word to push out into the
stream. When he dashed into the tree he threw the rope over the stump of
a broken limb, and let it play until he broke the speed of the log, and
gradually drew it back to the tree, holding it there until the three now
nearly frozen men had climbed down and seated themselves astride. He
then gave orders to the people on shore to hold fast to the end of the
rope which was tied to the log, and leaving his rope in the tree he
turned the log adrift. The force of the current, acting against the taut
rope, swung the log around against the bank and all 'on board' were
saved.

"The excited people who had watched the dangerous expedition with
alternate hope and fear, now broke into cheers for Abe Lincoln, and
praises for his brave act. This adventure made quite a hero of him along
the Sangamon, and the people never tired of telling of the exploit."

"DOWN THE RIVER"

The launching of that flatboat was made a feast-day in the neighborhood.
Denton Offutt, its proprietor, was invited to break away from the
"Buckhorn" tavern at Springfield to witness the ceremonies, which, of
course, took a political turn. There was much speech-making, but Andrew
Jackson and the Whig leaders were equally praised.

The boat had been loaded with pork in barrels, corn, and hogs, and it
slid into the Sangamon River, then overflowing with the spring "fresh,"
with a big splash.

The three sturdy navigators, accompanied by Offutt himself, floated away
in triumph from the waving crowd on the bank.

The first incident in the voyage occurred the 19th of April, at
Rutledge's mill dam at New Salem, where the boat stranded and "hung"
there a day and a night.

HOW ABE GOT THE FLATBOAT OVER THE DAM

New Salem was destined to fill an important place in the life of Abraham
Lincoln. One who became well acquainted with him described him as the
New Salemites first saw him, "wading round on Rutledge's dam with his
trousers rolled up nine feet, more or less."

One of the crew gave this account of their mode of operations to get the
stranded raft over the dam:

"We unloaded the boat--that is, we transferred the goods from our boat
to a borrowed one. We then rolled the barrels forward; Lincoln bored a
hole in the end (projecting) over the dam; the water which had leaked in
ran out then and we slid over."

Offutt's enthusiasm over Abe's simple method of surmounting this great
obstacle was boundless. A crowd had gathered on a hills