nd
buries myself so deep de folks like to never found me. Dey hunted all
over de place befo' dey done found me. Us kids scart 'cause we done see
dem Yanks' bayonets and thunk dey was dere horns.

"Dem Yanks done take all de flour and meal and wheat and corn and smoked
meat. After dat master fixes up a place in de ceilin' to store stuff,
and a trap door so when it closed you couldn't tell its dere.

"I lives in and round de old place till 1910, den comes to Texas. I jist
works round and farms and gits by, but I ain't never done nothin' worth
tellin'.

420257

[Illustration: Nelsen Denson]

NELSEN DENSON, 90, was born near Hambirg, Arkansas, a slave of Jim
Nelson, who sold Nelsen and his family to Felix Grundy. Nelsen's
memory is poor, but he managed to recall a few incidents. He now
lives in Waco, Texas.

"I'll be ninety years old this December, (1937). I was born in Arkansas,
up in Ashley County, and it was the twenty-second day of December in
1847. My mammy was from Virginny and pappy was from old Kentucky, and I
was one of they eight chillen. Our owner, Marse Jim Densen, brung us to
Texas and settled near Marlin, but got in debt and sold as all to Marse
Felix Grundy, and he kep' us till freedom, and most of us worked for him
after that.

"Marse Jim Densen had a easy livin' in Arkansas, but folks everywhere
was comin' to Texas and he 'cides to throw in his fortunes. It wasn't so
long after that war with Mexico and folks come in a crowd to 'tect
theyselves 'gainst Indians and wild animals. The wolves was the worst to
smell cookin' and sneak into camp, but Indians come up and makes the
peace sign and has a pow wow with the white folks. Marse git beads or
cloth and trade for leather breeches and things.

"I want to tell how we crosses the Red River on de Red River Raft. Back
in them days the Red River was near closed up by dis timber raft and de
big boats couldn't git up de river at all. We gits a li'l boat, and a
Caddo Indian to guide us. Dis Red River raft dey say was centuries old.
De driftwood floatin' down de river stops in de still waters and makes a
bunch of trees and de dirt 'cumulates, and broomstraws and willows and
brush grows out dis rich dirt what cover de driftwood. Dis raft growed
'bout a mile a year and de oldes' timber rots and breaks away, but dis
not fast 'nough to keep de river clear. We found bee trees on de raft
and had honey.

"It was long time after us co