limbs and wrap it up more warmly, but the little thing was in nowise
cast down. Brought up on the river, it looked on the water as its home,
and this fortunately for me, for it gave me no trouble whatever, but
from the first treated the whole thing as if it were play.
On our way back the shore was lined with the passengers and crew of the
War Eagle and such of the townspeople as happened to be about, and among
them I saw Constance with arms outstretched. At this I stood up in the
boat and waved my hand, calling her name, and this I continued to do,
that she might see I was safe and unharmed. When finally we reached the
War Eagle, I made my way to where she stood, and putting my arms about
her trembling form, held her, neither of us speaking. While we stood
thus, the captain came up, and thinking we were brother and sister,
said, out of compliment to her:
"You ought to be proud of your brother, my little lady!"
"Yes, sir; but he's not my brother," she answered, without offering to
disengage herself from my arms.
"A cousin, or some relative?"
"No, sir."
"Your lover, then? Well, I like that best. Yes, yes, decidedly, that's
as it should be. A few years, and they will soon pass, and then you
will make a fine couple. Be always as you are now, though, for it was
in that way my wife and I grew up; and now she is the finest woman in
the world. Come, my son," he went on, "are you the lad that asked me for
work?"
"Yes, sir," I answered.
"I thought so. Well, I have changed my mind; captains, you see, can do
that as well as other people. If you don't know enough to be a cabin
boy, you will learn, and of that I am sure. So if you still want the
place, I shall be mighty glad to give it to you."
"Thank you," I answered; "I wish you would."
"When do you want to come aboard--to-day or on our return? For we shall
be pulling out in a few minutes."
"Yes, to-day; and I'll be ready as soon as I can go to Appletop and
back."
"You have plenty of time for that, or if not, we will wait for you. Now
be off and get some dry clothing. We will furnish your uniform, and
glad of the chance."
"Thank you, sir; I'll be back in half an hour," I answered, taking
Constance's hand.
"Good by, little lady, and don't worry. I will take good care of him,
and send him back to you as full of wisdom as a turtle," the captain
called as we hurried away.
*CHAPTER XLIII*
*ON BOARD THE WAR EAGLE*
Accompanying Constance to her home, I returned with all haste, to find
the War Eagle ready to cast off; and the captain seeing me come aboard,
gave the word, whereupon the boat backed into the stream. No sooner had
I set foot on deck, however, than the roustabouts and emigrants flocked
about me as if I were a lord, determined to make a great deal out of
what I had done. This is always the way, though, and grows out of the
natural amiability of men and the desire they have to be agreeable.
Among the foremost to welcome me were the child's father and mother, the
latter holding the little thing high above her head. Upon perceiving
me, it reached out its hands, and seeing this I took it in my arms, but
more to please its father and mother than anything else. For, like most
men, I have never had any great fancy for strange children. The father
and mother I could hardly shake off, and throughout their lives, all too
short, they loved me and never tired of going out of their way to do me
some office of kindness. Telling them, and truly enough, that if I had
not done what I did, others would, I finally got off, and so made my way
to the captain on the upper deck. He received me kindly, and upon my
answering that I was ready to go to work, sent for Mr. Devlin, the third
steward, and put me in his charge. This gentleman, when stripped of all
superfluity of title, I found to be the head waiter, and nothing more.
Taking me to his room, he offered me the half of it, which kindness I
gladly accepted. Here I was fitted out with my uniform of light shoes,
duck trousers, and jacket to match, a military cap completing the
outfit. Thus arrayed I looked far more like a dapper young cadet, I
thought, than the country-bred lad I was.
