aves have books in slavery time. Mother
had a book she kep' hid. Dey would whup a slave if dey caught him wid a
book.

"Dere were between twenty-five and thirty slaves on de plantation but
dere wus no church. Dey would not allow us to have prayer meetings in
our houses, but we would gather late in de night and turn pots upside
down inside de door to kill de sound and sing and pray for freedom. No
one could hear unless dey eaves-drapped.

"The patteroller rode around to see after de slaves and whipped 'em
when dey caught' em away from home. I have seen slaves whipped. Dey
took them into the barn and corn crib and whipped 'em wid a leather
strap, called de cat-o'nine tails. Dey hit 'em ninety-nine licks
sometimes. Dey wouldn't allow 'em to call on de Lord when dey were
whippin' 'em, but dey let 'em say 'Oh! pray, Oh! pray, marster'. Dey
would say, 'Are you goin' to work? Are you goin' visitin' widout a
pass? Are you goin' to run away?' Dese is de things dey would ax him,
when dey wus whuppin' him.

"My old marster's brother John wus a slave speculator. I 'member seein'
him bringin' slaves in chains to de plantation when he wus carryin' 'em
to Richmond to put 'em on de auction block to be sold. Dey were
handcuffed wid a small chain to a large chain between 'em, two men side
by side; dere wus 'bout thirty in a drove. Dere wus 'bout three or four
white men on horses. Dey wus called slave drivers; some went before,
an' some behind. Dey carried pistols on dere sides. De distance wus so
fur, dey camped out at night. De slaves set by de fire, and slept on
dese trips wid de chains on 'em. Evertime de mens come to our house I
wus afraid my mother and father would be sold away from me. If a woman
wus a good breeder she sold high, sometimes bringin' five hundred to a
thousand dollars. De man who wus doin' de buyin' would inspect dem. Dey
would look in dere mouthes, and look 'em over just like buyin' hosses.
There were no jails on de plantation.

"Sometimes we went to the white folkses church. De preacher would tell
us to obey our missus and master. Dat's what de preacher tole us. Dey
would take us back home and give us plenty to eat after preachin' was
over, and tell us to do what de preacher said. Dey tasked us Saturday
mornings, and if we got it done we could go to de branch on a flat rock
and wash our clothes.

"Dey 'lowed my father to hunt wid a gun. He wus a good hunter an' he
brought a lot o' game to de plantation. Dey c