156 LIFE ON THE MISSISSIPPI.
whereas accidents seemed to keep entirely away from the association
men. Wherefore even the owners and captains of boats furnished
exclusively with outsiders, and previously considered to be wholly
independent of the association and free to comfort themselves with
brag and laughter, began to feel pretty uncomfortable. Still, they
made a show of keeping up the brag, until one black day when every
captain of the lot was formally ordered to immediately discharge his
outsiders and take association pilots in their stead. And who was it
that had the dashing presumption to do that? Alas, it came from a
power behind the throne that was greater than the throne itself. It
was the underwriters!
It was no time to * swap knives.' Every outsider had to take his
trunk ashore at once. Of course it was supposed that there was
collusion between the association and the underwriters, but this was
not so. The latter had come to comprehend the excellence of the
e reportf system of the association and the safety it secured, and so
they had made their decision among themselves and upon plain
business principles.
There was weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth in the camp
of the outsiders now. But no matter, there was but one course for
them to pursue, and they pursued it. They came forward in couples
and groups, and proffered their twelve dollars and asked for member-
ship. They were surprised to learn that several new by-laws had
been long ago added. For instance, the initiation fee had been raised
to fifty dollars; that sum must be tendered, and also ten per cent, of
the wages which the applicant had received each and every month
Since the founding of the association. In many cases this amounted
to three or four hundred dollars. Still, the association would not
entertain the application until the money was present. Even then a
single adverse vote killed the application. Every member had to
vote ' Yes' or * No' in person and before witnesses \ so it took weeks
to decide a candidacy, because many pilots were so long absent on
voyages. However, the repentant sinners scraped their savings
together, and one by one, by our tedious voting process, they were
added to the fold. A time came, at last, when only about ten
remained outside. They said they would starve before they would