The place to buy canoes is off of rafts layin’ up at shore. But we didn’t see no rafts layin’ up. So we went along durin’ three hours ‘n’ more. Well, the night got grey and ruther thick, which is the next meanest thing to fog. You can’t tell the shape of the river and you can’t see no distance.
It got to be very late and still, and then along comes a steamboat up the river. We lit the lantern and judged she would see it… upstream boats didn’t generally come close to us. They go out and follow the bars and hunt for easy water under the reefs. But nights like this, they bull right up the channel against the whole river. We could hear her poundin’ along, but we didn’t see her good until she was close. She aimed right for us! Often they do that and try to see how close they can come without touchin’… Sometimes the wheel bites off a sweep, and then the pilot sticks his head out and laughs and thinks he’s mighty smart. Well, here she comes, and we said she was goin’ to try and shave us, but she didn’t seem to be shearin’ off a bit. She was a big one, and she was comin’ in a hurry too!…lookin’ like a black cloud with rows of glow worms around it! But all of a sudden she bulged out big and scary with a long row of wide open furnace doors shinin’ like red hot teeth, and her monstrous bowels and guards hanging right over us. There was a yell at us, and a jinglijn’ of bells to stop the engines a pow wow of cussin’ and whistlin’ of steam. And as Jim went over board on one side and I on the other, she comes smashin’ straight through the raft.
I dived… and I aimed to find the bottom too. For a thirty foot wheel had got to go over me and I wanted it to have plenty of room. I could always stay under water a minute. This time I reckon I stayed under a minute and a half. Then I bounced for the top in a hurry for I was nearly bustin’. I popped out to my armpits and blowed the water out of my nose and puffed a bit. Of course there was a boomin current and of course that boat started her engines again ten seconds after she stopped them, for they never cared much for raftsmen. So now she was churnin’ along up the river out of sight in the thick weather, though I could hear her. I sung out for Jim about a dozen times but I didn’t get any answer. So I grabbed a plank that touched me while I was treadin’ water and struck out for shore shovin’ it ahead of me. But I made out to see that the drift of the current was towards the left hand shore, which meant that I was in a crossing. So I changed off and went that way. It was one of these long slantin’ two mile crossin’s. So I was a good long time in gettin’ over. I made a safe landing and clumb up the bank.
I couldn’t see but a little ways, but I went pokin’ along over rough ground for a quarter of a mile or more and then I run across a big old fashion double log house before I noticed it. I was goin’ to rush by and get away, but a lot of dogs jumped out and went to howlin’ and barkin’ at me, and I knowed better than to move another peg.
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
