Yes, this is drawn from a single chapter in "Life on the Mississippi". Twain wrote the book in late-middle age, when he was well known. The overall structure of the book is a tavelogue from the high reachs of the Mississippi all the way to New Orleans. In a sense, Twain is on a trip of nostalgia. But the book can (and does) serve just as well today as a guidebook to anyone who wants to trace the course of the river. (I've done it.) The chapter which has this tale is one of the many asides/digressions that he indulges in. You perhaps wouldn't know it from this story, but the book is also full of the wit and humor which is such a defining characteristic of most of Twain's work. Highly recommended!!