As the day was partly spent, Mr. Devlin told me I need not go on duty
till the next morning, and in the mean time might look about and
acquaint myself with the boat and the duties I was to perform. Thanking
him, I first of all sought out those who were to be my companions, and
these I found to be agreeable young fellows, mostly the sons of farmers
and small traders living about the river towns. They one and all
received me kindly, as did the lower officers, so that I was at once put
at my ease among them. After that I made a tour of the War Eagle, and a
fine vessel she was, with side-wheels, and a sharp prow that stuck out
like the nose of a fox, and in a way that seemed to invite other boats
to follow. A band of gold encircled her side, and at the summit of her
flagstaff an eagle perched as if about to fly. Another like it, but of
burnished gold, hung suspended between the smokestacks, and this with
outstretched wings and eager neck, as if all its strength were put forth
to keep up with the noble vessel.
Going through the boat, and critically, as one having some knowledge of
these things, I found it far beyond what I had thought, and such as to
fulfill in everyway the captain's pride of ownership. The management
and practices on board, too, were also in keeping and orderly, as I soon
came to know. For the captain was a fine business man, and neither drank
nor gambled, nor encouraged such things in others. This, every one
agreed, was greatly to his honor, considering that the receipts of the
tap-room were wholly dependent upon such lines of custom, and by his
giving way ever so little its earnings might have been greatly
increased. Being a firm man, however, he was never led astray by
prospect of gain once he had made up his mind in regard to a thing of
this nature. He was also strenuous in respect to matters of conduct in
others. Thus, he would have it that all gaming should cease promptly at
break of day, and this so that the business of the boat and the comfort
of other passengers might not be interfered with unduly. If there were
exceptions to the rule, they were infrequent and such as could not
properly be criticised, being called forth by the prominence of the
guests, or for some other equally good reason. Another thing he did
that was commendable was this: Whenever guests became incompetent from
drink, and so as to scandalize the management or create disorder, he
would insist that they should abstain from further indulgence for the
time being, and if still incompetent, should go to their rooms. I could
recite a hundred instances like these, if necessary, to prove his fine
sense and firm determination not to let matters drift as the captains of
some vessels were in the habit of doing, to the great scandal of the
river and its business.
After I had finished the round of the boat, I went to join Mr. Devlin,
and this young gentleman I found stretched in his bunk, reading Kent's
Commentaries, or something like that. For it was his ambition, it
appeared, to become a lawyer, and his present duties were only a means
thereto. Notwithstanding this, he easily surpassed every one about him
in the business we had in hand. For once a guest had been served, and
opportunity afforded Mr. Devlin to get a look at him, he knew from that
time on better than the man himself what dishes pleased him best. A
passenger had but to move his lips or raise his eyes, and he was off
like a shot to procure what was wanted. If we did not happen to have
the thing asked for, which was sometimes the case, though not often, he
was never abrupt or rude in making it known, as less skillful persons
would have been, but tactful, so that in the end the passenger felt that
nothing in the world could have been more inopportune than his request.
Thus he kept every one in good humor and taught his subordinates, by
example and otherwise, the science of doing obscure things well. Often,
too, it fell out that some of us small fry would get into trouble with a
guest, whereupon Mr. Devlin would be called, and always to the
extinguishment of the passenger. For, while he did not deny that we were
in the wrong, he in the end never failed to bring about our vindication.
This, however, only to such as he thought were doing their best. The
others he sent ashore with their pack and such small savings as the
clerk had to their credit at the first landing.
