by Mark Twain
2 This catastrophe is borrowed (without the unknown but most ingenious owner’s permission) from a stray newspaper item, and trimmed up and altered to fit Jacob Blivens, who stood sadly in need of a doom that would send him out of the world with éclat—Editor Memoranda.
3 Hannibal, Missouri.
4 It may not be necessary, but still it can do no harm to explain that “inside” means between the snag and the shore. t Two fathoms. Quarter twain is 2¼ fathoms, 13½ feet. Mark three is three fathoms.
5 “Partner” is technical for “the other pilot.”
6 “Teach” is not in the river vocabulary.
7 It was always my impression that that was what the horse was there for, and I know that it was also the impression of at least one other of the command, for we talked about it at the time, and admired the military ingenuity of the device; but when I was out West three years ago I was told by Mr. A. G. Fuqua, a member of our company, that the horse was his, that the leaving him tied at the door was a matter of mere forgetfulness, and that to attribute it to intelligent invention was to give him quite too much credit. In support of his position, he called my attention to the suggestive fact that the artifice was not employed again. I had not thought of that before.
8 Sidgwick, Greek Prose Composition, page 116.
9 “Rebel’s!” Mumble that funny word—don’t let the Person catch it distinctly.
10 100,000 acres.
11 Katy Leary, who had been in the service of the Clemens family for twenty-nine years.
12 Mr. Gabrilowitsch had been operated on for appendicitis.