them that was
talking about fighting, and he wouldn't go and fight. He been taught
that it was all right to have slaves and treat them like he want to,
but he been taught it was sinful to go fight and kill to keep them,
and he lived up to what he been taught.

They was some Choctaw people lived 'round there, and they flew up and
went right off to the War, and Mr. Trot Hand and Mr. Joe Brown that
had plantations on the big road towards Quitman both went off with
their grown boys right at the start, but old Master was a preacher and
he jest stayed out of it. I remember one day I was sent up to the Big
House and I heard old Master and some men out at the gate 'xpounding
about the War. Some of the men had on soldier clothes, and they acted
like they was mad. Somebody tell me later on that they was getting up
a home guard because the yankees done got down in Alabama not far
away, but old Master wouldn't go in with them.

Two, three days after that, it seems like, old Master come down to the
quarters and say git everything bundled up and in the wagons for a
long trip. The Negroes all come in and everybody pitch in to help pack
up the wagons. Then old Master look around and he can't find Andy.
Andy was one Negro that never did act like he been taught, and old
Master's patience about wore out with him anyways.

We all know that Andy done run off again, but we didn't know where to.
Leastwise all the Negroes tell old Master that. But old Master soon
show us we done the work and he done the thinking! He jest goes ahead
and keeps all the Negroes busy fixing up the wagons and bundling up
the stuff to travel, and keeps us all in his sight all the time, and
says nothing about Andy being gone.

Then that night he sends for a white man name Clements that got some
blood hounds, and him and Mr. Clements takes time about staying awake
and watching all the cabins to see nobody slips out of them. Everybody
was afraid to stick their head out.

Early next morning we has all the wagons ready to drive right off, and
old Master call Andy's brother up to him. He say, "You go down to that
spring and wait, and when Andy come down to the spring to fill that
cedar bucket you stole out'n the smokehouse for him to git water in
you tell him to come on in here. Tell him I know he is hiding out way
down the branch whar he can come up wading the water clean up to the
cornfield and the melon patch, so the hounds won't git his scent, but
I'm going to s