were thoroughly terrified at their unexpected recep tion. They had not counted upon the strength and courage of the two young boatmen. They supposed it would be an easy matter for seven of them to make way with two youth like them, and then rob the boat. But the young men saw that it was a case of life and death, and they fought with desperation. They had no doubt that the negroes meant to murder them, and then rob them and the boat, and they fought accordingly. Abraham's strength was almost superhuman on the occasion, and the negroes were badly bruised and maimed by his blows. They were armed with clubs, and they laid them upon Abraham and John so as to injure them considerably. But the latter came out of the battle victorious. The negroes escaped as best they could. "Are you hurt much, John?" inquired Abraham.

"No great; got a few hard knocks. How is it with you?"

"Lamed my arm; one of 'em hit me a cut across my right eye, too. But I have no fault to find, since we saved our necks."

"We must get the boat off now as quick as possible," said John, "or they 'll be back with twice their number."

"I thought of that; you jump aboard, and I will untie the boat. We must lose no time, neither." In a minute John was aboard, and scarcely an

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other minute had passed before Abraham followed him, having loosed the boat.

"We are safe now, if the whole plantation comes," said John, as they shoved off into the

stream.

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"We sha'n't need to go far," added Abraham. Only change our position, and we are safe." "That may be, but I think I shall sleep with my eyes open the rest of the night.'

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"And I will keep you company," responded Abraham. "The next time I come to New Orleans, I shall come armed. This going to war without a gun is not quite the thing."

"I wish we had been armed," said John. "Would n't we made the feathers fly?

"The wool, you mean," replied Abraham, jocosely. He had become as cool as if nothing had happened.

"They meant to kill us.

"Of course they did. It would n't have done for them to rob us, and leave us to tell the story to their master. But they might have made way with us, and robbed and sunk the boat, and nobody been any the wiser for it."

"They are no fools, if they be niggers."

"No; but after all they are not so much to blame as their masters," added Abraham. "Slavery has robbed them of everything, and so I s'pose they think it is fair play to take what they can get."

They succeeded in selling their cargo well, and returned in safety to Indiana. The venturesome enterprise for two such youth turned out a capital thing, and when their narrow escape was known, the trip on the flat-boat was talked of as a wonderful expedition, and Abraham received the credit of being a good boatman, manager, salesman, as well as a courageous defender of number one. The success was ascribed to his tact, judgment, fidelity, and force of character.

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XVIII.

REMOVAL TO ILLINOIS.

(OON after Abraham's trip to New Orleans, the most glowing accounts of the fertility of the prairie lands of Illinois began to spread in the older States. They reached the Lincoln family early, and the father began to talk of moving. From month to month the news from Illinois concerning the richness and productiveness of the soil grew more and more interesting, and a tide of emigration at once set towards that State. Mr. Lincoln became desirous of moving thither himself, and Abraham was earnest to go. Accordingly, for the purpose of ascertaining the exact truth of the matter, and selecting a good location to settle, Dennis Hanks, a relative of Abraham's step-mother, was delegated to proceed to Illinois on a tour of investigation. Lincoln did not wish to move without knowing more of the country than he could gather from rumor.

It was two years after the aforesaid news from Illinois reached the Lincoln family before they were ready to move. The journey of Hanks thither fully confirmed all they had heard, and this decided the

matter of their removal. It was not, however, until March, 1830, that they were prepared to start. There were three families to move, and twelve persons in all, the family of Mr. Lincoln, and the families of his wife's two daughters, who came to Indiana, and settled near her.

Abraham was just twenty-one years old, and therefore free. But he was still a faithful son. "You are your own man now," said his father. "What of that?" was Abraham's reply, suspecting what thoughts were in his mind.

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Why, you can go or stay, though I don't see how I can get along without you."

"Nor I; and I want to go to Illinois more than you do, and I shall see you safely there, and settled down, before I leave you."

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"I'm glad of that," continued his father. won't ask you to stay at home one minute after we get settled down. You ought to be lookin' out for yourself, now you are of age.'

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"We'll talk about that when we get there. Perhaps I shall find enough to do for a while to get you fixed up, and I can attend to that better than

you can."

"Well, it's a long ways there, and I'm almost sorry that I undertook it at my time of life. It looks like a great job to get there, and begin new.” "It don't to me. We'll be there, and have a roof over our heads, in less than four weeks."