- description
- # CHAPTER I. A MUTE GOES ABOARD A BOAT ON THE MISSISSIPPI.
## Overview
This is a chapter from the novel [THE CONFIDENCE-MAN: HIS MASQUERADE.](arke:01KG8AJ86G6HP7TCHND218MWGA) by Herman Melville. It is extracted from the text file [the_confidence_man.txt](arke:01KG89J1JMR8XVKPA0G8ADAPC4) and is part of the [Melville Complete Works](arke:01KG89HMDZKNY753EZE1CJ8HZW) collection. The chapter spans lines 279-438 of the source file.
## Context
This chapter is the first in the novel [THE CONFIDENCE-MAN: HIS MASQUERADE.](arke:01KG8AJ86G6HP7TCHND218MWGA), preceded by the [CONTENTS](arke:01KG8AJJRSMPBQ34GMMM5VYS3X) and followed by [CHAPTER II. SHOWING THAT MANY MEN HAVE MANY MINDS.](arke:01KG8AJJRS66HJN1RR57K9T3AE). The novel and its chapters were extracted from the source text file as part of a structure extraction process.
## Contents
The chapter introduces a mute man who boards a boat on the Mississippi River. The man, dressed in cream-colors, arrives in St. Louis on the first of April and boards the steamer Fidèle. He carries no luggage and is immediately perceived as a stranger. He pauses by a placard offering a reward for the capture of a mysterious impostor. The mute man writes biblical phrases about charity on a slate, drawing mixed reactions from the crowd. He is jostled and mocked, and eventually retreats to a quiet spot on the forecastle where he falls asleep. The chapter is divided into three chunks: [Chunk 1](arke:01KG8AK7Y981ANEHWVEE2Z76Y9), [Chunk 2](arke:01KG8AK7Y9QWWYYNTY7FCJZBKJ), and [Chunk 3](arke:01KG8AK7Y6BMYBRBZ87CP7JVT4).
- description_generated_at
- 2026-01-30T20:48:37.770Z
- description_model
- gemini-2.5-flash-lite
- description_title
- CHAPTER I. A MUTE GOES ABOARD A BOAT ON THE MISSISSIPPI.
- end_line
- 438
- extracted_at
- 2026-01-30T20:47:36.061Z
- extracted_by
- structure-extraction-lambda
- start_line
- 279
- text
- null
- title
- CHAPTER I. A MUTE GOES ABOARD A BOAT ON THE MISSISSIPPI.