e us back to
Opelousas and give us a place to stay and feed us. So after pickin' we
goes back and when we git there we sees where those rascal Yankees
'stroyed everything--houses burned, sugar kettles broke up. It looked
mighty bad.

"Massa Lewis hadn' no money, but he fixed us up a place to stay and give
us what he could to eat, but things was mighty hard for a while. I know
pappy used to catch rabbits and take them to town and sell them or trade
them for somethin' to eat, and you know that wasn't much, 'cause you
can't git much for a little ol' rabbit.

"Then the Provo' Marshal, that was his name, give us a order for things
to put in a crop with and to live till we made the crop. 'Course, I
guess we wasn' as bad off as some, 'cause white folks knew we was Massa
Lewis' folks and didn' bother us none.

Then I got married to John Bell, and it was a scripture weddin', too. He
died 28 years ago, but I has stayed married to him ever since. We had
thirteen chillen, but they is all dead now 'cept four, but they was
raised up right and they is mighty good to they ol' mammy.

420114

[Illustration: Edgar and Minerva Bendy]

EDGAR BENDY, 90 odd years, was the slave of Henry Bendy, of
Woodville, Texas, has to make an effort to remember and is forced
to seek aid from his wife, Minerva, at certain points in his story.
Edgar has lived in Woodville all his life.

"I's a good size' boy when de war gwine on and I seed de soldiers come
right here in Woodville. A big bunch of dem come through and dey have
cannons with dem. My marster he didn't go to war, 'cause he too old, I
guess.

"I's born right here and done live hereabouts every since. Old man Henry
Bendy, he my marster and he run de store here in Woodville and have de
farm, too. I didn't do nothin' 'cept nuss babies. I jes' jump dem up and
down and de old marster hire me out to nuss other white folks chillen,
big and little.

"My daddy name' Jack Crews and my mammy was Winnie. Both of dem worked
on de farm and I never seed dem much. I didn't have no house of my own,
'cause de marster, he give me de room in he house. He have lots of
slaves and 'bout 100 acres in cult'vation. He gave dem plenty to eat and
good homespun clothes to wear. He was mighty good.

"Marster have de plank house and all de things in it was home-made. De
cook was a old cullud woman and I eat at de kitchen table and have de
same what de white folks eats. Us has lots of