The boat backed out from New Orleans at four in the afternoon, and it was ‘our watch’ until eight.  Mr. Bixby, my chief, ’straightened her up,’ plowed her along past the sterns of the other boats that lay at the Levee, and then said, ’Here, take her; shave those steamships as close as you’d peel an apple.’  I took the wheel, and my heart-beat fluttered up into the hundreds; for it seemed to me that we were about to scrape the side off every ship in the line, we were so close.  I held my breath and began to claw the boat away from the danger; and I had my own opinion of the pilot who had known no better than to get us into such peril, but I was too wise to express it.  In half a minute I had a wide margin of safety intervening between the ‘Paul Jones’ and the ships; and within ten seconds more I was set aside in disgrace, and Mr. Bixby was going into danger again and flaying me alive with abuse of my cowardice.  I was stung, but I was obliged to admire the easy confidence with which my chief loafed from side to side of his wheel, and trimmed the ships so closely that disaster seemed ceaselessly imminent.  When he had cooled a little he told me that the easy water was close ashore and the current outside, and therefore we must hug the bank, up-stream, to get the benefit of the former, and stay well out, down-stream, to take advantage of the latter.  In my own mind I resolved to be a down-stream pilot and leave the up-streaming to people dead to prudence.

Now and then Mr. Bixby called my attention to certain things.  Said he, ‘This is Six-Mile Point.’  I assented.  It was pleasant enough information, but I could not see the bearing of it.  I was not conscious that it was a matter of any interest to me.  Another time he said, ’This is Nine-Mile Point.’  Later he said, ‘This is Twelve-Mile Point.’  They were all about level with the water’s edge; they all looked about alike to me; they were monotonously unpicturesque.  I hoped Mr. Bixby would change the subject.  But no; he would crowd up around a point, hugging the shore with affection, and then say:  ’The slack water ends here, abreast this bunch of China-trees; now we cross over.’  So he crossed over.  He gave me the wheel once or twice, but I had no luck.  I either came near chipping off the edge of a sugar plantation, or I yawed too far from shore, and so dropped back into disgrace again and got abused.

The watch was ended at last, and we took supper and went to bed.  At midnight the glare of a lantern shone in my eyes, and the night watchman said—­

‘Come! turn out!’

And then he left.  I could not understand this extraordinary procedure; so I presently gave up trying to, and dozed off to sleep.  Pretty soon the watchman was back again, and this time he was gruff.  I was annoyed.  I said:—­

’What do you want to come bothering around here in the middle of the night for.  Now as like as not I’ll not get to sleep again to-night.’