70 LIFE OX THE MISSISSIPPI.

pleased, without asking so grand a captain's permission. I took my
supper and went immediately to bed, discouraged by my day's obser-
vations and experiences. My late voyage's note-booking was but a
confusion of meaningless names. It had tangled me all up in a knot
every time I had looked at it in the daytime. I now hoped for res-
pite in sleep; but no, it revelled all through my head till sunrise
again, a frantic and tireless nightmare.

Next morning I felt pretty rusty and low-spirited. We went

booming along, taking a good many
chances, for we were anxious to ' get
out of the river ' (as getting out to
Cairo was called) before night should
overtake ns. But Mr. Bixby's;
partner, the other pilot, presently
grounded the boat, and we lost so
much time in getting her off that it
was plain that darkness would over-
take us a good long way above the
mouth. This was a great misfor-
tune, especially to certain of our
visiting pilots, whose boats would
have to wait for their return, no
matter how long that might be. It
sobered the pilot-house talk a good
deal. Coming up-stream, pilots did
not mind low water or any kind of
darkness ; nothing stopped them but
fog. But down-stream work was

different; a boat was too nearly helpless, with a stiff current pushing
behind her; so it was not customary to run down-stream at night in
low water.

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

Vs
TANGLED KNOT.'