the point of
congratulating myself, I bumped into him.

"You on board?"

"It looks very much as if I were in evidence."

He grabbed me by the coat collar and hustled me before the captain. I
told a straight story, and he, being a man, told the steward to take
me up to the kitchen and set me to work. He did, and had his revenge
in seeing that it was nearly continuous. After supper I worked the
dish racket until twelve o'clock. At three the next morning he awoke
me out of a sound sleep and set me to cleaning the woodwork of the
cabin. Another of my desirable duties was to wash and polish the
silver, throwing the water over the sides of the boat.

AN ALERT STEWARD

After dinner of the second day I proceeded with the tin bucket to the
side of the boat and overboard went its contents, including three
silver spoons. The spoons had no sooner left the bucket than I felt
something of great force come in contact with the seat of my trousers.
For a moment I thought surely perpetual motion had been discovered.
Turning I was face to face with that infernal steward. Nor did that
end my troubles for during the entire trip that particular locality of
my person was the target for that fellow's boot. With a terrible
oath, he informed me that my landing would be reached about midnight a
day later and was called Wood Pile Landing. A short time before
reaching the place, I was hustled from my bunk by the steward and in
no gentle manner forced to the bow of the boat. The night was pitch
dark, and produced a decidedly lonesome feeling in the one that was to
be put off at a Wood Pile on the edge of an immense forest and
undoubtedly miles from a dwelling. As the boat reached the bank, not
even waiting for the gang plank to be shoved out, the old sinner gave
me a push and at the same time applied the now familiar boot. I
reached the earth on all fours. My first thought was to present him
with a rock, but I curbed my temper, for I had no idea of deserting
the old ship.

In those days the boilers of the boats were fired with cord wood
purchased of the planters and delivered on the bank of the river. All
boats plying on the Missouri River at that time were flat bottom with
paddle wheel at the stern. Two long heavy poles were carried at the
bow and worked with a windlass, being used to raise the bow of the
boat when becoming fast on a sand bar. The pilot was obliged to keep a
continuous lookout for these bars, as the channel was treachero