwentdownonenighttotherailroadofficethere，purtycloseontotheLacledeHouse，andboughtaboutaquireo’yallerpaper，cutupintotickets——oneforeachrailroadintheUnitedStates，Ithought，butIfoundoutafterwardsthattheAlexandriaandBostonAir—Linewasleftout——andthengotabaggagefellertotakemytrunkdowntotheboat，wherehespilleditoutonthelevee，bustin’itopenandshakin’outthecontents，consistingof"guides"toChicago，and"guides"toCincinnati，andtravelers’guides，andallkindsofsichbooks，notexceptinga"guidetoheaven，"whichlastaintmuchusetoaTellerinChicago，Ikintellyou。Finally，thatfastpacketquitringingherbell，andstarteddowntheriver——butshehadn’tgonemornamile，tillsherancleanupontopofasand—bar，wharshestucktillplumoneo’clock，spiteoftheCaptain’sswearin’——

andtheyhadtosetthewholecrewtocussin’atlastaforetheygotheroff。

Thisishumor，wemayconcede，ofthatearlyAmericantypewhichalittlelaterwouldhaveitsflowerinNasbyandArtemusWard。OnlycarefulexaminationrevealsinitahintofthelaterMarkTwain。Thelettersweresigned"Snodgrass，"andtherearebuttwoofthem。Thesecond，datedexactlyfourmonthsafterthefirst，isinthesameassassinatingdialect，andrecountsamongotherthingsthescarcityofcoalinCincinnatiandanabsurdadventureinwhichSnodgrasshasababyleftonhishands。

>FromthefewnessoftheletterswemayassumethatSnodgrassfoundthemhardwork，anditissaidheraisedontheprice。Atallevents，thesecondconcludedtheseries。Theyaremainlyimportantinthattheyarethefirstofhiscontributionsthathavebeenpreserved；alsothefirstforwhichhereceivedacashreturn。

HesecuredworkathistradeinCincinnatiattheprinting—officeofWrightson&Co。，andremainedthereuntilApril，1857。ThatwinterinCincinnatiwaseventlessenough，butitwasmarkedbyonenotableassociation——onethatbeyonddoubtforwardedSamuelClemens’sgeneralinterestinbooks，influencedhistaste，andinspiredinhimcertainviewsandphilosophieswhichheneverforgot。

Helodgedatacheapboarding—housefilledwiththeusualcommonplacepeople，withoneexception。Thisexceptionwasalong，lank，unsmilingScotchmannamedMacfarlane，whowastwiceasoldasClemensandwhollyunlikehim——withouthumororanycomprehensionofit。Yetmeetingonthecommonplaneofintellect，thetwobecamefriends。ClemensspenthiseveningsinMacfarlane’sroomuntiltheclockstruckten；thenMacfarlanegrilledaherring，justastheEnglishmanSumnerinPhiladelphiahaddonetwoyearsbefore，andtheeveningended。

Macfarlanehadbooks，seriousbooks：histories，philosophies，andscientificworks；alsoaBibleandadictionary。Hehadstudiedtheseandknewthembyheart；hewasadirectanddiligenttalker。Henevertalkedofhimself，andbeyondthestatementthathehadacquiredhisknowledgefromreading，andnotatschool，hispersonalitywasamystery。

Heleftthehouseatsixinthemorningandreturnedatthesamehourintheevening。Hishandswerehardenedfromsomesortoftoil—mechanicallabor，hiscompanionthought，butheneverknew。Hewouldhavelikedtoknow，andhewatchedforsomereferencetoslipoutthatwouldbetrayMacfarlane’strade；butthisneverhappened。

WhathedidlearnwasthatMacfarlanewasaveritablestorehouseofabstruseknowledge；alivingdictionary，andathinkerandphilosopherbesides。Hehadatleastonevanity：theclaimthathekneweverywordintheEnglishdictionary，andhemadeitgood。TheyoungermantriedrepeatedlytodiscoverawordthatMacfarlanecouldnotdefine。

