WHEN the river is very low, and one's steamboat is 'drawing all the water'

there is in the channel,--or a few inches more, as was often the casein the old times,--one must be painfully circumspect in his piloting.

We used to have to 'sound' a number of particularly bad places almost everytrip when the river was at a very low stage.

Sounding is done in this way. The boat ties up at the shore, just abovethe shoal crossing; the pilot not on watch takes his 'cub' or steersmanand a picked crew of men (sometimes an officer also), and goes outin the yawl--provided the boat has not that rare and sumptuous luxury,a regularly-devised 'sounding-boat'--and proceeds to hunt for the best water,the pilot on duty watching his movements through a spy-glass, meantime,and in some instances assisting by signals of the boat's whistle,signifying 'try higher up' or 'try lower down;' for the surface ofthe water, like an oil-painting, is more expressive and intelligiblewhen inspected from a little distance than very close at hand.

The whistle signals are seldom necessary, however; never, perhaps, except whenthe wind confuses the significant ripples upon the water's surface.

When the yawl has reached the shoal place, the speed is slackened,the pilot begins to sound the depth with a pole ten or twelve feet long,and the steersman at the tiller obeys the order to 'hold her upto starboard;' or, 'let her fall off to larboard;'

term 'larboard' is never used at seam now, to signify the left hand;but was always used on the river in my time]> or 'steady--steadyas you go.'

When the measurements indicate that the yawl is approachingthe shoalest part of the reef, the command is given to 'ease all!'

Then the men stop rowing and the yawl drifts with the current.

The next order is, 'Stand by with the buoy!' The momentthe shallowest point is reached, the pilot delivers the order,'Let go the buoy!' and over she goes. If the pilot isnot satisfied, he sounds the place again; if he finds better waterhigher up or lower down, he removes the buoy to that place.

Being finally satisfied, he gives the order, and all the menstand their oars straight up in the air, in line; a blast fromthe boat's whistle indicates that the signal has been seen;then the men 'give way' on their oars and lay the yawlalongside the buoy; the steamer comes creeping carefully down,is pointed straight at the buoy, husbands her power forthe coming struggle, and presently, at the critical moment,turns on all her steam and goes grinding and wallowing overthe buoy and the sand, and gains the deep water beyond.

Or maybe she doesn't; maybe she 'strikes and swings.'

Then she has to while away several hours (or days)sparring herself off.

Sometimes a buoy is not laid at all, but the yawl goes ahead,hunting the best water, and the steamer follows along in its wake.

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