ll come in from de field in de evening, and he call all de
niggers up to let de folks see 'em.

He make grandmammy and mammy and me stand to one side and den he say
to the other niggers, "Dese niggers belong to my wife but you belong
to me, and I'm de only one you is to call Master.

"Dis is Tom, and Bryan, and Bob, and Miss Betty, and you is to call
'em dat, and don't you ever call one of 'em Young Master or Young
Mistress, cuss fire to your black hearts!" All de other white folks
look kind of funny, and old Mistress look 'shamed of old Master.

My own pappy was in dat bunch, too. His name was Frank, and after de
War he took de name of Frank Henderson, 'cause he was born under dat
name, but I allus went by Jones, de name I was born under.

Long about de middle of de War, after old Master was killed, de
soldiers begin coming 'round de place and camping. Dey was Southern
soldiers and dey say dey have to take de mules and most de corn to git
along on. Jest go in de barns and cribs and take anything dey want,
and us niggers didn't have no sweet 'taters nor Irish 'taters to eat
on when dey gone neither.

One bunch come and stay in de woods across de road from de overseer's
house, and dey was all on hosses. Dey lead de hosses down to Bois d'
Arc Creek every morning at daylight and late every evening to git
water. When we going to de field and when we coming in we allus see
dem leading big bunches of hosses.

Dey bugle go jest 'bout de time our old horn blow in de morning and
when we come in dey eating supper, and we smell it and sho' git
hungry!

Before old Master died he sold off a whole lot of hosses and cattle,
and some niggers too. He had de sales on de plantation, and white men
from around dar come to bid, and some traders come. He had a big stump
whar he made de niggers stand while dey was being sold, and de men and
boys had to strip off to de waist to show dey muscle and iffen dey had
any scars or hurt places, but de women and gals didn't have to strip
to de waist.

De white men come up and look in de slave's mouth jest lak he was a
mule or a hoss.

After old Master go, de overseer hold one sale, but mostly he jest
trade wid de traders what come by. He make de niggers git on de stump,
through. De traders all had big bunches of slaves and dey have 'em all
strung out in a line going down de road. Some had wagons and de
chillun could ride, but not many. Dey didn't chain or tie 'em 'cause
dey didn't have no pl