What does this mean?

"these things look like the cautious patting and petting of a spirited horse preparatory to mounting him when it is dreaded that may give the rider a fall."

Lincoln uses this metaphor in order to talk about the futility of continuing to support slavery. He tells us that people who defend this position are like those who pat and pet a violent horse as they are preparing to mount it. Just like these people, who already know they are likely to fall, those who support slavery are aware that all their efforts will be pointless, as they will most likely end up failing.

in general, fiction refers to plot, settings, and characters created from the imagination, while nonfiction refers to factual stories focused on actual events and people. however, the difference between these two genres is sometimes blurred, as the two often intersect.

explanation: