was believed would have prevented the Yankees invasion in regard
to their hide-out." We stayed een Greenville nearly four years. Durin'
dat time mossa planted his fa'm an' we wurk as if we wus right here.

"The Yankees had gunboats," he continued, "but dey didn' help dem atoll
fur dey couldn' make any a'tack dat dis place is so unsuited fur water
battles. But forest' battles wus fight on Beaufort Island and Port
Royale. We een Greenville didn' know enyt'ing 'bout whut wus goin' on
except what wus brought to us collud people by dose who wus sent to da
town. Mossa didn' tell us eny ting. Fur almos' four 'ears we stayed een
Greenville w'en suddenly one Chuesday mornin' bright an' early, Sheridan
came into Greenville on horse backs en' order ebery body to sarrendar.
Colonels an' Gen'rals came een de city widout de firin' of a gun. We
stayed dere 'til harvestin' time by de orders of Master Osland Bailey
who saw to it dat we wus given money as a share fur our wurk.

"Mossa's custom at de end of de week wus to give a dry peck o' corn
which you had to grin' on Sat'day ebenin' w'en his wurk wus done. Only
on Chris'mus he killed en give a piece o' meat. De driber did de
distribution o' de ration. All young men wus given four quarts o' corn
a week, while de grown men wus given six quarts. All of us could plant
as much lan' as we wuld fur our own use. We could raise fowls. My master
wus a gentleman, he treat all his slaves good. My fadder an' me wus his
favorite.

"Some o' de slaves had to wurk on Sunday to finish dere week's wurk. If
dey didn' de dribber who wus a Negro would give a lashin' varyin' frum
fifteen to twenty five chops. Only high-class massas had Negro
dribbters, de crackers had white overseers.

"Like odder slaves had to hide frum dere mastas to hab meetin', us could
hab ours any night we want to even widout his consent. When masta went
to town any o' his slaves could ax him to buy t'ings for dem een
Cha'leston. When Jews en peddlers came with clothes an' gunger to sell,
we as chillun would go to him an' ax fur money to buy whut we want.

"He had about four hund'ed acres of land which he divided in two half by
a fence. One 'ear he would plant one an' let de cattles pasture on de
oder. We could also raise hogs 'long wood his but had to change pasture
w'en he did. De people on his plantation didn' hab any need to steal
from him fur he didn' 'low us to want fur any thing.

"Dere wus three kinds of days wurk on de