there was a thunderstorm three days later , and more than once the fevre dream had to take the long way around a bend in the river because of snags or low water in the chutes or cutoffs , or move along slow , paddles barely turning , while the sounding yawl edged out ahead with the off-duty pilot and an officer and a picked crew to drop lead and call back the news : `` quarter twain , '' or `` quarter less three , '' or `` mark three . ''