is 'fected.' Dere
warn't nothin' wrong wid our haids--dat was jus' our way of lettin' our
overseer know us wanted some likker. Purty soon he would come 'round wid
a big horn of whiskey, and dat made de 'pore haid' well, but it warn't
long 'fore it got wuss again, and den us got another horn of whiskey.
When de corn was all shucked den us et all us could and, let me tell
you, dat was some good eatin's. Den us danced de rest of de night.

"Next day when us all felt so tired and bad, Marster he would tell us
'bout stayin' up all night, but Mist'ess tuk up for us, and dat tickled
Old Marster. He jus' laughed and said: 'Will you listen to dat 'oman?'
Den he would make some of us sing one of dem songs us had done been
singin' to dance by. It goes sort of lak dis: 'Turn your pardner 'round!
Steal 'round de corner, 'cause dem Johnson gals is hard to beat! Jus'
glance 'round and have a good time! Dem gals is hard to find!' Dat's
jus' 'bout all I can ricollect of it now.

"Us had big 'possum hunts, and us sho' cotched a heap of 'em. De gals
cooked 'em wid 'taters and dey jus' made your mouth water. I sho' wish I
had one now. Rabbits was good too. Marster didn't 'low no huntin' wid
guns, so us jus' took dogs when us went huntin'. Rabbits was kilt wid
sticks and rocks 'cept when a big snow come. Dey was easy to track to
dey beds den, and us could jus' reach in and pull 'em out. When us cotch
'nough of 'em, us had big rabbit suppers.

"De big war was 'bout over when dem yankees come by our place and jus'
went through evvything. Dey called all de slaves together and told 'em
dey was free and didn't b'long to nobody no more, and said de slaves
could take all dey wanted from de smokehouses and barns and de big
house, and could go when and whar dey wanted to go. Dey tried to hand us
out all de meat and hams, but us told 'em us warn't hongry, 'cause
Marster had allus done give us all us wanted. When dey couldn't make
none of us take nothin', dey said it was de strangest thing dey had done
ever seed, and dat dat man Echols must have sho' been good to his
Niggers.

"When dem yankees had done gone off Marster come out to our place. He
blowed de bugle to call us all up to de house. He couldn't hardly talk,
'cause somebody had done told him dat dem yankees couldn't talk his
Niggers into stealin' nothin'. Marster said he never knowed 'fore how
good us loved him. He told us he had done tried to be good to us and had
done de best he could f