al and
vegetables and milk and 'lassas and meat. For mos' de meat dey kotched
hawgs in de Miss'sippi River bottoms. Once a week, we have white flour
biscuit.

"Some work was hard and some easy, but massa don' 'lieve in overworkin'
his slaves. Sat'day afternoon and Sunday, dere was no work. Some
whippin' done, but mos' reasonable. If de nigger stubborn, deys whips
'nough for to change his mind. If de nigger runs on, dat calls de good
whippin's. If any of de cullud folks has de misery, dey lets him res' in
bed and if de misery bad de massa call de doctor.

"I larnt to be coachman and drive for massa's family. But in de year of
1860, Missy Mary gits married to Bill Johnson and at dat weddin' massa
Homer gives me and 49 other niggers to her for de weddin' present. Massa
Johnson's father gives him 50 niggers too. Dey has a gran' weddin'. I
helps take care of de hosses and dey jus' kep' a-comin'. I 'spect dere
was more'n 100 peoples dere and dey have lots of music and dancin' and
eats and, I 'spects, drinks, 'cause we'uns made peach brandy. You see,
de massa had his own still.

"After de weddin' was over, dey gives de couple de infare. Dere's whar
dis nigger comes in. I and de other niggers was lined up, all with de
clean clothes on and den de massa say, 'For to give my lovin' daughter
de start, I gives you dese 50 niggers. Massa Bill's father done de same
for his son, and dere we'uns was, 100 niggers with a new massa.

"Dey loads 15 or 20 wagons and starts for Texas. We travels from
daylight to dark, with mos' de niggers walkin'. Of course, it was hard,
but we enjoys de trip. Dere was one nigger called Monk and him knows a
song and larned it to us, like this:

"'Walk, walk, you nigger, walk!
De road am dusty, de road am tough,
Dust in de eye, dust in de tuft;
Dust in de mouth, yous can't talk--
Walk, you niggers, don't you balk.

"'Walk, walk, you nigger walk!
De road am dusty, de road am rough.
Walk 'til we reach dere, walk or bust--
De road am long, we be dere by and by.'

Now, we'uns was a-follerin' behin' de wagons and we'uns sings it to de
slow steps of de ox. We'uns don't sing it many times 'til de missy come
and sit in de back of de wagon, facin' we'uns and she begin to beat de
slow time and sing wid we'uns. Dat please Missy Mary to sing with us and
she laugh and laugh.

"After 'bout two weeks we comes to de place near Caldwell, in Texas, and
dere was buildin's and land cleared, so we's