PerhapsMacfarlanewasvainofhisothermentalattainments，forhenevertiredofdiscoursingupondeepandgravematters，andhiscompanionnevertiredoflistening。ThisScotchphilosopherdidnotalwaysreflecttheconclusionsofothers；hehadspeculateddeeplyandstrikinglyonhisownaccount。ThatwasagoodwhilebeforeDarwinandWallacegaveout——theirconclusionsontheDescentofMan；yetMacfarlanewasalreadyadvancingasimilarphilosophy。Hewentevenfurther：Life，hesaid，hadbeendevelopedinthecourseofagesfromafewmicroscopicseed—germs——fromone，perhaps，plantedbytheCreatorinthedawnoftime，andthatfromthisbeginningdevelopmentonanascendingscalehadfinallyproducedman。Macfarlanesaidthattheschemehadstoppedthere，andfailed；thatmanhadretrograded；thatman’sheartwastheonlybadoneintheanimalkingdom：thatmanwastheonlyanimalcapableofmalice，vindictiveness，drunkenness——almosttheonlyanimalthatcouldendurepersonaluncleanliness。Hesaidthatman’sintellectwasadepravingadditiontohimwhich，intheend，placedhiminarankfarbelowtheotherbeasts，thoughitenabledhimtokeeptheminservitudeandcaptivity，alongwithmanymembersofhisownrace。

Theywerelong，fermentingdiscoursesthatyoungSamuelClemenslistenedtothatwinterinMacfarlane’sroom，andthosewhoknewtherealMarkTwainandhisphilosophieswillrecognizethatthoseeveningslefttheirimpressuponhimforlife。

XXII

THEOLDCALLOFTHERIVER

Whenspringcame，withbuddinglifeandquickeningimpulses；whenthetreesintheparksbegantoshowahintofgreen，theAmazonianideadevelopedafresh，andthewould—becoca—hunterpreparedforhisexpedition。Hehadsavedalittlemoney——enoughtotakehimtoNewOrleans——andhedecidedtobeginhislongtripwithapeacefuljourneydowntheMississippi，foronce，atleast，togivehimselfuptothatindolentluxuryofthemajesticstreamthathadbeensolargeapartofhisearlydreams。

TheOhioRiversteamerswerenotthemostsumptuouscraftafloat，buttheywereslowandhospitable。Thewinterhadbeenbleakandhard。

"Springfever"andalargeloveofindolencehadcombinedinthatdrowsyconditionwhichmakesonewillingtotakehistime。

MarkTwaintellsusinLifeontheMississippithathe"ranaway，"vowingnevertoreturnuntilhecouldcomehomeapilot，sheddingglory。Thisisaliterarystatement。Thepilotambitionhadneverentirelydied；butitwascocaandtheAmazonthatwereuppermostinhisheadwhenheengagedpassageonthePaulJonesforNewOrleans，andsoconferredimmortalityonthatancientlittlecraft。Hebadegood—bytoMacfarlane，puthistrapsaboard，thebellrang，thewhistleblew，thegang—plankwashauledin，andhehadsetoutonavoyagethatwastocontinuenotforaweekorafortnight，butforfouryears——fourmarvelous，sunlityears，thegloryofwhichwouldcolorallthatfollowedthem。

IntheMississippibooktheauthorconveystheimpressionofbeingthenaboyofperhapsseventeen。Writingfromthatstandpointherecordsincidentsthatweremoreorlessinventionsorthathappenedtoothers。

Hewas，inreality，considerablymorethantwenty—oneyearsold，foritwasinApril，1857，thathewentaboardthePaulJones；andhewasfairlyfamiliarwithsteamboatsandthegeneralrequirementsofpiloting。Hehadbeenbroughtupinatownthatturnedoutpilots；hehadheardthetalkoftheirtrade。OneatleastoftheBowenboyswasalreadyontheriverwhileSamClemenswasstillaboyinHannibal，andhadoftenbeenhometoairhisgrandeuranddilateonthemarvelofhiswork。ThatlearningtheriverwasnolighttaskSamClemensverywellknew。

Nevertheless，asthelittleboatmadeitsdrowsywaydowntheriverintolandsthatgreweverpleasanterwithadvancingspring，theold"permanentambition"ofboyhoodstirredagain，andthecallofthefar—awayAmazon，withitscocaanditsvariegatedzoology，grewfaint。

HoraceBixby，pilotofthePaulJones，thenamanofthirty—two，stillliving(1910)andatthewheel，——[ThewriterofthismemoirinterviewedMr。Bixbypersonally，andhasfollowedhisphrasingthroughout。]——waslookingoutoverthebowattheheadofIslandNo。35whenheheardaslow，pleasantvoicesay：

"Goodmorning。"

