pay much mind
he am so happy ter git der chanct ter ketch de coon, but when he ketched
dat coon he couldn't turn loose, an' from de way he holler yo' would
s'pose dat he ain't neber wanted ter ketch a coon. When Joe Barbour wuz
buried hyar las' winter dem coon marks wuz still strong on his arms an'
han's an' dar wuz de long scar on his face.

I 'members onct a Yankee 'oman from New York looks at him an' nigh
'bout faints. 'I reckon', says she, dat am what de cruel slave owner or
driver done ter him'.

Yes mam, I knows when de Yankees comed ter Smithfield. Dey comed wid de
beatin' of drums an' de wavin' of flags. Dey says dat our governor wuz
hyar makin' a speech but he flewed 'fore dey got hyar. Anyhow, we libed
off from de main path of march, an' so we ain't been trouble so much
'cept by 'scootin' parties, as my ole missus call' em.

Dey am de darndest yo' eber seed, dey won't eat no hog meat 'cept hams
an' shoulders an' dey goes ter de smoke house an' gits 'em 'thout no
permission. Dey has what dey calls rammin' rods ter dere guns an' dey
knock de chickens in de haid wid dat. I hyard dem say dat dar warn't no
use wastin' powder on dem chickens.

Dey went ober de neighborhood stealin' an' killin' stock. I hyard 'bout
'em ketchin' a pig, cuttin' off his hams an' leave him dar alive. De
foun' all de things we done hid, not dat I thinks dat dey am witches,
but dat dey has a money rod, an' 'cides dat some of de slaves tol' 'em
whar marster had hid de things.

Yes 'um, I reckon I wuz glad ter git free, case I knows den dat I won't
wake up some mornin' ter fin' dat my mammy or some ob de rest of my
family am done sold. I left de day I hyard 'bout de surrender an' I
fared right good too, do' I knows dem what ain't farin' so well.

I ain't neber learn ter read an' write an' I knows now dat I neber
will. I can't eben write a letter ter Raleigh 'bout my ole man's
pension.

I 'members de days when mammy wored a blue hankerchief 'round her haid
an' cooked in de great house. She'd sometimes sneak me a cookie or a
cobbler an' fruits. She had her own little gyardin an' a few chickens
an' we w'oud ov been happy 'cept dat we wuz skeered o' bein' sold.

I'se glad dat slavery am ober, case now de nigger has got a chanct ter
live an' larn wid de whites. Dey won't neber be as good as de whites but
dey can larn ter live an' enjoy life more.

Speakin' 'bout de Ku Klux dey ain't do nothin' but scare me back in
'69, but iffen we had