Mr. Gentry that he was just the hand to send on a trading expedition to New Orleans. His tact, strength, and fidelity were three essential requisites to ensure a successful expedition. Flat-boating on the Western waters, at that time, was an exciting and perilous business; and some account of it here will reflect light upon Abraham's venture.

For some years there had been a class of boatmen, fearless, hardy, athletic men, who "traversed the longest rivers, penetrated the most remote wilderness upon their watery routes, and kept up a trade and intercourse between the most distant points."

They were exposed to great perils, and were out shelterless in all kinds of weather. With no bed but the deck of their boats on which to lie at night, and no covering but a blanket, they spent months and years of their existence.

It was on such boats that the rich cargoes ascending the Mississippi were carried. By human labour they were propelled against the strong current for nearly two thousand miles; and it was a labour that required great muscular strength and remarkable powers of endurance. -The result was that a class of men were trained in this business of unusual courage, and proud only of their ability to breast storms and endure hardships.

In addition to this class, whose life-business it was to propel these Western boats, there were those who occasionally made a trip to New Orleans to sell their stores. Sometimes several farmers, or other persons, would club together and make out a cargo, and send it down to New Orleans; and sometimes one alone would do the same. This was the case with Mr. Gentry. had a quantity of stores suited to meet the wants of the sugar plantations in Louisiana, and he wanted to convert them into cash. Money was very scarce, and many

He

families like that of Mr. Lincoln saw but little. What was in circulation was brought into the Western country by people moving thither from the East, or was obtained, as Mr. Gentry proposed to obtain some, by sending a boat-load of stores to New Orleans.

Abraham consulted his father, who readily consented. His mother remarked :

"Eighteen hundred miles is rather a long trip for a feller who hasn't seen more of the world than you have, Abe."

"None too long, mother. I shall see some of the world now if I never have before.”

"And perhaps see the bottom of the Mississippi,” suggested his mother.

"I'm not afraid of that."

"But many have lost their lives in this way, and men who have been used to the business, too."

"That's no sign I shall."

"It's no sign you won't."

"But I shan't borrow any trouble about it."

"I don't ask you to do that; but it's worth while to think of these things."

"If you don't want I should go, I will give it up now." Abraham inferred from his mother's manner of speaking that she was unwilling he should go.

"I do want you should go. I was only tellin' some of my thoughts. I can't help thinkin'."

"It may be the best thing for me that I ever did," suggested Abraham.

"Yes, if no accident happens to you I have no doubt it will be a real good school for you. But it's a long ways to go, and a long time for you to be gone.'

"But I have got to go away some time, and I may as well begin now."

"Very true; but that makes it no easier for me to

have you go. But it don't do any good to talk about it now."

A

Preparations were made at once for the voyage. boat was provided at Gentry's Landing, which was at Rockport, on the Ohio River, and Abraham and Allen proceeded to load the cargo. Here Abraham met with his old schoolmate, Miss Roby, whom he assisted, at Crawford's school, to spell defied correctly. She had grown into a winsome girl; at least Allen Gentry thought so; for he afterwards courted and married her. At the close of one day an incident occurred that shows how Abraham was wont to pick up knowledge. He was sitting with Miss Roby on the boat, when she remarked,

"The sun is going down.”

"No, it isn't," Abraham replied naïvely.

"You've lost your sight, then," suggested the girl, at the same time anticipating that Abraham was indulging in some roguery.

"I can see as well as you can," responded Abraham, "and I say, honestly, the sun is not going down, and, what is more, it never will go down."

"Wait and see," continued Miss Roby, laughing.

"It will seem to go down," added Abraham, in an explanatory way.

"I rather think it will," Miss Roby answered, curtly. "We go down, not the sun," Abraham continued. "The sun stands still."

"It moves enough for me," interrupted Miss Roby. Abraham went on to explain :—

"You see the earth turns from west to east, and the revolution of the earth carries us under, as it were; we do the sinking, as you call it. The sun does not really set; it only appears to."

"Abe! what a fool you are!" exclaimed the surprised

girl, who began to think that too much learning had made her friend mad.

Forty years afterwards Miss Roby, who became Mrs. Gentry, said,

"Now I know that I was the fool, not Lincoln. I am now thoroughly satisfied that Abe knew the general laws of astronomy and the movements of the heavenly bodies. He was better read then than the world knows, or is likely to know exactly. No man could talk to me that night as he did unless he had known something of geography as well as astronomy. He often and often commented or talked to me about what he had read,seemed to read it out of the book as he went along,did so to others. He was the learned boy among us unlearned folks. He took great pains to explain, and could do it so simply. He was diffident, then, too."

To return to the trip to New Orleans. As soon as the cargo was loaded, the two boys started upon their voyage, Abraham serving as "bow-hand, to work the front oars." It was a very important event in the life of our young friend, and his heart was greatly elated. He was floating out into the broad world now. His young eyes would behold its sights and scenes for the first time. It is not strange that he pushed out into the Ohio with a glad heart, and moved down towards the "father of waters" with such anticipation as never fired his breast before.

"I say, Abe, how many times are you goin' to upset before reaching the Mississippi?" asked Allen.

"I hardly think we shall do it more than once," answered Abraham, "unless you have a better faculty than I have for loading up again in the water."

"I didn't think of that; it would be a hard matter to reload at the bottom of the river."

"Yes; and we must look out for accidents, or your

father will wish he had never sent us.

make a capital thing of it."

I hope we shall

"I hope so too, or we shall never have another such a chance. The old man never would have sent me if it hadn't been for you, Abe."

"How so?"

"Because he thinks you can do most anything that's possible, and so he was willing to risk me and all the cargo with you."

"Pshaw! You are fooling now."

"No such thing; it's the living truth. I expect he thought that you could keep me and the cargo from sinkin' if we did upset."

"Well, my mother rather expects the opposite, I judge, by her talk," replied Abraham. "She thinks it is rather a risky piece of business to send us on such a trip."

"I 'spose 'tis," was Allen's thoughtful reply; " and it stands us in hand to do the very best we can.'

It must suffice to say that their trip proved to be a pleasant one. Many incidents occurred which we cannot relate here, nor is it necessary for our purpose. They lived upon the flat-boat, of course. At night they drew it up to the bank of the river, in some favourable spot, and tied it safely; then laid down on their "running board," as a flat-boat was sometimes called, to sleep. They had no bed, and nothing but a blanket to cover them. True, this was not so great a change for boys who were reared in the wilderness as it would be for boys of this day, who are used to the comforts and conveniences of affluent homes. Still it was a change, and many of their nights were extremely lonely.

Their voyage was not monotonous. The scenery was continually changing, and they frequently passed other boats with their merry crews, and held conversations