Bixbywasaclean—cut，direct，courteousman。

"Goodmorning，sir，"hesaid，briskly，withoutlookingaround。

AsaruleMr。Bixbydidnotcareforvisitorsinthepilot—house。Thisonepresentlycameupandstoodalittlebehindhim。

"Howwouldyoulikeayoungmantolearntheriver？"hesaid。

Thepilotglancedoverhisshoulderandsawaratherslender，loose—

limbedyoungfellowwithafair，girlishcomplexionandagreattangleofauburnhair。

"Iwouldn’tlikeit。Cubpilotsaremoretroublethanthey’reworth。

Agreatdealmoretroublethanprofit。"

Theapplicantwasnotdiscouraged。

"Iamaprinterbytrade，"hewenton，inhiseasy，deliberateway。

"Itdoesn’tagreewithme。IthoughtI’dgotoSouthAmerica。"

Bixbykepthiseyeontheriver；butanoteofinterestcreptintohisvoice。

"Whatmakesyoupullyourwordsthatway？"("pulling"beingtherivertermfordrawling)，heasked。

Theyoungmanhadtakenaseatonthevisitors’bench。

"You’llhavetoaskmymother，"hesaid，moreslowlythanever。"Shepullshers，too。"

PilotBixbywokeupandlaughed；hehadakeensenseofhumor，andthemannerofthereplyamusedhim。Hisguestmadeanotheradvance。

"DoyouknowtheBowenboys？"heasked——"pilotsintheSt。LouisandNewOrleanstrade？"

"Iknowthemwell——allthreeofthem。WilliamBowendidhisfirststeeringforme；amightygoodboy，too。HadaTestamentinhispocketwhenhecameaboard；inaweek’stimehehadswappeditforapackofcards。IknowSam，too，andBart。"

"OldschoolmatesofmineinHannibal。SamandWillespeciallyweremychums。"

"Comeoverandstandbythesideofme，"hesaid。"Whatisyourname？"

Theapplicanttoldhim，andthetwostoodlookingatthesunlitwater。

"Doyoudrink？"

"No。"

"Doyougamble？"

"No，Sir。"

"Doyouswear？"

"Notforamusement；onlyunderpressure。"

"Doyouchew？"

"No，sir，never；butImustsmoke。"

"Didyoueverdoanysteering？"wasBixby’snextquestion。

"Ihavesteeredeverythingontheriverbutasteamboat，Iguess。"

"Verywell；takethewheelandseewhatyoucandowithasteamboat。

Keepherassheis——towardthatlowercottonwood，snag。"

Bixbyhadasorefootandwasgladofalittlerelief。Hesatdownonthebenchandkeptacarefuleyeonthecourse。Byandbyhesaid：

"ThereisjustonewaythatIwouldtakeayoungmantolearntheriver：

thatis，formoney。"

"Whatdoyoucharge？"

"Fivehundreddollars，andItobeatnoexpensewhatever。"

Inthosedayspilotswereallowedtocarryalearner，or"cub，"boardfree。Mr。Bixbymeantthathewastobeatnoexpenseinport，orforincidentals。Histermslookedratherdiscouraging。

"Ihaven’tgotfivehundreddollarsinmoney，"Samsaid；"I’vegotalotofTennesseelandworthtwenty—fivecentsanacre；I’llgiveyoutwothousandacresofthat。"

Bixbydissented。

"No；Idon’twantanyunimprovedrealestate。Ihavetoomuchalready。"

SamreflectedupontheamounthecouldprobablyborrowfromPamela’shusbandwithoutstraininghiscredit。

"Well，then，I’llgiveyouonehundreddollarscashandtherestwhenI

earnit。"

SomethingaboutthisyoungmanhadwonHoraceBixby’sheart。Hisslow，pleasantspeech；hisunhurried，quietmannerwiththewheel，hisevidentsincerityofpurpose——thesewereexternals，butbeneaththemthepilotfeltsomethingofthatqualityofmindorheartwhichlatermadetheworldloveMarkTwain。Thetermsproposedwereagreedupon。Thedeferredpaymentsweretobeginwhenthepupilhadlearnedtheriverandwasreceivingpilot’swages。DuringMr。Bixby’sdaylightwatcheshispupilwasoftenatthewheel，thattrip，whilethepilotsatdirectinghimandnursinghissorefoot。AnyliteraryambitionsSamuelClemensmayhavehadgrewdim；bythetimetheyhadreachedNewOrleanshehadalmostforgottenhehadbeenaprinter，andwhenhelearnedthatnoshipwouldbesailingtotheAmazonforanindefiniteperiodthefeelinggrewthatadirectinghandhadtakenchargeofhisaffairs。

