'
to fight with 'em. I never was scared of none of 'em, so I told 'em if
they touched my husband they wouldn't touch nothin' else. They wouldn't
give us nothin' to eat that whole day.

"Course we never did have much to eat. At night they would give us a
teacup of meal and a slice of bacon a piece for breakfus' the next
mornin'. If you had chillun they would give you a teacup of meal for two
chillun. By day light the next mornin' the overseer was at your house to
see if you was out, and if you hadn't cooked and eat and got out of that
house he would take that bull whip, and whip you nearly to death. He
carried that bull whip with him everywhere he went.

"Those folks killed one of my husband's brothers. He was kind of
crack-brained, and 'cause he was half crazy, they beat him all the time.
The last time they beat him we was in the field and this overseer beat
him with that bull hide all across the head and everywhere. He beat him
until he fell down on his knees and couldn't even say a word. And do you
know he wouldn't even let a one of us go to see about him. He stayed
stretched out in the the field 'til us went home. The next mornin' he
was found dead right where he had beat him that evenin'.

"'Bout two or three weeks later than that they told one of the slaves
they was goin' to beat him after we quit work that evenin'. His name was
Josh.

"When the overseer went to the other end of the field Josh dropped his
hoe and walked off. Nobody saw him anymore for about three weeks. He was
the best hand us had and us sho' did need him. Our master went
everywhere he could think of, lookin' for Josh, but he couldn't find him
and we was glad of it. After he looked and looked and couldn't find him
he told all of us to tell Josh to come back if we knowed where he was.
He said if Josh would come back he wouldn't whip him, wouldn't let the
overseer whip him. My husband knowed where he was but he warn't goin' to
tell nobody. Josh would come to our house every night and us would give
him some of what us had for dinner and supper. Us always saved it for
him. Us would eat breakfus' at our house, but all of us et dinner and
supper at the mess house together. Everyday when I et dinner and supper
I would take a part of mine and my husband would take a part of his and
us would carry it to our house for pore Josh. 'Bout 'leven o'clock at
night, when everybody was sleep, Josh would come to the side window and
get what us had for him. It's r