He wrote Twichell that the story had been a six-day ‘tour de force’, twenty-five thousand words, and he adds: 

How long it takes a literary seed to sprout sometimes!  This seed was planted in your house many years ago when you sent me to bed with a book not heard of by me until then—­Sherlock Holmes . . . .  I’ve done a grist of writing here this summer, but not for publication soon, if ever.  I did write two satisfactory articles for early print, but I’ve burned one of them & have buried the other in my large box of posthumous stuff.  I’ve got stacks of literary remains piled up there.

Early in August Clemens went with H. H. Rogers in his yacht Kanawha on a cruise to New Brunswick and Nova Scotia.  Rogers had made up a party, including ex-Speaker Reed, Dr. Rice, and Col.  A. G. Paine.  Young Harry Rogers also made one of the party.  Clemens kept a log of the cruise, certain entries of which convey something of its spirit.  On the 11th, at Yarmouth, he wrote: 

    Fog-bound.  The garrison went ashore.  Officers visited the yacht in
    the evening & said an anvil had been missed.  Mr. Rogers paid for
    the anvil.

    August 13th.  There is a fine picture-gallery here; the sheriff
    photographed the garrison, with the exception of Harry (Rogers) and
    Mr. Clemens.

    August 14th.  Upon complaint of Mr. Reed another dog was procured. 
    He said he had been a sailor all his life, and considered it
    dangerous to trust a ship to a dog-watch with only one dog in it.

    Poker, for a change.

August 15th.  To Rockland, Maine, in the afternoon, arriving about 6 P.M.  In the night Dr. Rice baited the anchor with his winnings & caught a whale 90 feet long.  He said so himself.  It is thought that if there had been another witness like Dr. Rice the whale would have been longer.

    August 16th.  We could have had a happy time in Bath but for the
    interruptions caused by people who wanted Mr. Reed to explain votes
    of the olden time or give back the money.  Mr. Rogers recouped them.

Another anvil missed.  The descendant of Captain Kidd is the only person who does not blush for these incidents.  Harry and Mr. Clemens blush continually.  It is believed that if the rest of the garrison were like these two the yacht would be welcome everywhere instead of being quarantined by the police in all the ports.  Mr. Clemens & Harry have attracted a great deal of attention, & men have expressed a resolve to turn over a new leaf & copy after them from this out.

Evening.  Judge Cohen came over from another yacht to pay his respects to Harry and Mr. Clemens, he having heard of their reputation from the clergy of these coasts.  He was invited by the gang to play poker apparently as a courtesy & in a spirit of seeming hospitality, he not knowing them & taking it all at par.  Mr. Rogers lent