>FromNewOrleanshischiefdidnotreturntoCincinnati，butwenttoSt。

Louis，takingwithhimhisnewcub，whothoughtitfine，indeed，tocomesteaminguptothatgreatcitywithitsthrongingwater—front；itsleveefairlypackedwithtrucks，drays，andpilesoffreight，thewholeflankedwithasolidmileofsteamboatslyingsidebyside，bowalittleup—

stream，theirbelchingstacksrearedhighagainsttheblue——atoweringfrontoftrade。Itwasglorioustonoseone’swaytoaplaceinthatstatelyline，tobecomeaunit，howeversmall，ofthatimposingfleet。

AtSt。LouisSamborrowedfromMr。Moffettthefundsnecessarytomakeuphisfirstpayment，andsoconcludedhiscontract。Then，whenhesuddenlyfoundhimselfonafinebigboat，inapilot—housesofarabovethewaterthatheseemedperchedonamountain——a"sumptuoustemple"——hishappinessseemedcomplete。

XXIII

THESUPREMESCIENCE

InhisMississippibookMarkTwainhasgivenusamarvelousexpositionofthescienceofriver—piloting，andofthecolossaltaskofacquiringandkeepingaknowledgerequisiteforthatwork。Hehasnotexaggeratedthispartofthestoryofdevelopmentsinanydetail；hehassetdownasimpleconfession。

Serenelyenoughheundertookthetaskoflearningtwelvehundredmilesofthegreatchanging，shiftingriverasexactlyandassurelybydaylightordarknessasoneknowsthewaytohisownfeatures。Asalreadysuggested，hehadatleastaninklingofwhatthatundertakingmeant。

Hisstatementthathe"supposedallthatapilothadtodowastokeephisboatintheriver"isnottobeacceptedliterally。Stillhecouldhardlyhaverealizedthefullmajestyofhistask；nobodycoulddothat——

notuntilafterward。

HoraceBixbywasa"lightning"pilotwithamethodofinstructionasdirectandforcibleasitwaseffective。Hewasasmallman，hotandquick—firing，thoughkindly，too，andgentlewhenhehadblownoff。

Afteroneratherpyrotechnicmisunderstandingastothemannerofimpartingandacquiringinformationhesaid：

"Myboy，youmustgetalittlememorandum—book，andeverytimeItellyouathingputitdownrightaway。There’sonlyonewaytobeapilot，andthatistogetthisentireriverbyheart。YouhavetoknowitjustlikeABC。"

SoSamClemensgotthelittlebook，andpresentlyit"fairlybristled"

withthenamesoftowns，points，bars，islands，bends，andreaches，butitmadehisheartachetothinkthathehadonlyhalfoftheriversetdown；for，asthe"watches"werefourhoursoffandfourhourson，therewerelonggapsduringwhichhehadslept。

Thelittlenote—bookstillexists——thinandfaded，withblackwater—proofcovers——itsneat，tiny，pencilednotesstill，telling，thestoryofthatfirsttrip。Mostofthemarecryptographicabbreviations，notreadilydecipherednow。Hereandthereisaneasierline：

MERIWEATHER’SBEND

1/4less3——[Depthofwater。One—quarterlessthanthreefathoms。]————runshapeofupperbarandgointothelowplaceinwillowsabout200(ft。)lowerdownthanlastyear。

Onesimplelittlenoteoutofhundredsfarmorecomplicated。Itwouldtakedaysfortheaveragemindtorememberevenasinglepageofsuchstatistics。Andthoselongfour—hourgapswherehehadbeenasleep，theyarestillthere，andsomehow，aftermorethanfiftyyears，theoldheart—

