Lincoln, the unknown

LINCOLN THE UNKNOWN • 33man without land, without cash, and without prospects? Never!True, Lincoln didn't own any land; and that wasn't allhe didn't want to own any. He had spent twenty-two years onfarms, and he had had enough of pioneer farming. He hated thegrinding toil, the lonely monotony of the life. Longing fordistinction, as well as for contact with other social beings, hewanted a job where he could meet people and gather a crowdaround him and keep them roaring at his stories.While living back in Indiana Abe had once helped float aflatboat down the river to New Orleans, and what fun he hadhad! Novelty. Excitement. Adventure. One night while the boatwas tied up to the shore at the plantation of Madame Duchesne,a gang of Negroes, armed with knives and clubs, climbedaboard. They meant to kill the crew, throw their bodies intothe river, and float the cargo down to the thieves' headquartersat New Orleans.Lincoln seized a club, and with his long, powerful armsknocked three of the marauders into the river, then chased theothers ashore; but, in the fight, one of the Negroes slashed Lincoln'sforehead with a knife and left over his right eye a scarthat he carried to his grave.No, Tom Lincoln could not hold the boy Abe to a pioneerfarm.Having seen New Orleans once, Abe now got himself anotherriver job. For fifty cents a day and a bonus he and hisstepbrother and second cousin cut down trees, hewed logs,floated them to a sawmill, built a flatboat eighty feet long,loaded it with bacon, corn, and hogs, and floated it down theMississippi.Lincoln did the cooking for the crew, steered the boat, toldstories, played seven-up, and sang in a loud voice:"The turbaned Turk that scorns the worldAnd struts about with his whiskers curledFor no other man but himself to see."This trip down the river made a profound and lasting impressionupon Lincoln. Herndon says:In New Orleans, for the first time Lincoln beheld thetrue horrors of human slavery. He saw "negroes in chains— whipped and scourged." Against this inhumanity hissense of right and justice rebelled, and his mind and con-