deep South Carolina two-three years befo', and
live all by hisself. De gal I was worrying about had come wid her old
pappy and mammy to pick cotton on de place, and dey was staying in one
of de cabins in the "settlement", but dey didn't live there all de
time.

I don't know whether I believed in conjure much or not in dem days,
but anyways I tried it that once and it stirred up sech a rumpus
everybody called me "Hand" after that until after I was married and
had a pack of children.

Old Bab Russ was coal black, and he could talk African or some other
unknown tongue, and all the young bucks and wenches was mortal 'fraid
of him!

Well sir, I took dat hand he made for me and set out to try it on dat
gal. She never had give me a friendly look even, and when I would
speak to her polite she just hang her head and say nothing!

We was all picking cotton, and I come along up behind her and decided
to use my "Hand." I had bought me a pint of whiskey to wet the hand
wid, but I was scared to take out of my pocket and let the other
niggers see it, so I jest set down in de cotton row and taken a big
mouthful. I figgered to hold it in my mouth until I catched up wid
that gal and then blow it on the hand jest before I tech her on the
arm and speak to her.

Well, I take me a big mouthful, but it was so hot and scaldy it jest
slip right on down my throat! Then I had to take another, and when I
was gitting up I kind of stumbled and it slip down, too!

Then I see all the others get way on ahead, and I took another big
mouthful--the last in the bottle--and drap the bottle under a big
stalk and start picking fast and holding the whiskey in my mouth this
time. I missed about half the cotton I guess, but at last I catch up
with de rest and git close up behind dat purty gal. Then I started to
speak to her, but forgot I had de whiskey in mouth and I lost most of
it down my neck and all over my chin, and then I strangled a little on
the rest, so as when I went to squirt it on de "hand" I didn't have
nothing left to squirt but a little spit.

That make me a little nervous right then, but anyways I step up behind
dat gal and lay my hand on her arm and speak polite and start to say
something, but I finish up what I start to say laying on my neck with
my nose shoved up under a cotton stalk about four rows away!

De way that gal lam me across the head was a caution! We was in new
ground, and she jest pick up a piece of old root and whopped