Unused to business or any kind of stir, I thought it fine to be doing
something, but strive as I would I could never come up to the needs of
the office. Of all the things set me to do, however, I found it hardest
to remember the names of the dishes to be served at dinner and the order
in which they were prescribed. For we had no written or printed bill of
fare, as was afterward the custom, and as, indeed, some of the more
wastefully managed boats had at the time of which I speak. These lapses
of memory, so strange and inexcusable, were a constant source of
mortification to me, for none of my companions had any difficulty in
saying off the names glibly enough. To overcome this weakness I put
forth every effort, but never with any success to speak of. Thus,
acquainting myself with the names of the dishes in advance, I would con
them over till I had them at my tongue's end; but when I approached a
guest and sought to repeat them in order, they vanished from my mind as
if I had never heard them. This not wholly, but in part, and usually
the more important dishes, such as rare meats and particular pies, held
in high esteem by our customers. Perhaps if some irate guest had
rebuked me, I might have mended, but no such thing happened. For
sometimes, when one would face about with kindling eye as if to say some
rude thing, they would turn it off in another way. Why, I do not know,
unless it might be because of my heightened color and look of shame. My
companions soon came to know my failing, and so would stop as they
passed to and fro to set me right, or recite at length the dishes that
were being served. Because of this I labored the harder to master the
business, but never, as I have said, with any success. Truly, I would
often say to myself in shame, the captain was right when he said I was
not smart enough for the business. No, alas! and never would be.
We had breakfast on the War Eagle at seven, and dinner at twelve, supper
being served at six. With the first and last I got on very well, as
there were but few dishes and they easily remembered. Dinner being an
elaborate affair and made much of by the captain, I could in no way get
the hang of it. Because of these lapses I mourned much in secret, and
came to look forward to the hour with direful forebodings. Mr. Devlin,
in his great kindness, placed me at the upper end of the saloon, where
the ladies sat, and this, I knew, because they were less exacting than
the men. Indeed, I was every day in debt to one or more of these dear
creatures for some act of forbearance or gentle office of kindness in
this connection. Sometimes, when I blundered more than usual, I would
glance in affright at the captain to see if he noticed my awkwardness,
and doing so would perhaps see a frown on his face; but when he saw me
looking toward him he would smile in the most amiable way possible and
as if greatly pleased at the deftness I showed in a business so
perplexing. This forbearance endeared him to me the more, but without
in any way lessening the shame I felt at not being able to do as well as
the others. Indeed, in the end, it so preyed upon me that I went to Mr.
Devlin and asked to be put in the pantry to look after the knives and
forks. This he would by no means do, saying I got along very well, and
that no complaint had ever been made by the captain or any guest.
Encouraged by this, I redoubled my efforts to please, but without ever
being able to come up to any just expectation of what I was required to
do.
One of my duties, and that which I liked best, was to see that the
pilots were supplied with drinking-water and such small things as their
business required, which the fixedness of their work did not permit them
to look after themselves. This took me to the wheelhouse, and many
times, I am sure, when there was no excuse for it. For of all places
this was the best for seeing what was going on, and especially for
watching the river and the country round about. Had I been older, I
thought, I should have sought to learn the trade of pilot, for save that
of captain, it seemed to me the most considerable in the world. To know
the channel by day or night and be able to carry the boat forward and be
its master were things apart and worthy of any man's strivings.
The work of the cabin boys was not hard, nor their hours long. We were
up at sunrise and off duty at seven in the evening. After that we were
our own masters; and it was my habit, if the weather was not too rough,
to spend my spare time on the upper deck or in the pilot-house. Thus
midnight often found me, and reluctant to go to my room, where I was
always sure to find Devlin poring over his studies.
Of all the things that happened, and they were many, the most romantic,
I thought, was the landing at night for wood. Then the torches, placed
here and there, lit up the dark forest and glistening water, making them
look for all the world as if they were alive to what we were doing. At
such times the patient roustabouts, running back and forth, amid the
cries of the mate, gave to the scene the air of being a place of
punishment, where lost souls were scourged with blows and curses to do
more than lay in the power of men. This, I have often thought in my
more mature years, was not far from the real truth, though the necessity
of haste in the business of such carriers makes those in charge
impatient of delay, and so perhaps more prone to lose their tempers than
other men.
Thus the summer and fall passed as the War Eagle went back and forth
between the fair city of St. Louis and the distant posts on the upper
river. St. Louis was then the most considerable city in the West, and
well worth studying by those seeing the world. Because of this I sought
in every way during our visits to increase my knowledge of its affairs;
and thus it fell out that here for the first time I found my way to the
theater one hot night in midsummer. This not advisedly, as it turned
out, for demanding a ticket at the office, and the agent being busy over
his accounts, answered absently:
"Where?"