acheisstillinthem。Hegotanewbook，maybe，forthenexttrip，andlaidthisoneaway。

ThereisbutonewaytoaccountforthefactthatthemanwhomtheworldknewasMarkTwain——dreamy，unpractical，andindifferenttodetails——everpersistedinacquiringknowledgelikethat——inthevast，theabsolutelylimitlessquantitynecessarytoMississippipiloting。Itliesinthefactthathelovedtheriverinitseverymoodandaspectanddetail，andnotonlytheriver，butasteamboat；andstillmore，perhaps，thefreedomofthepilot’slifeanditsprestige。Whereverhehaswrittenoftheriver——andinonewayoranotherhewasalwayswritingofitwefeeltheclaimoftheoldcaptivityandthatitstillholdshim。IntheHuckleberryFinnbook，duringthosenightsanddayswithHuckandNiggerJimontheraft——whetherinstormlitblackness，stillnoontide，ortheliftingmistsofmorning——wecanfairly"smell"theriver，asHuckhimselfwouldsay，andweknowthatitisbecausethewriterloveditwithhisheartofheartsandliterallydrankinitsenvironmentandatmosphereduringthosehalcyonpilotdays。

So，inhislovelaythesecretofhismarvelouslearning，anditisrecorded(notbyhimself，butbyhisteacher)thathewasanaptpupil。

HoraceBixbyhasmorethanoncedeclared：

"Samwasalwaysgood—natured，andhehadanaturaltastefortheriver。

HehadafinememoryandneverforgotanythingItoldhim。"

MarkTwainhimselfrecordsadifferentopinionofhismemory，withthesizeofitsappallingtask。Itcanonlybepresentedinhisownwords。

Inthepagesquotedhehadmasteredsomewhatoftheproblem，andhadbeguntotakeonairs。Hischiefwasaconstantmenaceatsuchmoments：

Onedayheturnedonmesuddenlywiththissettler：

"WhatistheshapeofWalnutBend？"

Hemightaswellhaveaskedmemygrandmother’sopinionofprotoplasm。Ireflectedrespectfully，andthensaidIdidn’tknowithadanyparticularshape。Mygun—powderychiefwentoffwithabang，ofcourse，andthenwentonloadingandfiringuntilhewasoutofadjectives……Iwaited。Byandbyhesaid：

"Myboy，you’vegottoknowtheshapeoftheriverperfectly。Itisallthereislefttosteerbyonaverydarknight。Everythingisblottedoutandgone。Butmindyou，ithasn’tthesameshapeinthenightthatithasinthedaytime。"

"HowonearthamIevergoingtolearnit，then？"

"Howdoyoufollowahallathomeinthedark？Becauseyouknowtheshapeofit。Youcan’tseeit。"

"DoyoumeantosaythatI’vegottoknowallthemilliontriflingvariationsofshapeinthebanksofthisinterminableriveraswellasIknowtheshapeofthefronthallathome？"

"Onmyhonor，you’vegottoknowthembetterthananymaneverdidknowtheshapesofthehallsinhisownhouse。"

"IwishIwasdead！"

"Now，Idon’twanttodiscourageyou，but————"

"Well，pileitonme；Imightaswellhaveitnowasanothertime。"

"Yousee，thishasgottobelearned；thereisn’tanygettingaroundit。Aclearstarlightnightthrowssuchheavyshadowsthat，ifyoudidn’tknowtheshapeofashoreperfectly，youwouldclawawayfromeverybunchoftimber，becauseyouwouldtaketheblackshadowofitforasolidcape；and，yousee，youwouldbegettingscaredtodeatheveryfifteenminutesbythewatch。Youwouldbefiftyyardsfromshoreallthetimewhenyououghttobewithinfiftyfeetofit。

Youcan’tseeasnaginoneofthoseshadows，butyouknowexactlywhereitis，andtheshapeoftherivertellsyouwhenyouarecomingtoit。Thenthere’syourpitch—darknight；theriverisaverydifferentshapeonapitch—darknightfromwhatitisonastarlightnight。Allshoresseemtobestraightlines，then，andmightydimones，too；andyou’drunthemforstraightlines，onlyyouknowbetter。Youboldlydriveyourboatrightintowhatseemstobeasolid，straightwall(youknowverywellthatinrealitythereisacurvethere)，andthatwallfallsbackandmakeswayforyou。Thenthere’syourgraymist。Youtakeanightwhenthere’soneofthesegrisly，drizzly，graymists，andthenthereisn’tanyparticularshapetoashore。Agraymistwouldtangletheheadoftheoldestmanthateverlived。Well，then，differentkindsofmoonlightchangetheshapeoftheriverindifferentways。

Yousee————"

"Oh，don’tsayanymore，please！HaveIgottolearntheshapeoftheriveraccordingtoallthesefivehundredthousanddifferentways？IfItriedtocarryallthatcargoinmyheaditwouldmakemestoop—shouldered。"

