o holler and cry when dey come to de part of de
fun'ral whar dey sung: 'Hark F'um De Tomb, A Doleful Sound.'

"Dere was a heap of baptizin's dem days and I went to most all of 'em,
but I sho' warn't baptized 'til long atter I got grown, 'cause I was so
skeered of de water. I kin see dem folkses now, a-marchin' down to de
crick, back of de church, and all de can-i-dates dressed in de whites'
white clothes, what was de style den. Evvybody jined in de singin', and
de words was lak dis:

'Marchin' for de water
For to be baptized.
De Lord done lit de candle
On de other side
For to see his chilluns
When dey gits baptized.'

"Niggers on Marse Elbert's place never knowed nothin' 'bout no North; if
dey did dey wouldn't tell it to chilluns little as I was den. Dere was
some sort of uprisin' a good piece f'um Ruckersville, but I can't tell
you 'bout it 'cause I just heared de old folkses do a little talkin',
what warn't enough to larn de whole tale. Chillun back dar didn't jine
in de old folkses business lak dey does now.

"Sadday nights de young folkses picked de banjo, danced and cut de buck
'til long atter midnight, but Christmas times was when chilluns had deir
bestes' good times. Marse Elbert 'ranged to have hog killin' close
enough to Christmas so dere would be plenty of fresh meat, and dere was
heaps of good chickens, tukkeys, cake, candies, and just evvything good.
En durin' de Christmas, slaves visited 'roun' f'um house to house, but
New Year's Day was wuk time again, and dere was allus plenty to do on
dat plantation. Most all de Niggers loved to go to dem cornshuckin's,
'cause atter de corn was all shucked dey give 'em big suppers and let
'em dance. De cotton pickin's was on nights when de moon was extra
bright 'cause dey couldn't do much lightin' up a big cotton field wid
torches lak dey did de places where dey had de cornshuckin's. Atter
cornshuckin's, dey mought be dancin' by de light of torches, but us
danced in de moonlight when de cotton was picked and de prize done been
give out to de slave what picked de most. Logrollin's was de most fun of
all. De men and 'omans would roll dem logs and sing and dey give 'em
plenty of good eats, and whiskey by de kegs, at logrollin's. De
Marsters, dey planned de cornshuckin's, and cotton pickin's, and
logrollin's and pervided de eats and liquor, but de quiltin' parties
b'longed to de slaves. Dey 'ranged 'em deir own selfs and done deir own
'vitin' and fixed up