ith all the hardships that the slaves had to suffer they still had
time to have fun and to enjoy themselves, Mr. Wright continued. At
various times Mr. House permitted them to have a frolic. These frolics
usually took place on such holidays as 4th of July, Christmas or
"laying-by time", after the cultivating of the crops was finished and
before gathering time. During the day the master provided a big barbecue
and at night the singing and dancing started. Music was furnished by
slaves who were able to play the banjo or the fiddle. The slaves usually
bought these instruments themselves and in some cases the master bought
them. "In my case," declared Mr. Wright, "I made a fiddle out of a large
sized gourd--a long wooden handle was used as a neck, and the hair from
a horse's tail was used for the bow. The strings were made of cat-gut.
After I learned to play this I bought a better violin." Sometimes the
slaves slipped away to the woods to indulge in a frolic. As a means of
protection they tied ropes across the paths where they would be less
likely to be seen. These ropes were placed at such a height as to knock
a man from his horse if he came riding up at a great speed. In this way
the master or the overseer was stopped temporarily, thereby giving the
slaves time to scamper to safety. In addition to the presents given at
Christmas (candy and clothing) the master also gave each family half a
gallon of whisky. This made the parties more lively. One of the songs
that the slaves on the House plantation used to sing at their parties
runs as follows:

"Oh, I wouldn't have a poor girl,
(another version says, "old maid")
And I'll tell you the reason why,
Her neck's so long and stringy,
I'm afraid she'd never die."

On Sundays Mr. House required all of his slaves to attend church. All
attended a white church where they sat in the back or in the balcony.
After preaching to the white audience, the white pastor turned his
attention to the slaves. His sermon usually ran: "Obey your master and
your mistress and the Lord will love you." Sometimes a colored preacher
was allowed to preach from the same rostrum after the white pastor had
finished. His sermon was along similar lines because that is what he had
been instructed to say. None of the slaves believed in the sermons but
they pretended to do so.

Marriages were usually performed by the colored preacher although in
most cases it was only necessary for the man to appr