"Just hope we don't have to sit here for a week or more. Could get to be a hardship on the crew and all those fools down in the fancy rooms." Joel never did cotton to gambling his money away. He worked to hard, not to bring it home to his family.

"Looks like there's about six miles of earth going somewhere. We're about five miles from the cut. Now if the fools on the north side keeps back some fives miles we looking at ten miles of boats and only six miles of river in question. Don't see how this could end up, but bad." Jason saw they were in danger, even though well down stream. Lo could see he was beginning to sweat. The cold north wind couldn't remove the sweat of fear from his body. "Let's pray when it happens the sun will be up." Joel knew daylight would help them see the dangers of the river. Jason looked at his watch. It was only three o'clock. Dawn was three hours away. It was a long night and it wasn't over yet.

"Think I'll go down and get a pot of coffee. Seems to bring on the daylight faster." Lo left the Texas deck and disappeared into the darkness.

"Have to tell you Jason, that's one damn good pilot in the making you got there. Lot of common sense in that young man's head. Think he could stand toe to toe with the two of us in any situation." Joel had been observing the reactions of Lo's calmness in this terrible occurrence.

"Glad to hear you say that Joel. Thought maybe I've been to close to see how he was really working out." Jason needed the veteran to say what he thought about his cub. "Don't learn what he's got in his head in no classroom.

"Young man came from the dregs of the river to rise above all this crap you see out there. Dare say he's got more good judgment in his head then most of those stupid jackasses sitting there like it was a carnival parade." Jason was showing his concern by cussing and he knew it had to stop. Lo reached the Texas deck with the three cups from the kitchen. They knew the threatening storm would make surviving more difficult. The pilots watched for first light that would give them an idea of what was behind them. The chance of retreat had crossed their minds in the event of danger from the north. A slight glow of dawn was spreading over the area and Jason could see hundreds of steamers had locked them in during the night. A heavy fog was flowing over the boats. Only the rails of the second decks could be seem suspended above the river like lace dollies spread over a fine table. Hundreds of black stacks pierced the shroud like a giant forest of dead tress stripped of their branches. Like black candles on a soft birthday cake the quiet stacks reached high over the fog and their fluted exhausts reached skyward. Seemed like the river planned a party and man had raced to provide the essentials and entertainment. "Strangest thing I ever saw in my life." Jason was in awe at what was unfolding. He felt chills ran down his spine.

"Never saw anything like it in my boating days." Joel noticed there wasn't a sound on the river. All the pilots and their crews were standing on their Texas decks looking out at the dandiest scene they could imagine.

"Dare say most of them are thinking what we're thinking right now." Jason looked over at Joel. "They'd be damned fools if they could get out and didn't." Joel and Jason were wishing they could back out and leave the area.

"Not much chance of leaving now. Most of them gonna have to stay. Ain't got no wood." Lo knew their wood was going to keep them out of danger. The large rain drops were pelting the windows of the pilothouse and it was getting harder to see. The storm was going to make things worse. Rain was dispersing some of the fog and they saw boats, side by side, across the half mile of river, swaying with the currents. It would have been possible to walk on water. Stepping from one boat to the other, you could reached the other side and never get your boots wet. Lo thought as she watched the unbelievable. A whistle was blowing in the distance and Jason thought the pilots were trying to get some information of the conditions ahead.

"Joel? Hear anything about the swift the last few hours?" Lo was standing next to the pilot's high chair. It always was a safe place for her when she came into the pilothouse. "Ya! Heard the `Legend', tried to run the old channel." His jaw jerked from stress. His eyes seemed vacant. "Didn't make it. Knew some fool would try. Guess they can make a three story chicken coop out of it now. Twasn't enough water to get through. Thirty-eight miles from nowhere." Moving to the window of the cabin.

sbraveart@eatel.net

Return to main page  

www.eatel.net/~snichols/power.htm

copy/write/nichols/2010