e number
piled in dere at night in de beds and on de floors. They was scandlous
beds; my God, just think of my grands, old as I is now, tryin' to sleep
on them hard beds and other folks piled 'scriminately all over de log
floors! My Gran'pappy Henry was de carpenter, and old marster tell him
'if you make your beds hard, Henry, 'member you folks got to sleep on
them.'

"I was just a little black feller, running 'round most of de time in my
shirt tail, but I recollect pickin' cotton, and piddling 'round de
woodpile, fetchin' in wood for white house and chips and kindling to
fresh up de fires. Us had plenty to eat, 'cause us killed thirty-five
hogs at a time, and de sausages and lights us did was a sight. Then de
lard us made, and de cracklin' bread, why, I hungers for de sight of
them things right now. Us niggers didn't get white flour bread, but de
cracklin' bread was called on our place, 'de sweet savor of life.'

"Money? Us had eyes to see and ears to hear, but us just hear 'bout it,
never even seen money.

"My marster had a fish pond, signs of it dere yet.

"My white folks attended church at Concord Presbyterian Church. Us went
dere too, and us set up in de gallery. Yes, they asked us. De preacher
asked us to jine in some of de hymns, especially 'De Dyin' Thief' and
'De Fountain Filled Wid Blood,' and dat one 'bout 'Mazing Grace How
Sweet de Sound Dat Save a Wretch Like us.'

"Our young Marster Charlie went off to de war, got killed at Second Bull
Run. Marster Watt went and got a leg shot off somewheres. Marster Jim
went and got killed, Johnnie too, Marster Robert was not old enough to
carry a gun.

"De young mistresses was Mary and Martha. Marster John, old mistress and
all of them mighty good to us, especially when Christmas come and then
at times of sickness. They send for de doctor and set up wid you, such
tendin' to make you love them. When de Yanks come us all plead for
Marster John and family, and de house not to be burnt. De house big, had
ten rooms, big plantation, run fifteen plows.

"You ask 'bout was dere any poor white folks 'round? Not many, but I
'members old Miss Sallie Carlisle weaved and teached de slaves how it
was done. Marster give her a house to live in, and a garden spot on de
place, good woman. She show me how to spin and make ball thread, little
as I was. Marster John had over fifty slaves, and they worked hard, sun
up to sun down. It's a wonder but I never got a whippin'.

"Did I ev