stockhouse and chain him up
a couple days with nothin' to eat. My papa carry de grease scars on he
back till he die.

"Massa Charles and Uncle Jake don't like papa, 'cause he ain't so black,
and he had spirit, 'cause he part Indian. Do somethin' go wrong and
Uncle Big Jake say he gwine to give papa de whippin', he runs off. One
time he gone a whole year and he sho' look like a monkey when he gits
back, with de hair standin' straight on he head and he face. Papa was
mighty good to mama and me and dat de only reason he ever come back
from runnin' 'way, to see us. He knowed he'd git a whippin' but he come
anyway. Dey never could cotch papa when he run 'way, 'cause he part
Indian. Massa Charles even gits old Nigger Kelly what lives over to
Sandy Point to track papa with he dogs, but papa wade in water and dey
can't track him.

"Dey knows papa is de best tanner 'round dat part de country, so dey
doesn't sell him off de place. I 'lect papa sayin' dere one place
special where he hide, some German folks, de name Ebbling, I think.
While he hides dere, he tans hides on de sly like and dey feeds him, and
lots of mornin's when us open de cabin door on a shelf jus' 'bove is
food for mama and me, and sometime store clothes. No one ain't see papa,
but dere it is. One time he brung us dresses, and Uncle Big Jake heered
'bout it and he sho' mad 'cause he can't cotch papa, and he say to mama
he gwine to whip her 'less she tell him where papa is. Mama say, 'Fore
God, Uncle Jake, I don't know, 'cause I ain't seed him since he run
'way,' and jus' den papa come 'round de corner of de house. He save mama
from de whippin' but papa got de hot grease drapped on him like I told
you Uncle Big Jake did, and got put in de stockhouse with shackles on
him, and kep' dere three days, and while he in dere mama has de goin'
down pains and my sister, Rachel, is born.

"When freedom come, I didn't know what dat was. I 'lect Uncle Charley
Burns what drive de buggy for Massa Charles, come runnin' out in de yard
and holler, 'Everybody free, everybody free,' and purty soon sojers
comes and de captain reads a 'mation. And, Law me, dat one time Massa
Charley can't open he mouth, 'cause de captain tell him to shut up, dat
he'd do de talkin'. Den de captain say, 'I come to tell you de slaves is
free and you don't have to call nobody master no more.' Well, us jus'
mill 'round like cattle do. Massa Charley say iffen us wants to stay
he'll pay us, all 'cepting my p