the
cabins, to talk of the feast, while others would sing and dance. The
older slaves were not less happy, but would only say; "Ah! God has
blessed us in permitting us to see another feast day." The day before
the 4th was a busy one. The slaves worked with all their might. The
children who were large enough were engaged in bringing wood and bark to
the spot where the barbecue was to take place. They worked eagerly, all
day long; and, by the time the sun was setting, a huge pile of fuel was
beside the trench, ready for use in the morning. At an early hour of the
great day, the servants were up, and the men whom Boss had appointed to
look after the killing of the hogs and sheep were quickly at their work,
and, by the time they had the meat dressed and ready, most of the slaves
had arrived at the center of attraction. They gathered in groups,
talking, laughing, telling tales that they had from their grandfather,
or relating practical jokes that they had played or seen played by
others. These tales were received with peals of laughter. But however
much they seemed to enjoy these stories and social interchanges, they
never lost sight of the trench or the spot where the sweetmeats were to
be cooked.

The method of cooking the meat was to dig a trench in the ground about
six feet long and eighteen inches deep. This trench was filled with wood
and bark which was set on fire, and, when it was burned to a great bed
of coals, the hog was split through the back bone, and laid on poles
which had been placed across the trench. The sheep were treated in the
same way, and both were turned from side to side as they cooked. During
the process of roasting the cooks basted the carcasses with a
preparation furnished from the great house, consisting of butter,
pepper, salt and vinegar, and this was continued until the meat was
ready to serve. Not far from this trench were the iron ovens, where the
sweetmeats were cooked. Three or four women were assigned to this work.
Peach cobbler and apple dumpling were the two dishes that made old
slaves smile for joy and the young fairly dance. The crust or pastry of
the cobbler was prepared in large earthen bowls, then rolled out like
any pie crust, only it was almost twice as thick. A layer of this crust
was laid in the oven, then a half peck of peaches poured, in, followed
by a layer of sugar; then a covering of pastry was laid over all and
smoothed around with a knife. The oven was then put over a b