Above Burlington they ran across somewhat of a snag in the shape of a
pilot's union. They were compelled to hire a pilot to see them up the
river, (though they were perfectly able to handle the boat themselves),
or be compelled to pay a fine of fifty dollars. They were hauled up at
the wharf of an Iowa village when they heard this, and rather than have
any trouble, they concluded to hire a pilot. On inquiry, they learned
that there was no pilot in the village except the editor of the weekly
paper. He had a license and could do the work if he was so inclined.
This placed them in a rather awkward position. They did not feel like
asking so distinguished a gentleman as the editor of the paper to
pilot them. Several conferences were held on the subject; but the
stubborn fact still stared them in the face, that the editor was the
only man in the village who could do the work and if they proceeded to
the next town without a licensed pilot they would have to pay a fifty
dollar fine. At last in a fit of desperation, Paul said he would call
on the editor and see what kind of a man he was, anyway, and if he
proved to be all right, he might be induced to join them as a guest,
which would be a more polite way to put it. They were willing to give
twenty-five or thirty dollars; but they felt a delicacy in making such a
proposition to an editor.
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