He saw gangs of slaves being driven through the streets.  He visited the slave-market, and saw women and girls sold to the highest bidder like so many cattle.

The young man, who would not be unkind to any living being, was shocked by these sights.  “His heart bled; he was mad, thoughtful, sad, and depressed.”

He said to John Hanks, “If I ever get a chance to hit that institution, I’ll hit it hard, John.”

He came back from New Orleans in July.  Mr. Offut, the owner of the flatboat which he had taken down, then employed him to act as clerk in a country store which he had at New Salem.

New Salem was a little town not far from Springfield.

Young Lincoln was a good salesman, and all the customers liked him.  Mr. Offut declared that the young man knew more than anyone else in the United States, and that he could outrun and outwrestle any man in the county.

But in the spring of the next year Mr. Offut failed.  The store was closed, and Abraham Lincoln was out of employment again.

* * * * *

VIII.—­THE BLACK HAWK WAR.

There were still a good many Indians in the West.  The Sac Indians had lately sold their lands in northern Illinois to the United States.  They had then moved across the Mississippi river, to other lands that had been set apart for them.

But they did not like their new home.  At last they made up their minds to go back to their former hunting-grounds.  They were led by a chief whose name was Black Hawk; and they began by killing the white settlers and burning their houses and crops.

This was in the spring of 1832.

The whole state of Illinois was in alarm.  The governor called for volunteers to help the United States soldiers drive the Indians back.

Abraham Lincoln enlisted.  His company elected him captain.

He did not know anything about military tactics.  He did not know how to give orders to his men.  But he did the best that he could, and learned a great deal by experience.

His company marched northward and westward until they came to the Mississippi river.  But they did not meet any Indians, and so there was no fighting.

The young men under Captain Lincoln were rude fellows from the prairies and backwoods.  They were rough in their manners, and hard to control.  But they had very high respect for their captain.

Perhaps this was because of his great strength, and his skill in wrestling; for he could put the roughest and strongest of them on their backs.  Perhaps it was because he was good-natured and kind, and, at the same time, very firm and decisive.

In a few weeks the time for which the company had enlisted came to an end.  The young men were tired of being soldiers; and so all, except Captain Lincoln and one man, were glad to hurry home.

But Captain Lincoln never gave up anything half done.  He enlisted again.  This time he was a private in a company of mounted rangers.