"No！youonlylearntheshapeoftheriver；andyoulearnitwithsuchabsolutecertaintythatyoucanalwayssteerbytheshapethat’sinyourhead，andnevermindtheonethat’sbeforeyoureyes。"

"Verywell，I’lltryit；but，afterIhavelearnedit，canIdependonit？Willitkeepthesameform，andnotgofoolingaround？"

BeforeMr。Bixbycouldanswer，Mr。W。cameintotakethewatch，andhesaid：

"Bixby，you’llhavetolookoutforPresident’sisland，andallthatcountryclearawayupabovetheOldHenandChickens。Thebanksarecavingandtheshapeoftheshoreschanginglikeeverything。Why，youwouldn’tknowthepointabout40。Youcangoupinsidetheoldsycamoresnagnow。"

Sothatquestionwasanswered。Herewereleaguesofshorechangingshape。Myspiritsweredowninthemudagain。Twothingsseemedprettyapparenttome。Onewasthatinordertobeapilotamanhadgottolearnmorethananyonemanoughttobeallowedtoknow；

andtheotherwasthathemustlearnitalloveragaininadifferentwayeverytwenty—fourhours。

Iwenttoworknowtolearntheshapeoftheriver；andofalltheeludingandungraspableobjectsthateverItriedtogetmindorhandson，thatwasthechief。Iwouldfastenmyeyesuponasharp，woodedpointthatprojectedfarintotheriversomemilesaheadofmeandgotolaboriouslyphotographingitsshapeuponmybrain；andjustasIwasbeginningtosucceedtomysatisfactionwewoulddrawuptoit，andtheexasperatingthingwouldbegintomeltawayandfoldbackintothebank！

ItwasplainthatIhadgottolearntheshapeoftheriverinallthedifferentwaysthatcouldbethoughtof——upsidedown，wrongendfirst，insideout，fore—and—aft，and"thort—ships，"——andthenknowwhattodoongraynightswhenithadn’tanyshapeatall。SoIsetaboutit。InthecourseoftimeIbegantogetthebestofthisknottylesson，andmyself—complacencymovedtothefrontoncemore。

Mr。Bixbywasallfixedandreadytostartittotherearagain。Heopenedonmeafterthisfashion：

"HowmuchwaterdidwehaveinthemiddlecrossingatHole—in—The—

Wall，tripbeforelast？"

Iconsideredthisanoutrage。Isaid：

"Everytripdownanduptheleadsmenaresingingthroughthattangledplaceforthree—quartersofanhouronastretch。HowdoyoureckonIcanremembersuchamessasthat？"

"Myboy，you’vegottorememberit。You’vegottoremembertheexactspotandtheexactmarkstheboatlayinwhenwehadtheshoalestwater，ineveryoneofthefivehundredshoalplacesbetweenSt。LouisandNewOrleans；andyoumustn’tgettheshoalsoundingsandmarksofonetripmixedupwiththeshoalsoundingsandmarksofanother，either，forthey’renotoftentwicealike。

Youmustkeepthemseparate。"

WhenIcametomyselfagain，Isaid：

"WhenIgetsothatIcandothat，I’llbeabletoraisethedead，andthenIwon’thavetopilotasteamboattomakealiving。Iwanttoretirefromthisbusiness。Iwantaslush—bucketandabrush；

I’monlyfitforaroustabout。Ihaven’tgotbrainsenoughtobeapilot；andifIhadIwouldn’thavestrengthenoughtocarrythemaround，unlessIwentoncrutches。"

"Nowdropthat！WhenIsayI’lllearnamantheriverImeanit。

Andyoucandependonit，I’lllearnhimorkillhim。"

Wehavequotedatlengthfromthischapterbecauseitseemsofverypositiveimportancehere。Itisoneofthemostluminousinthebooksofarasthemasteryofthescienceofpilotingisconcerned，andshowsbetterthancouldanyothercombinationofwordssomethingofwhatisrequiredofthelearner。Itdoesnotcoverthewholeproblem，byanymeans——MarkTwainhimselfcouldnotpresentthat；andevenconsideringhisold—timeloveoftheriverandthepilot’strade，itisstillincrediblethatamanofhistemperamentcouldhavepersisted，ashedid，againstsuchobstacles。

