Read this excerpt from "A Cub Pilot" from Mark Twain's memoir, Life on the Mississippi.

Question

I began to climb the wheel like a squirrel, but I would hardly get the boat started to port before I would see new dangers on that side, and away I would spin to the other, only to find perils accumulating to starboard and be crazy to get to port again. Then came the leadsman's sepulchral cry:

"D-e-e-p four!"

Deep four in a bottomless crossing! The terror of it took my breath away.

Question
Which line from the excerpt best supports the idea that Twain is panicked?

Responses

“I was bowling down the bend above Island 66, brimful of confidence…”

“I was bowling down the bend above Island 66, brimful of confidence…”

"Deep four in a bottomless crossing!"

"Deep four in a bottomless crossing!"

"...I would hardly get the boat started to port before I would see new dangers on that side..."

"...I would hardly get the boat started to port before I would see new dangers on that side..."

"'D-e-e-p four!'"

Answer 1

The line that best supports the idea that Twain is panicked is:

"Deep four in a bottomless crossing!"

This line conveys a sense of fear and urgency, suggesting that he is overwhelmed by the potential danger he faces.