He and a few companions
walked home, as there were not many horses to be had. Lincoln enlivened
the long tramp with his fund of stories and jokes.

It is sometimes asserted that Abraham Lincoln and Jefferson Davis met at
this early day, as officers in the Black Hawk War, but this statement
is not founded on fact, for young Lieutenant Davis was absent on a
furlough and could not have encountered the tall captain from the
Sangamon then, as many would like to believe.

Lincoln always referred to the Black Hawk War as a humorous adventure.
He made a funny speech in Congress describing some of his experiences in
this campaign in which he did not take part in a battle, nor did he even
catch sight of a hostile Indian.

AGAIN A RIVER PILOT

Abe was still out of work. Just before he enlisted he piloted the
_Talisman_, a steamboat which had come up the Sangamon on a trial trip,
in which the speed of the boat averaged four miles an hour. At that time
the wildest excitement prevailed. The coming of the _Talisman_ up their
little river was hailed with grand demonstrations and much
speech-making. Every one expected the Government to spend millions of
dollars to make the Sangamon navigable, and even New Salem (which is not
now to be found on the map) was to become a flourishing city, in the
hopeful imaginings of its few inhabitants. Lincoln, being a candidate,
naturally "took the fever," and shared the delirium that prevailed. He
could hardly have done otherwise, even if he had been so disposed. This
was before the days of railroads, and the commerce and prosperity of the
country depended on making the smaller streams navigable. Lincoln
received forty dollars, however, for his services as pilot. The
_Talisman_, instead of establishing a river connection with the
Mississippi River cities, never came back. She was burned at the wharf
in St. Louis, and the navigation of the poor little Sangamon, which was
only a shallow creek, was soon forgotten.

LINCOLN'S ONLY DEFEAT BY A DIRECT VOTE

When Abe returned from the war he had no steady employment. On this
account, especially, he must have been deeply disappointed to be
defeated in the election which took place within two weeks after his
arrival. His patriotism had been stronger than his political sagacity.
If he had stayed at home to help himself to the Legislature he might
have been elected, though he was then a comparative stranger in the
county. One of the four representativ