noon
Lucky the lad who has been blessed with a disposition after this kind , for life will have a bountiful supply of pleasures in store for him , out of which no temporary adversity may cheat him . They started downstream again after breakfast , for the snow had ceased and it was easily possible to see their course . The morning packet breasting the current hove in sight a short time after they cut loose from their night 's anchorage , and it was always a pleasure for them to wave to those aboard these boats -- never did the pilot aloft in his little house wfeere he handled the wheel fail to respond to the waving of a handkerchief -- it was the custom of the river , and one would be lacking in common politeness if he refused to answer such a friendly greeting . By noon they were making great progress again , and Maurice began to have hopes of bringing up at Paducah by night ; but there were so many twists and turns to the river he had not counted on that when the afternoon drew near its close and they saw a town at the mouth of a river coming in on the Kentucky side , he knew it must be Smithland lying at the junction of the Cumberland with the Ohio . Once again they floated past a town , unwilling to put in for fear of trouble with some of the rough characters usually found along the river front in all of these places . Fortunately , after experiencing some difficulty in crossing the mouth of the Cumberland , which was belching forth a volume of yellow water that carried the shanty-boat out some distance , despite their efforts , they finally managed to find a place to stay for the night . It was in striking contrast to the previous experience , for there was no wind , and the cold had moderated wonderfully , so that it seemed as though rain might be the next thing on the program .