say, 'who you
is, who you is.' Dat's a great sign in a dove. Once people wouldn't kill
doves, ole marse sho would whip you if you did. Dove was furs' thing dat
bring something back to Noah when de flood done gone frum over de land.
When Freedom come, birds change song. One say, 'don't know what you
gwine to do now.' 'n other one low, 'take a lien, take a lien.' Niggers
live fat den wid bacon sides.

"Mr. Billy Thompson and Mr. Bill Harris' daddy give liens in dem days;
dese big mens den. Captain Foster clothed de niggers atter Freedom.

"Ole lady Abbie give us mush and milk fer breakfast. Shorts and seconds
was mixed wid de mush; no grease in de morning a-tall. Twelve o'clock
brung plenty cow-peas, meat, bread and water. At night us drunk milk and
et bread, black bread made frum de shorts. Jes' had meat at twelve
o'clock, 'course 'sharpers' 'ud eat meat when marster didn't know. Dey
go out and git 'em a hog frum a drove of seventy-five er a hund'ed; dat
one never be missed.

"I is awful to hunt; come to Union to sell my rabbits and 'possums. Mr.
Cohen dat run a brick yard, he buy some. Ole man Dunbar run'ed a market.
He was ole man den. He's de beef market man; he take all de rabbits and
sell 'em when I couldn't git a thing fer 'em. Ole lady living den, and
when I git home she low is I got any 'loady' (something to eat). I come
in wid beef and cow heads. Cow foots was de best meat. Dey throws all
sech as dat away now. Dere was allus a fuss in de house iffen I never
had no 'loady'. Somehow er another I was allus a family man and was
lucky to git in wid mens dat help me on. Never suffered wid help frum
dese kind men. Dat's de way I got along as well as I has. Ole Missus and
Marse learn't me to never tell a lie, and she teached me dat's de way to
git along well. I still follows dat.

"Up in age, I got in wid cap'n Perram (Mr. George Perrin). He was de
banker. He say 'bout me, 'what I likes 'bout Gus, he never tell a lie'.

"Befo' dat, I work fer Lawyer Monroe. He had a brother named Jim and one
named George, his name Bill. His sister named Miss Sally. Dar I farm fer
dem and work on half'uns. De Yankees camped on his place whar Mr. Gordon
Godshall now got a house. N'used to go dar mi'night ev'y night and ev'y
day. Dey had a pay day de furs' and de fifteenth of de month. Dey's
terrible fer 'engans' (onions) and eggs. Dey git five marbles and put
dem in a ring; put up fifty cents. Furs' man knocks out de middle-man
(mar