arried it to de
graveyard whar dey jus' had a burial dat day. Dey waited 'bout two
months sometimes before dey preached de fun'ral sermon. For the fun'ral
dey built a brush arbor in front of de white folkses church, and de
white preacher preached de fun'ral sermon, and white folkses would come
lissen to slave fun'rals. De song most sung at fun'rals wuz _Hark from
de Tomb_. De reason dey had slave fun'rals so long atter de burial wuz
to have 'em on Sunday or some other time when de crops had been laid by
so de other slaves could be on hand.

"When white folkses died deir fun'rals wuz preached before dey wuz
buried. Dat wuz de onliest diff'unce in de way dey buried de whites and
de Niggers. Warn't nobody embalmed dem days and de white folkses wuz
buried in a graveyard on de farm same as de Niggers wuz, and de same
oxcart took 'em all to de graveyard.

"Our Marster done de overseein' at his place hisself, and he never had
no hired overseer. Nobody never got a lickin' on our plantation lessen
dey needed it bad, but when Marster did whup 'em dey knowed dey had been
whupped. Dere warn't no fussin' and fightin' on our place and us all
knowed better'n to take what didn't b'long to us, 'cause Old Marster
sho' did git atter Niggers what stole. If one Nigger did kill another
Nigger, dey tuk him and locked him in da jailhouse for 30 days to make
his peace wid God. Evvy day de preacher would come read de Bible to him,
and when de 30 days wuz up, den dey would hang him by de neck 'til he
died. De man what done de hangin' read de Bible to de folkses what wuz
gathered 'round dar while de murderer wuz a-dyin'.

"Its de devil makes folkses do bad, and dey all better change and serve
God-a-Mighty, so as he kin save 'em before its too late. I b'lieve
folkses 'haved better dem days dan dey does now. Marstar made 'em be
good 'round his place.

"When us turned Marster's watch dogs loose at night, dey warn't nothin'
could come 'round dat place. Dey had to be kept chained up in de
daytime. Sometimes Marster let us take his dogs and go huntin' and dey
wuz de best 'possum trailers 'round dem parts. When dey barked up a
'simmon tree, us allus found a 'possum or two in dat tree. Sometimes
atter us cotched up lots of 'em, Marster let us have a 'possum supper.
Baked wid plenty of butter and 'tatoes and sprinkled over wid red
pepper, dey is mighty good eatments. My mouf's jus' a-waterin' 'cause
I'm thinkin' 'bout 'possums.

"Yes Ma'am, us had co