“What, if when the angels were taking Elijah to heaven, they had let him drop?”
Perceiving he had fully made up his mind, she said no more, but quietly set about preparing his food for the voyage. This was put under the canoe, which was turned bottom up on the raft, and lashed.
There were but four pieces of rope on the whole raft, for rope was high in those days: these were the cable, the canoe’s painter, and the sheet and halyards of the sail.
The logs were lashed with withes, as also the canoe, water, and other things. These withes were of enormous strength, though stiff and hard to handle; for many of them were as thick as a man’s wrist, which Ben twisted as though they had been willow switches.
Ben had not mentioned his plan to any one out of his own house, but, when the wind came in strong from the north-east, set sail just as the sun came up.
The first proceeding of John Rhines at this time of year, when he got out of bed, was to look out of his window, to see if there were any wild geese round that were anxious to be shot, that he might give the alarm to his father. No sooner did he espy the novel craft come out from the harbor, and proceed to sea, than going down stairs three steps at a time, he shouted, “Father! father! see what this is!”
“It is a raft, that has come down from the head of the bay, and is going over to Indian Creek Mill.”
“But it came from Elm Island; I saw it.”
“You thought it did; but it came down by it, and appeared to you to come from it.”
“No, father; it came right out of the harbor, for I saw it with my own eyes.”