de stuff he been taking
along, 'cause de wagons loaded too heavy for de mountains and he
figger he better have de money than some of de stuff, I reckon.

On de way north it was a funny country. We jest climb all day long
gitting up one side of one bunch of mountains, and all de nigger men
have to push on de wheels while de mules pull and den scotch de wheels
while de mules rest. Everybody but de whitefolks has to walk most de
time.

Down in de valleys it was warm like in Louisiana, but it seem lak de
sun aint so hot on de head, but it look lak every time night come it
ketch us up on top of one of dem mountains, and it almost as cold as
in de winter time!

All de niggers had shoes and plenty warm clothes and we wrop up at
night in everything we can git.

We git to Fort Scott again, and den de Yankee officers come and ask
all us niggers iffen we want to leave old Master and stay dar and
work, 'cause we all free now. Old Master say we can do what we please
about it.

A few of de niggers stay dar in Fort Scott, but most of us say we
gwine stay wid old Master, and we don't care iffen we is free or not.

When we git back to Monroe to de old place us niggers git a big
surprise. We didn't hear about it, but some old Master's kinfolks back
in Virginia done come out dar an fix de place up and kept it for him
while we in Colorado, and it look 'bout as good as when we left it.

He cut it up in chunks and put us niggers out on it on de halves, but
he had to sell part of it to git de money to git us mules and tools
and found to run on. Den after while he had to sell some more, and he
seem lak he git old mighty fast.

Young Master bin in de big battles in Virginia, and he git hit, and
den he git sick, and when he come home he jest lak a old man he was so
feeble.

About dat time they was a lot of people coming into dat country from
de North, and dey kept telling de niggers dat de thing for dem to do
was to be free, and come and go whar dey please.

Dey try to git de darkeys to go and vote but none us folks took much
stock by what dey say. Old Master tell us plenty time to mix in de
politics when de younguns git educated and know what to do.

Jest de same he never mind iffen we go to de dances and de singing and
sech. He allus lent us a wagon iffen we want to borry one to go in,
too.

Some de niggers what work for de white folks from de North act purty
uppity and big, and come pestering 'round de dance places and try to