Not knowing what he meant, I replied at random:
"Anywhere, if you please."
At this he looked up, and seeing me, cried out with great promptness and
show of gayety:
"Ha, no coat! From the country. To the gods with you"; and straightway
handed me a bit of paper and claimed his quarter.
Not among the gods, but rather with the damned in hell, I thought, on
climbing to my seat, for I could conceive of no hotter place than that
in which I found myself. Here, too, I lost what small change I had
about me, and this by the help of a pleasant-spoken young man who sat
beside me and was at pains to point out the fine points of the play, and
otherwise entertain me with stories of the town, in the intervals of the
acts. This adventure, because of my inexperience, discouraged me from
making further excursions of a like nature, so that thereafter I was
content with such exterior views of the city as my short stature and the
crowded streets would permit.
*CHAPTER XLIV*
*THE STEAMBOAT RACE*
The season, which had been a highly prosperous one for the War Eagle, at
last drew to a close, and when, late in October, we left St. Louis on
our last trip, travel had ceased, and we were without passengers of any
kind save a few emigrants for Keokuk and the towns thereabouts. Nor did
we have any freight to speak of, but were promised a load on the down
run, and this it was that had induced the captain to make the venture so
late in the year. Of the cabin boys only Devlin and I remained, and
like reductions had been made elsewhere throughout the crew. Thus
lightened of men and merchandise, our good boat skimmed the water like
the seagull she was.
The War Eagle was the pride of the upper river, excelling all others in
beauty of outline and speed, so that the most ill-natured did not
venture to question her supremacy. As the season was closing, however,
whispers crept about the landings that the new boat, the Northern Light,
was the better of the two. These insinuations our people did not
regard, for if this were so, why did she always leave ahead of us, or
lag behind when we pulled into the stream? Other signs there were of
fear, too plain not to be seen of all men. Still the whispers went on,
till at last there had come to be a settled belief on the part of many
that the Northern Light was the faster boat. This was mere boasting, it
was plain, for now we were making our last trip without having once
heard the roar of her wheels or the boom of her exhaust alongside the
War Eagle. Surely there could be no better proof than this, if proof
were needed. Thus matters stood when one crisp afternoon, just as the
sun was setting, we turned into the Appletop landing, and this happily,
we thought, for there lay the Northern Light with steam up, as if
awaiting our coming. Pert and trim she was, too, we could not help but
own, riding the water like a wood-duck ready for flight. Looking her
over from out the corner of his eye, Captain McGonnigle discharged the
little business we had, and taking all the wood aboard we could carry,
signaled the mate to cast off. This in such haste, too, that I had
scarce time to say good by to Constance, who, with Setti, had awaited
our coming.
As we backed into the stream, the Northern Light preceded us, and
reaching the channel, took the opposite side, and doing so slowed down
her engines. Surely invitation was never more plainly or courteously
given! Now at last they were going to see which was the better boat,
and fairly, as such things should be. Mounting to the top of the
pilot-house, a thing most unusual with him, Captain McGonnigle signaled
to put on all steam; and even as he gave the order great clouds of black
smoke, changing soon to gray, belched forth from the towering stacks of
the War Eagle. Nor was it long before the heightened roar of the
exhaust told him his summons had been effective, and that the Northern
Light would not find us lagging in the race. Thus in a few moments we
found ourselves in the channel, the Northern Light, with her wheels
slowly turning, awaiting our coming, as if not desiring advantage of any
kind. Seeing this, Captain McGonnigle smiled and raised his cap to the
other captain in graceful recognition of his fairness. With this
friendly act, however, all intercourse between them ceased, for it was
not a question of courtesy now, but of supremacy, in which the good name
of the War Eagle hung trembling in the balance. Squaring himself and
looking forward, Captain McGonnigle became from this time on lost to
everything save the windings of the channel and the movements of the two
boats. Straightway as they shot ahead a stillness as of death took
possession of all on board, for in the hearts of the most hopeful there
could not but be a doubt as to which would prove the faster now that the
struggle was fairly on. As the vessels gained in speed, the water,
already tipped with white-caps, flew high above their prows, spraying
the decks and those who stood watching as with a falling shower.
