was hungry. Then they'd whip us for lieing when we say we dont know
nothing about it. But it was easier to stand, when the stomach was
full."

"Now my father, he was a fighter. He was mean as a bear. He was so bad
to fight and so troublesome he was sold four times to my knowing and
maybe a heap more times. That's how come my name is Falls, even if
some does call me Robert Goforth. Niggers would change to the name of
their new marster, every time they was sold. And my father had a lot
of names, but kep the one of his marster when he got a good home. That
man was Harry Falls. He said he'd been trying to buy father for a long
time, because he was the best waggoner in all that country abouts. And
the man what sold him to Falls, his name was Collins, he told my
father, "You so mean, I got to sell you. You all time complaining
about you dont like your white folks. Tell me now who you wants to
live with. Just pick your man and I will go see him." Then my father
tells Collins, I want you to sell me to Marster Harry Falls. They made
the trade. I disremember what the money was, but it was big. Good
workers sold for $1,000 and $2,000. After that the white folks didn't
have no more trouble with my father. But he'd still fight. That man
would fight a she-bear and lick her every time."

"My mother was sold three times before I was born. The last time when
Old Goforth sold her, to the slave speculators,--you know every time
they needed money they would sell a slave,--and they was taking them,
driving them, just like a pack of mules, to the market from North
Carolina into South Carolina, she begun to have fits. You see they had
sold her away from her baby. And just like I tell you she begun having
fits. They got to the jail house where they was to stay that night,
and she took on so, Jim Slade and Press Worthy--them was the slave
speculators,--couldnt do nothing with her. Next morning one of them
took her back to Marse Goforth and told him, "Look here. We cant do
nothing with this woman. You got to take her and give us back our
money. And do it now,' they says. And they mean it too. So Old Marse
Goforth took my mother and give them back their money. After that none
of us was ever separated. We all lived, a brother and two sisters and
my mother, with the Goforths till freedom."

"And do you know, she never did get over having fits. She had them
every change of the moon, or leastways every other moon change. But
she kept on working.