s:

'Oh, livin' man
Come view de ground
Whar you must shortly lay.'

"How in de name of de Lawd could slaves run away to de North wid dem
Nigger dogs on deir heels? I never knowed nary one to run away.
Patterollers never runned me none, but dey did git atter some of de
other slaves a whole lot. Marse Joe Allus had one pet slave what he sont
news by.

"When slaves come in f'um de fields at night, dey was glad to jus' go to
bed and rest deir bones. Dey stopped off f'um field wuk at dinner time
Saddays. Sadday nights us had stomp down good times pickin' de banjo,
blowin' on quills, drinkin' liquor, and dancin'. I was sho' one fast
Nigger den. Sunday was meetin' day for grown folks and gals. Boys
th'owed rocks and hunted birds' nests dat day.

"Chris'mas mornin's us chillun was up 'fore squirrels, lookin' up de
chimbly for Santa Claus. Dere was plenty to eat den--syrup, cake, and
evvything.

"New Year's Day de slaves all went back to wuk wid most of 'em clearin'
new ground dat day. Dere was allus plenty to do. De only other holidays
us had was when us was rained out or if sleet and snow drove us out of
de fields. Evvybody had a good time den a frolickin'. When us was
trackin' rabbits in de snow, it was heaps of fun.

"Marse Joe had piles and piles of corn lined up in a ring for de corn
shuckin's. De gen'ral pitched de songs and de Niggers would follow,
keepin' time a-singin' and shuckin' corn. Atter all de corn was shucked,
dey was give a big feast wid lots of whiskey to drink and de slaves was
'lowed to dance and frolic 'til mornin'.

"If a neighbor got behind in geth'rin' his cotton, Marse Joe sont his
slaves to help pick it out by moonlight. Times lak dem days, us ain't
never gwine see no more.

"I ain't never seed no sich time in my life as dey had when Marse Will
Glover married Miss Moorehead. She had on a white satin dress wid a veil
over her face, and I 'clare to goodness I never seed sich a pretty white
lady. Next day atter de weddin' day, Marse Will had de infare at his
house and I knows I ain't never been whar so much good to eat was sot
out in one place as dey had dat day. Dey even had dried cow, lak what
dey calls chipped beef now. Dat was somepin' brand new in de way of
eatin's den. I et so much I was skeered I warn't gwine to be able to go
'long back to Marse Joe's plantation wid de rest of 'em.

"Old Marster put evvy foot forward to take care of his slaves when dey
tuk sick, 'cause dey was