ABRAHAM LINCOLN -- CHAPTER 6

THE BOAT ADVENTURE      "What shall I do?" Offutt said. "I expected a boat to have been built by this time, at the mouth of Spring Creek: but I learned yesterday that they haven't started work yet". "Let's build a boat ourselves then." Abraham answered at once. "There's plenty of timber at Spring Creek. We can raft it down to Sangamon and build the boat there."      Abraham and his two companions built a hut for shelter. Here they boarded themselves, Abraham playing the part of cook. The lumber they sawed at a mill one mile and a half distant. Despite all these inconveniences, the boat was ready for the trip within four weeks.      As soon as the boat was completed, they started down the river. Just below New Salem the boat was stopped on Rutledge's milldam through one night and part of a day. One end of the boat hung over the dam, and the other sank deep in the water behind. The cargo slid backward, increasing the danger every minute.      Abraham shifted the cargo to a borrowed boat and made a large hole in the bottom of that part of the boat extending over the dam. Then he tilted the part of the boat under water by a contrivance made by himself,and emptied the water through the hole.      In a few minutes he stopped up the hole, and the boat glided safely into the deep pool below. In New Orleans Offutt disposed of his goods profitably. At the same time he was so much impressed by Abraham's character and abilities that he engaged him to be his clerk when he opened a store in New         Salem.