XXIV

THERIVERCURRICULUM

Heacquiredotherkindsofknowledge。AsthestreetsofHannibalinthoseearlydays，andtheprinting—officesofseveralcities，hadtaughthimhumannatureinvariousunvarnishedaspects，sotheriverfurnishedanaddedcoursetothatvigorouseducation。Morally，itsatmospherecouldnotbesaidtobeanimprovementontheothers。NavigationintheWesthadbegunwithcraftsoftheflat—boattype——theirnavigatorsrude，hardymen，heavydrinkers，recklessfighters，barbaricintheirsports，coarseintheirwit，profaneineverything。Steam—boatmenwerethenaturalsuccessorsofthesepioneers——ashadelesscoarse，athoughtlessprofane，aveneerlessbarbaric。Butthesethingsweremainly"abovestairs。"Youhadbuttoscratchlightlyamateoradeck—handtofindtheoldkeel—boatmansavagery。Captainswereoverlords，andpilotskingsinthisestate；buttheywerenotangels。InLifeontheMississippiClemensreferstohischief’sexplosivevocabularyandtellsushowheenviedthemate’smannerofgivinganorder。Itwaseasiertoacquirethosethingsthanpiloting，and，onthewhole，quicker。Onecouldimproveuponthem，too，withimaginationandwitandanaturalgiftforterms。ThatSamuelClemensmaintainedhispromiseastodrinkandcardsduringthoseapprenticedaysissomethingworthremembering；andifhedidnotalwaysrestricthisprofanitytomomentsofseverepressureorsiftthequalityofhiswit，wemayalsorememberthathewasanextremeexampleofahumanbeing，inthatformativestagewhichgathersallasgrist，latertorefineitfortheusesanddelightsofmen。

Heacquiredavastknowledgeofhumancharacter。Hesays：

Inthatbrief，sharpschoolingIgotpersonallyandfamiliarlyacquaintedwithallthedifferenttypesofhumannaturethataretobefoundinfiction，biography，orhistory。WhenIfindawell—

drawncharacterinfictionorbiography，Igenerallytakeawarmpersonalinterestinhim，forthereasonthatIhave，knownhimbefore——methimontheriver。

Undoubtedlytheriverwasagreatschoolforthestudyoflife’sbroaderphilosophiesandhumors：philosophiesthatavoidvaguecircumlocutionandaimatdirectandsureresults；humorsoftheruggedandvigoroussortthatinEuropeareknownas"American"andinAmericaareknownas"Western。"LetusbethankfulthatMarkTwain’sschoolwasnolessthanitwas——andnomore。

ThedemandsoftheMissouriRivertradetookHoraceBixbyawayfromtheMississippi，somewhatlater，andheconsignedhispupil，accordingtocustom，toanotherpilot——itisnotcertain，now，tojustwhichpilot，butprobablytoZebLeavenworthorBeckJolly，oftheJohnJ。Roe。TheRoewasafreight—boat，"asslowasanislandandascomfortableasafarm。"Infact，theRoewasownedandconductedbyfarmers，andSamClemensthoughtifJohnQuarles’sfarmcouldbesetafloatitwouldgreatlyresemblethatcraftinthematterofgood—fellowship，hospitality，andspeed。Itwassaidofherthatup—streamshecouldevenbeatanisland，thoughdown—streamshecouldneverquiteovertakethecurrent，butwasa"loveofasteamboat"nevertheless。TheRoewasnotlicensedtocarrypassengers，butshealwayshadadozen"familyguests"

aboard，andtherewasabigboiler—deckfordancingandmoonlightfrolics，alsoapianointhecabin。Theyoungpilotsometimesplayedonthepianoandsangtohismusicsongsrelatingtothe"grasshopperonthesweet—potatovine，"ortoanoldhorsebythenameofMethusalem：

TookhimdownandsoldhiminJerusalem，Alongtimeago。

Therewereforty—eightstanzasaboutthisancienthorse，allprettymuchalike；buttheassembledcompanywasnotlikelytobecritical，andhiseffortswonhimlaurels。HehadaheavenlytimeontheJohnJ。Roe，andthencamewhatseemedinfernobycontrast。Bixbyreturned，madeatriportwo，thenleftandtransferredhimagain，thistimetoamannamedBrown。BrownhadaberthonthefinenewsteamerPennsylvania，oneofthehandsomestboatsontheriver，andyoungClemenshadbecomeafinesteersman，soitisnotunlikelythatbothmenatfirstweregratifiedbythearrangement。

