"The world and the books are so accustomed to use, and over-use, the word 'new' in connection with our country, that w…"

"Sired by a hurricane, dam'd by an earthquake."

"When I'm playful I use the meridians of longitude and parallels of latitude for a seine, and drag the Atlantic Ocean …"

"Now and then we had a hope that if we lived and were good, God would permit us to be pirates."

"I was gratified to be able to answer promptly and I did. I said I didn't know."

"Your true pilot cares nothing about anything on earth but the river, and his pride in his occupation surpasses the pr…"

"By the Shadow of Death, but he's a lightning pilot!"

"Here is a proud devil, thought I; here is a limb of Satan that would rather send us all to destruction than put himse…"

"I felt like a skinful of dry bones and all of them trying to ache at once."

"The Mississippi is well worth reading about. It is not a commonplace river, but on the contrary is in all ways remark…"