I'm currently researching the career of Ernest Morris, who gained fame in 
the late 1870s and early 1880s as the "boy naturalist" or "boy explorer." 
Between 1875 and 1884, Morris made 7 trips to the Amazon Basin and British 
Guiana, collecting orchids for clients and writing travelogues as a special 
correspondent for the New York World.
  
 However, his first journey took place in 1874, when he was 18. He built a 
long canoe and took it from Indianapolis, down the White River, Wabash 
River, Ohio, and down the Mississippi to New Orleans (and then along the 
Gulf Coast to Cedar Key, Florida.)
  
 This feat was publicized that year in Indianapolis newspapers only, but 
after Morris set off for his first Amazon trip in 1875, the account of his 
previous Mississippi journey appeared in many national newspapers, along 
with many praises of Morris epitomizing the "plucky" national character.
  
 I realize that Twain had a wealth of experience growing up and working on 
the river, but the timing of the publicity surrounding the voyage of young 
Morris has me wondering...is it possible that the story helped inspire the 
central motif of Huck Finn?
  
 Jerry Kuntz
Warwick NY
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