ButBrownwasafault—finding，tyrannicalchief，ignorant，vulgar，andmalicious。IntheMississippibooktheauthorgiveshisfirstinterviewwithBrown，alsohislastone。Forgoodreasonstheseoccasionswereburnedintohismemory，andtheymaybeacceptedassubstantiallycorrect。Brownhadanoffensivemanner。Hisfirstgreetingwasasurlyquestion。

"AreyouHoraceBigsby’scub？"

"Bixby"wasusuallypronounced"Bigsby"ontheriver，butBrownmadeitespeciallyobnoxiousandfolloweditupwithquestionsandcommentsandordersstillmoreodious。Hissubordinatesoonlearnedtodetesthimthoroughly。Itwasnecessary，however，tomaintainarespectabledeportment——custom，discipline，eventhelaw，requiredthat——butitmusthavebeenahardwinterandspringtheyoungsteersmanputinduringthoseearlymonthsof1858，restraininghimselffromthegratificationofslayingBrown。Timewouldbringrevenge——atragicrevengeandatafearfulcost；buthecouldnotguessthat，andheputinhissparetimeplanningpunishmentsofhisown。

IcouldimaginemyselfkillingBrown；therewasnolawagainstthat，andthatwasthethingIalwaysusedtodothemomentIwasabed。

Insteadofgoingovermyriverinmymind，aswasmyduty，IthrewbusinessasideforpleasureandkilledBrown。IkilledBrowneverynightforamonth；notinold，stale，commonplaceways，butinnewandpicturesqueones——waysthatweresometimessurprisingforfreshnessofdesignandghastlyforsituationandenvironment。

OncewhenBrownhadbeenmoreinsultingthanusualhissubordinatewenttobedandkilledhimin"seventeendifferentways——allofthemnew。"

HehadmadeaneffortatfirsttopleaseBrown，butitwasnouse。Brownwasthesortofamanthatrefusedtobepleased；nomatterhowcarefullyhissubordinatesteered，heasalwaysathim。

"Here，"hewouldshout，"whereareyougoingnow？Pullherdown！Pullherdown！Don’tyouhearme？Dod—dernedmud—cat！"

Hisassistantlostalldesiretobeobligingtosuchapersonandeventookoccasionnowandthentostirhimup。OnedaytheyweresteaminguptheriverwhenBrownnoticedthattheboatseemedtobeheadingtowardsomeunusualpoint。

"Here，whereareyouheadingfornow？"heyelled。"Whatinnationareyousteerin’at，anyway？Deynednumskull！"

"Why，"saidSam，inunruffleddeliberation，"Ididn’tseemuchelseI

couldsteerfor，andIwasheadingforthatwhiteheiferonthebank。"

"Getawayfromthatwheel！andgetoutenthispilothouse！"yelledBrown。

"Youain’tfittobecomenopilot！"

WhichwaswhatSamwanted。AnytemporaryrelieffromthecarpingtyrannyofBrownwaswelcome。

Hehadbeenontherivernearlyayearnow，and，thoughuniversallylikedandaccountedafinesteersman，hewasreceivingnowages。Therehadbeensmallneedofmoneyforawhile，forhehadnoboardtopay；butclotheswearoutatlast，andtherewerecertainincidentals。ThePennsylvaniamadearoundtripinaboutthirty—fivedays，withadayortwoofidletimeateitherend。Theyoungpilotfoundthathecouldgetnightemployment，watchingfreightontheNewOrleanslevee，andthusearnfromtwoandahalftothreedollarsforeachnight’swatch。

Sometimestherewouldbetwonights，andwithacapitaloffiveorsixdollarsheaccountedhimselfrich。

"Itwasadesolateexperience，"hesaid，longafterward，"watchingthereinthedarkamongthosepilesoffreight；notasound，notalivingcreatureastir。Butitwasnotaprofitlessone：IusedtohaveinspirationsasIsattherealonethosenights。Iusedtoimagineallsortsofsituationsandpossibilities。Thosethingsgotintomybooksbyandbyandfurnishedmewithmanyachapter。Icantracetheeffectofthosenightsthroughmostofmybooksinonewayandanother。"

ManyofthecurioustalesinthelatterhalfoftheMississippibookcameoutofthoselongnight—watches。Itwasagoodtimetothinkofsuchthings。