oat to the shore and scattered bright things and trinkets on
the beach. The natives were curious. Grandmother said everybody made a
rush for them things soon as the boat left. The trinkets was fewer
than the peoples. Next day the white folks scatter some more. There
was another scramble. The natives was feeling less scared, and the
next day some of them walked up the gangplank to get things off the
plank and off the deck.
The deck was covered with things like they'd found on the beach.
Two-three hundred natives on the ship when they feel it move. They
rush to the side but the plank was gone. Just dropped in the water
when the ship moved away.
Folks on the beach started to crying and shouting. The ones on the
boat was wild with fear. Grandmother was one of them who got fooled,
and she say the last thing seen of that place was the natives running
up and down the beach waving their arms and shouting like they was
mad. The boat men come up from below where they had been hiding and
drive the slaves down in the bottom and keep them quiet with the whips
and clubs.
The slaves was landed at Charleston. The town folks was mighty mad
'cause the blacks was driven through the streets without any clothes,
and drove off the boat men after the slaves was sold on the market.
Most of that load was sold to the Brown plantation in Alabama.
Grandmother was one of the bunch.
The Browns taught them to work. Made clothes for them. For a long time
the natives didn't like the clothes and try to shake them off. There
was three Brown boys--John, Charley and Henry. Nephews of old Lady
Hyatt who was the real owner of the plantation, but the boys run the
place. The old lady she lived in the town. Come out in the spring and
fall to see how is the plantation doing.
She was a fine woman. The Brown boys and their wives was just as good.
Wouldn't let nobody mistreat the slaves. Whippings was few and nobody
get the whip 'less he need it bad. They teach the young ones how to
read and write; say it was good for the Negroes to know about such
things.
Sunday was a great day around the plantation. The fields was
forgotten, the light chores was hurried through and everybody got
ready for the church meeting.
It was out of the doors, in the yard fronting the big log where the
Browns all lived. Master John's wife would start the meeting with a
prayer and then would come the singing. The old timey songs.
The white folks on the next plantation woul
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