﻿HOW 
  DEEP 
  IS 
  THE 
  OCEAN' 
  

  

  By 
  C. 
  G. 
  Abbot. 
  

  

  Not 
  everybody 
  who 
  laughed 
  over 
  the 
  " 
  Connecticut 
  Yankee 
  in 
  King 
  

   Arthur's 
  Court 
  " 
  knows 
  why 
  its 
  author 
  called 
  himself 
  " 
  Mark 
  Twain." 
  

   To 
  know 
  that, 
  one 
  should 
  read 
  his 
  earlier 
  book, 
  just 
  as 
  funny 
  in 
  spots 
  

   and 
  far 
  more 
  interesting, 
  " 
  Life 
  on 
  the 
  Mississippi." 
  

  

  Here's 
  how 
  they 
  took 
  the 
  conceit 
  out 
  of 
  a 
  cocky 
  young 
  cub 
  pilot 
  by 
  

   leaving 
  him 
  alone 
  to 
  navigate 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  deepest 
  places 
  on 
  the 
  Mis- 
  

   sissippi 
  and 
  scaring 
  him 
  with 
  false 
  soundings. 
  

  

  Captain 
  and 
  Mate 
  sang 
  out 
  instantly, 
  and 
  both 
  together 
  : 
  

   " 
  Starboard 
  lead 
  there 
  ! 
  and 
  quick 
  about 
  it 
  !" 
  

  

  ******* 
  

  

  Then 
  came 
  the 
  leadsman's 
  sepulchral 
  cry 
  : 
  

   " 
  D-e-e-p 
  four 
  !" 
  

  

  Deep 
  four 
  fathoms 
  in 
  a 
  bottomless 
  crossing! 
  The 
  terror 
  of 
  it 
  took 
  my 
  

   breath 
  away. 
  

   " 
  M-a-r-k 
  three 
  ! 
  M-a-r-k 
  three 
  ! 
  Quarter-less-three 
  ! 
  Half 
  twain 
  !" 
  

   This 
  was 
  frightful 
  ! 
  I 
  seized 
  the 
  bell-ropes 
  and 
  stopped 
  the 
  engines. 
  

   " 
  Quarter 
  twain 
  ! 
  Quarter-twain 
  ! 
  Mark 
  twain 
  !" 
  

  

  ******* 
  

  

  I 
  was 
  quaking 
  from 
  head 
  to 
  foot, 
  and 
  I 
  could 
  have 
  hung 
  my 
  hat 
  on 
  my 
  eyes, 
  

   they 
  stuck 
  out 
  so 
  far. 
  

  

  " 
  Quarter-Zess-twain 
  ! 
  Nine-and-a-ftaif 
  /" 
  

   We 
  were 
  drawing 
  nine 
  ! 
  

  

  ******* 
  

  

  I 
  flew 
  to 
  the 
  speaking-tube 
  and 
  shouted 
  to 
  the 
  engineer 
  : 
  

  

  " 
  Oh, 
  Ben, 
  if 
  you 
  love 
  me, 
  back 
  her 
  ! 
  Quick, 
  Ben 
  ! 
  Oh 
  ! 
  back 
  the 
  immortal 
  

   soul 
  out 
  of 
  her!" 
  

  

  I 
  heard 
  the 
  door 
  close 
  gently. 
  I 
  looked 
  around, 
  and 
  there 
  stood 
  Mr. 
  Bixby, 
  

   smiling 
  a 
  bland, 
  sweet 
  smile. 
  Then 
  the 
  audience 
  on 
  the 
  hurricane 
  deck 
  sent 
  

   up 
  a 
  thundergust 
  of 
  humiliating 
  laughter. 
  

  

  ******* 
  

  

  For 
  months 
  I 
  so 
  often 
  had 
  to 
  hear 
  a 
  phrase 
  which 
  I 
  had 
  conceived 
  a 
  par- 
  

   ticular 
  distaste 
  for: 
  

  

  " 
  Oh 
  ! 
  Ben, 
  if 
  you 
  love 
  me, 
  back 
  her 
  ! 
  " 
  

  

  This 
  kind 
  of 
  a 
  scheme 
  of 
  hand 
  sounding 
  is 
  well 
  enough 
  for 
  water 
  so 
  

   shallow 
  that 
  it 
  is 
  dangerous, 
  but 
  what 
  good 
  is 
  it 
  for 
  sounding 
  the 
  

   ocean 
  depths 
  that 
  average 
  2,000 
  fathoms 
  ( 
  12,000 
  feet) 
  , 
  and 
  in 
  many 
  

  

  275 
  

  

  