Behind, it tossed and foamed, white and glistening, like an angry
cataract, as far as the eye could see in the gathering night. High
above the swash of the wheels and the noise of the escaping steam, and
as if in emphasis, the sharp clang of the bells could be plainly heard
as the captains called for sharper fires. Scarce would one cease to
vibrate than the other would take it up, and this with angry vehemence,
as if the previous summons had been neglected or only half fulfilled.
Thus the challenge rang back and forth as we stood watching and
listening, doing nothing, nor able to do anything. In this way night
came on, and the stars flared out in the peaceful sky, but without any
one regarding them, or, indeed, knowing that the day had set. Now
lights began to blaze forth from the cabins of the struggling boats, and
at every prescribed place, fore and aft, and amidships, the signals of
the river gave forth their warning. About the furnaces, red with heat,
the glare of the fires threw a lurid light over the gurgling waters and
the toiling stokers as they bent over their work, stripped to the waist
and streaming with sweat. Till now no gain had been made by either boat;
or, if in the windings of the channel, which the sharp prows followed as
bloodhounds do their quarry, the inner circle, shortening the distance,
gave some advantage, it was quickly lost in the next turning, where the
circle was reversed. Thus, amid the cheering, first of one crew and
then the other, the boats flew onward, the water beside their prows
sparkling as if the river were aflame from the friction of the flying
vessels.
Increasing her speed by greater skill in firing, or some cunning device
held in reserve for such emergencies, the War Eagle stretched away as a
greyhound will when its prey is full in view, yet without gaining any
advantage, however small. Nay, the other presently bringing into play a
trick not before employed, began to forge ahead. This for no reason
that we could see, until at last, the flash of her fires lighting up the
interior of the vessel, discovered her crew pouring oil on the fuel, and
at intervals flinging great balls steeped in the liquid substance into
the roaring furnaces. At the sight Captain McGonnigle threw up his
hands, crying out: "God save us!" as if astonished beyond measure at the
recklessness of the thing. Regaining himself after a moment, his brow
darkened, and bending over he ordered the engineer to push the fires as
the other was doing. With his speaking, and as if action had only
awaited his command, the War Eagle responded to the added force, and so
regained after a while the few feet it had lost. Now great flames burst
from the tops of the heated smokestacks, rising high in the air, and
falling, left streams of fire to slowly sink into the glistening river
far behind. Such flames, indeed, we had seen bursting from the Northern
Light, but, simple-minded, we ascribed them to their greater skill in
firing. In this way the War Eagle plowed her way through the darkness,
passing one after another the little towns at which we had thought to
stop, but now giving them no attention whatever. Making no gain,
Captain McGonnigle at last looked about as if to discover some way by
which he might increase the speed of his vessel, but without result.
Seeing this, I approached him, and plucking his sleeve, cried at the top
of my voice, so as to make myself heard:
"Wouldn't it help the boat, sir, if we lifted the yawl that's dragging
at the stern?"
This weight he seemed not to have thought of, and was on the point of
directing me to have the boat hoisted, when, reflecting, he shook his
head, saying:
"Go and see if their boat is dragging, and if it is, leave ours."
This practice will seem strange to you, but at the time of which I speak
was common enough. The landing-places were then far apart, you must
know, so that it was the custom to take on passengers or put them ashore
at intermediate points; and to save time in such emergencies, a yawl or
light boat was allowed to drag ready for use, except that the oars were
removed to prevent their being stolen.