Marster bought
dem from sum-whar, but I wus borned right dar, me en Delia en all de res
er de chillun.

"Cap'n, wud ye lak fer me ter tell ye bout dat time dat me en Delia wuz
stole? Well, we sho wux stole. De Speckle-ladies (speculators or
traders) stole us er way frum Old Marster when us wus chillun, bout
twelve er thirteen year old. Hit happened in de night, when dar warnt
nobody dar in de quarters but de wimmin. Old Marster en all de men wus
down on de ribber dat night, er floatin logs er cuttin timber er sum
sich wuk es dat, when dese hear folks cum er stealin chillun. Delia en
me wus de fust ones dat dey grab en de onliest ones dat dey git frum Old
Marster, but dey sho got us. I 'members dat stealin good. Dem folks tuk
us off ter de woods whar dey tied us up ter er tree fer er whole night
en day, en tell us dat iffen we cry er holler dat dey gwine ter kills us
sho. Den dey cum en tuk us er way en ganged us up wid er lot mo nigger
boys en gals whut dey done stole sum whars else. Dey yoked us togedder
en walked us clean ter Georgia whar dey sole us. Dey sho pushed dem
chillun hard ober de rocks en de hard places till our feets wud bleed
frum de sores whar de rocks en de thorns scratch.

"Dey sole me en Delia ter er young white man en he wife whut ain't been
married long en ain't got no start er niggers yit. Us stayed dar fer mo
dan er year I rekkin, en dem wus good white folks en wus good ter us. De
Mis teach Delia ter be er house gal en de Marster teach me ter handle
stock en plow wid him eber day. Us wus skeered ter tell dem white folks
whut bought us whar us home wus en who us Marsters used ter be, kase we
skeered dat de speckle-ladies mout cum bak en steal us sum mo, en tek us
er way sum mo. I don't know how hit wus dat Old Marster Hodges Brown cum
ter fine out whar we wus, but he sho learnt er bout hit sum sich er way,
en one mornin early here cum Old Marster Hodges Brown wid two mo white
mens cumin atter me en Delia. Atter dey thru dentifyin us, Old Marster
tuk us on bak home wid him, en we sho wus glad ter go. Now Cap'n, dat is
de truf I am tellin you bout dat stealin, when me en Delia wus stole.

"My pappy wus named, Jake, en he wus de wagoner fer Marster till he
daid, den Marster tuk me en trained me fer de wagoner atter den. My
Marster warnt no big, rich man lak er heap er de white folks in dem
slabery times, yit en still, he sho hed er plenty er ebery-thing, en de
bes of all he fed he niggers good en w