s coming with me." And I do. He tried to
keep his slaves and just laugh when I tell him about the freedom. I
worked for food and quarters 'til his meanness come cropping out
again.

That wasn't long and he threatened me with the whip and the buck and
gag. The buck and gag was maybe worse. I got to feeling that iron
stick in my mouth, fastened around my head with chains, pressing hard
on my tongue. No drinking, no eating, no talking!

So I slip off again. That night I goes through Linden. Crawling on my
hands and knees! Keeping in the dark spots, hiding from the whites,
'til I pass the last house, then my feets hurries me to Jefferson,
where I gets a ride to Arkansas.

In Russelville is where I stop. There I worked around in the yards,
cutting the grass, fancying the flower beds, and earned a little money
for clothes and eats, with some of it spent for good whiskey.

That was the reason I left Arkansas. Whiskey. The law got after me to
tell where was a man's whiskey still. I just leave so's I won't have
to tell.

But while I was making a little money in Russelville, I lose out on
some big money, account some white folks beat me to it.

I was out in the hills west of town, walking along the banks of a
little creek, when I heard a voice. Queer like. I called out who is
that talking and I hears it again.

"Go to the white oak tree and you will find Ninety Thousand Dollars!"
That's what I hear. I look around, nobody in sight, but I see the
tree. A big white oak tree standing taller than all the rest 'round
about.

Under the tree was a grave. An old grave. I scratch around but finds
no money and thinks of getting some help.

I done some work for a white man in town and told him about the voice.
He promised to go with me, but the next day he took two white mens and
dug around the tree. Then he says they was nothing to find.

To this day I know better. I know wherever they's a ghost, money is
around someplace! That's what the ghost comes back for.

Somebody dies and leaves buried money. The ghost watches over it 'til
it sees somebody it likes. Then ghost shows himself--lets know he's
around. Sometimes the ghost tells where is the money buried, like that
time at Russelville.

That ain't the only ghost I've seen or heard. I see one around the
yard where I is living now. A woman. Some of these times she'll tell
me where the buried money is.

Maybe the ghost woman thinks I is too old to dig. But I been a-digging
a