meat going farther away than
that odor made by meat being boiled." At this point Mr. Womble stated
that the slaves were taught to steal by their masters. Sometimes they
were sent to the nearby plantations to steal chickens, pigs, and other
things that could be carried away easily. At such times the master would
tell them that he was not going to mistreat them and that he was not
going to allow anyone else to mistreat them and that by taking the above
mentioned things they were helping him to be more able to take care of
them.

At breakfast the field hands ate fried meat, corn bread, and molasses.
When they went to the house for dinner they were given some kind of
vegetable along with pot liquor and milk. When the days work was done
and it was time for the evening meal there was the fried meat again with
the molasses and the corn bread. Mr. Womble says that they ate this kind
of food every day in the week. The only variation was on Sunday when
they were given the seconds of the flour and a little more molasses so
that they might make a cake. No other sweetening was used except the
molasses.

As for Mr. Womble and the cook they fared better as they ate the same
kind of food that the master and his family did. He remembers how he
used to take biscuits from the dishes that were being sent to the
masters table. He was the waiter and this was an easy matter. Later he
took some of these biscuits and sold them to the other little boys for a
nickle each. Neither the master or the slaves had real coffee. They all
drank a type of this beverage that had been made by parching bran or
meal and then boiled in water.

The younger children were fed from a trough that was twenty feet in
length. At meal time each day the master would come out and supervise
the cook whose duty it was to fill the trough with food. For breakfast
the milk and bread was all mixed together in the trough by the master
who used his walking cane to stir it with. At dinner and supper the
children were fed pot liquor and bread and sometimes milk that had been
mixed together in the same manner. All stood back until the master had
finished stirring the food and then at a given signal they dashed to the
trough where they began eating with their hands. Some even put their
mouths in the trough and ate. There were times when the master's dogs
and some of the pigs that ran round the yard all came to the trough to
share these meals. Mr. Womble states that they were not