as soon as he got there. Accordingly I got a note from
him at Skowhegan, saying he had hired a sleigh to go over
to No. 9; and in four days more I got this letter:--

March 27th.
DEAR FRED,--I am most glad I came, and I beg you to
bring your wife as soon as possible. The river is very
full, the wheels, to which Leonard has added two
auxiliaries, are moving as if they could not hold out
long, the ways are all but ready, and we think we must
not wait. Start with all hands as soon as you can. I
had no difficulty in coming over from Skowhegan. We did
it in two days.

This note I sent at once to Haliburton; and we got
all the children ready for a winter journey, as the
spectacle of the launch of the MOON was one to be
remembered their life long. But it was clearly
impossible to attempt, at that season, to get the
subscribers together. Just as we started, this despatch
from Skowhegan was brought me,--the last word I got from
them:--

Stop for nothing. There is a jam below us in the
stream, and we fear back-water.
ORCUTT.

Of course we could not go faster than we could. We
missed no connection. At Skowhegan, Haliburton and I
took a cutter, leaving the ladies and children to follow