"Through many dangers, toils an' snares,
I have already come.
I once was lost but now am found,
Was blind but now I see."

"I've knowed that song for a long time. I been a member of the church
for sixty year."

When asked about the war, Melvin became somewhat excited. He rose feebly
to his feet and clasped his walking stick as if it were a gun.

"I see'd the Yankee soldiers drill right thar in front of our house," he
said. "They'd be marchin' 'long this way (Melvin stumblingly took a few
steps across the porch) an' the cap'n say, 'Right' an' they turn back
this here way." Melvin retraced his steps to illustrate his words.
"Cap'n say, 'Aim' an' they aim." He lifted his stick and aimed. "Cap'n
say, 'Fire' an' they fire. I see'd 'em most ever' day. Ol' Marster was a
cap'n in our army. I hear big guns a-boomin' all a-time an' the sights I
did see! Streets jest runnin' with blood jest like it was water. Here
lay a man on this side with his legs shot off; on that thar side they
was a man with his arms shot off. Some of them never had no head. It was
a terrible sight. I wasn't scared 'cause I knowed they wouldn't hurt me.
Them Yankees never bothered nothin' we had. I hear some folks say that
they stole they vittles but they never bothered ours 'cause they had
plenty of they own. After the war Marster called us together an' say,
'You is free an' can go if you want to' an' I left, so that's all I
know."

A few days later a second visit was made to Melvin. This time he was on
the inside of his little cabin and was all alone. He came forward, a
broad smile on his face, when he heard familiar voices.

"I been thinkin' 'bout what I told you an' I b'lieve that's 'bout all I
'member," he said.

Then he was asked if he remembered any days when the slaves did not have
to work.

"Yes'm," was the reply. "We never worked on Christmas or the Fourth of
July. Marster always give us big sacks of fruit an' candy on Christmas
an' a barbecue the Fourth of July. We never worked none New Year's Day,
neither. We jest sot around an' et chicken, fish an' biscuit. Durin' the
week on Wednesday an' Thursday night we had dances an' then they was a
lot of fiddlin' an' banjo playin'. We was glad to see days when we never
had to work 'cause then we could sleep. It seem like the niggers had to
git up soon's they lay down. Marster was good to us but the overseer was
mean. He wan't no po' white trash; he was up-to-date but he like to bea