vessel en give dem something to
eat. Shut dem up en don' let dem get out. Some of dem jump over board en
try to get home, but dey couldn' swim en go down. Lots of dem still lost
down dere in de sea or I reckon dey still down dere cause dey ain' got
back yet. De peoples tell dem dey gwine bring dem to a place whe' dey
can live."

"I tellin you dat was a good place to live in slavery time. I didn' have
to do nothin but mind de sheep en de cows en de goats in dat day en
time. All de slaves dat was field hands, dey had to work mighty hard. De
overseer, he pretty rough sometimes. He tell dem what time to get up en
sound de horn for dat time. Had to go to work fore daybreak en if dey
didn' be dere on time en work like dey ought to, de overseer sho whip
dem. Tie de slaves clear de ground by dey thumbs wid nigger cord en make
dem tiptoe en draw it tight as could be. Pull clothes off dem fore dey
tie dem up. Dey didn' care nothin bout it. Let everybody look on at it.
I know when dey whip my mamma. Great God, in de mornin! Dey sho had
whippin posts en whippin houses too in dem days, but didn' have no jail.
I remember dey whipped dem by de gin house. De men folks was put to de
post what had holes bored in it whe' dey pull strings through to fasten
dem up in dere. Dey catch nigger wid book, dey ax you what dat you got
dere en whe' you get it from. Tell you bring it here en den dey carry
you to de whippin post for dat. No men folks whip me. Women folks whip
me wid four plaitted raw cowhide whip."

"Niggers went to white peoples church in dat day en time. Dr. Johnson
ride by himself en bought carriage for niggers to drive his girls dere
to Hopewell Church below Claussen. You know whe' dat is, don' you? Miss
Lizzie (Dr. Johnson's daughter) good teacher. She sent me to de gallery
en I recollect it well she told me one Sunday dat if I didn' change my
chat, dey were gwine to whip me. She say, 'You chillun go up in de
gallery en behave yourself. If you don', I gwine beat you Monday.' Dey
had catechism what dey teach you en she say, 'Charlie, who made you?' I
tell her papa made me. She ax me another time who made me en I tell her
de same thing another time. I thought I was right. I sho thought I was
right. She took de Bible en told me God made me. I sho thought papa made
me en I go home en tell papa Miss Lizzie say she gwine beat me Monday
mornin. He ax me what I been doin cuttin up in church. I say, 'I wasn'
doin nothin. She ax me who ma