, or even smaller.
Dat's why us cullud folks don't know our kinfolks to dis day.

"De best times was when de corn shuckin' was at hand. Den you didn't
have to bother with no pass to leave de plantation, and de patter rolls
didn't bother you. If de patter rolls cotch you without de pass any
other time, you better wish you dead, 'cause you would have yourself
some trouble.

"But de corn shuckin', dat was de gran' times. All de marsters and dere
black boys from plantations from miles 'round would be dere. Den when we
got de corn pile high as dis house, de table was spread out under de
shade. All de boys dat 'long to old marster would take him on de
packsaddle 'round de house, den dey bring him to de table and sit by he
side; den all de boys dat 'long to Marster Bevan from another plantation
take him on de packsaddle 'round and 'round de house, allus singin' and
dancin', den dey puts him at de other side de table, and dey all do de
same till everybody at de table, den dey have de feast.

"To see de runaway slaves in de woods scared me to death. They'd try to
snatch you and hold you, so you couldn't go tell. Sometimes dey cotched
dem runaway niggers and dey be like wild animals and have to be tamed
over 'gain. Dere was a white man call Henderson had 60 bloodhounds and
rents 'em out to run slaves. I well rec'lect de hounds run through our
place one night, chasin' de slave what kilt his wife by runnin' de
harness needle through her heart. Dey cotch him and de patter rolls took
him to Henderson and hangs him.

"De patter rolls dey chases me plenty times, but I's lucky, 'cause dey
never cotched me. I slips off to see de gal on de nex' plantation and I
has no pass and they chases me and was I scairt! You should have seed me
run through dat bresh, 'cause I didn't dare go out on de road or de
path. It near tore de clothes off me, but I goes on and gits home and
slides under de house. But I'd go to see dat gal every time, patter
rolls or no patter rolls, and I gits trained so's I could run 'most as
fast as a rabbit.

"De white chillun larned us to read and write at night, but I never paid
much 'tention, but I kin read de testament now. Other times at night de
slaves gathers round de cabins in little bunches and talks till bedtime.
Sometimes we'd dance and someone would knock out time for us by snappin'
de fingers and slappin' de knee. We didn't have nothin' to make de music
on.

"We mos'ly lived on corn pone and salt bacon de