im in de back from de woods, and he buried wid dat bullet in him up
yonder to de great house. Well, young massa, we comed one day into a
big riber, and dar we stopt one hole week, and de massa and some on de
ress on em got out and luck at de country, but dey not like him and we
started agin, and de nex day we gits into di Massasippi, and in two
days more we comed to de place dey called New Madrid, and here stopt
agin.

"De land was mity level and rich, and all de men said dey would stop
here and live. De people what lived here was Spanish, and some niggers
and Injuns, and dey talked a lingo we didn't know. Dere was a nigger
who could talk American, and he comed one night and tuck ole massa out
and telled him de Spaniards was gwine to rob dem all, and dat dey would
kill all on de white folks, and take all de niggers and stock, and dey
was gwine to do it de fus dark night. Dis larmed us all, and dat night
we slipt off, and when mornin comed we was way down de riber and gwine
ahead I tell you. We neber stopt any more till we got to de mouth of
Cole's Creek. Dare de fadder of Miss Alice's fadder stopt, and said he
would stay dare. Ole massa seed an Injun dat tole him ob dis place and
dey started true de cane, dey was gone long time, but when dey comed
back, ole massa got us all ready and away we went and neber stopt till
we comed to the mouth of St. Catharine's, right ober dar. Dar we landed
and unloaded de boats, and in a week we was all camped up dar whar de
big percan is, and right dar de ole man raise all his family--and dar
he and ole missus died.

"All dis country was full ob deer and Injuns, and dem hills yonder was
all covered wid big canes and de biggest trees you ebber seed. Yonder,
all round dat mound we cleaned a field and planted corn and indigo; and
ober yonder was another settlement; and yonder, down de creek was
another; and on de cliffs was another, and den dare comed a heap ob
people and stopt at Natchez and St. Catharine, and all us people a
most, young massa, about here is come ob dem; but dare was trouble moss
all de time twixt em.

"Ole massa was made de Governor, by somebody, and dare was another man
made a Governor, too, and he git a company one night and comed down
here; but somebody had tole old massa, and dat day he tell me, and we
went down to de riber under de cliff war was some cane and he tole me
he was gwine to stay dar, and I muss bring him sometin to eat ebery
day, but I musn't tell whar