Life on the MississippiA memoir of the steamboat era on the Mississippi River before the American Civil War. The first half details a brief history of the river from its discovery by Hernando de Soto in 1541 and describes Twain's career as a Mississippi steamboat pilot, the fulfillment of a childhood dream. The second half of Life on the Mississippi tells of Twain's return, many years after, to travel the river from St. Louis to New Orleans. By then the competition from railroads had made steamboats passe, in spite of improvements in navigation and boat construction. Twain sees new, large cities on the river, and records his observations on greed, gullibility, tragedy, and bad architecture. |
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aboard ain't alligator ashore bank bar'l Baton Rouge began bend Bixby Black River boat body Brown Cairo captain catfish CHAPTER chief mate course crossing cut-off dead dollars every-body eyes feet fell fifty fire followed forecastle gone half hand head heard hundred hurricane deck Island Kentucky Bend killed knew lagniappe land letter lived lodge look Louis Mark Twain mate Memphis miles minutes Mississippi Mississippi River months morning mouth Natchez negro never night once Orleans passengers pilot pilot-house pirogue presently pretty raft reef river seemed seen shore sort Stack Island stand steam steamboat steamer stood streets talk tell thing thought thousand told took town trip turned Uncle Remus Vicksburg watch wheel wonderful yawl young
Popular passages
Page 27 - ... chins on breasts, hats slouched over their faces, asleep — with shingle-shavings enough around to show what broke them down ; a sow and a litter of pigs loafing along the sidewalk, doing a good business in watermelon rinds and seeds; two or three lonely little * Hannibal, Mo. freight piles scattered about the "levee"; a pile of
Page 324 - Then comes Sir Walter Scott with his enchantments, and by his single might checks this wave of progress, and even turns it back; sets the world in love with dreams and phantoms; with decayed and swinish forms of religion; with decayed and degraded systems of government; with the sillinesses and emptinesses, sham grandeurs, sham gauds, and sham chivalries of a brainless and worthless long- vanished society. He did measureless harm; more real and lasting harm, perhaps, than any other individual that...
Page 28 - ... and the texas deck are fenced and ornamented with clean white railings ; there is a flag gallantly flying from the jack-staff ; the furnace doors are open and the fires glaring bravely; the upper decks are black with passengers; the captain stands by the big bell, calm, imposing, the envy of all...
Page 15 - Whoo-oop! Stand back and give me room according to my strength! Blood's my natural drink, and the wails of the dying is music to my ear. Cast your eye on me, gentlemen! and lay low and hold your breath, for I'm 'bout to turn myself loose!
Page 30 - Louis wharf, and humbly inquired for the pilots, but got only a cold shoulder and short words from mates and clerks. I had to make the best of this sort of treatment for the time being, but I had comforting day-dreams of a future when I should be a great and honored pilot, with plenty of money, and could kill some of these mates and clerks and pay for them.
Page 49 - There seemed to be one small hope, however: if we could get through the intricate and dangerous Hat Island crossing before night, we could venture the rest, for we would have plainer sailing and better water. But it would be insanity to attempt Hat Island at night. So there was a deal of looking at watches all the rest of the day, and a constant ciphering upon the speed we were making; Hat Island was the eternal subject; sometimes hope was high and sometimes we were delayed in a bad crossing, and...
Page 50 - Oh, it was done beautiful — beautiful!" Now the engines were stopped altogether, and we drifted with the current. Not that I could see the boat drift, for I could not, the stars being all gone by this time. This drifting was the dismalest work; it held one's heart still. Presently I discovered a blacker gloom than that which surrounded us. It was the head of the island. We were closing right down upon it. We entered its deeper shadow, and so imminent seemed the peril that I was likely to suffocate;...
Page 275 - A LIFE on the ocean wave, A home on the rolling deep, Where the scattered waters rave, And the winds their revels keep! Like an eagle caged, I pine On this dull, unchanging shore: Oh!
Page 31 - I had the scarred and tarnished splendors of "her" main saloon principally to myself, for she was not a creature to attract the eye of wiser travelers. When we presently got under way and went poking down the broad Ohio, I became a new being and the subject of my own admiration. I was a traveler! A word - never had tasted so good in my mouth before. I...
Page 7 - ... a Robinson Crusoe experience which carries an electric shiver with it yet, when one stumbles on it in print. They had been warned that the river Indians were as ferocious and pitiless as the river demon, and destroyed all comers without waiting for provocation ; but no matter, Joliet and Marquette struck into the country to hunt up the proprietors of the tracks. They found them by and by, and were hospitably received and well treated — if to be received by an Indian chief who has taken off...