a Beaver have de choice name 'mong he
neighbors for bein' good to he niggers. No work on Sunday, no work on
Saturday evenin's. Dem times was for de cullud folks to do for
demselves. Massa Beaver have it fixed disaway, he 'low each family a
piece of groun' and dey can raise what dey likes.

"De rations am measure out and de massa allus 'low plenty of meat and we
has wheat flour. Mos' de niggers don't have wheat flour, but massa
raises de wheat and we gits it. We kin have 'lasses and brown sugar but
one thing we'uns has to watch am de waste, 'cause massa won't stand for
dat.

"De meat am cured with de hick'ry wood smoke and if you could git jus'
one taste dat ham and bacon you'd never eat none of this nowadays meat.
It sho' have a dif'rent taste.

"We makes de cloth and de wool and I could card and spin and weave 'fore
I's big 'nough to work in de field. My mammy larned me to help her. We
makes dye from de bark of walnut and de cherry and red oak trees, and
some from berries but what dey is I forgit. Iffen we'uns wants clay red,
we buries de cloth in red clay for a week and it takes on de color. Den
we soaks de cloth in cold salt water and it stays colored.

"Massa builded a log church house for we'uns cullud folks for to go to
God. Dat nigger named Allen Beaver am de preacherman and de leader in
all de parties, 'cause him can play de fiddle. No, Allen am not
educated, but can he preach a pow'ful sermon. O, Lawd! He am inspire
from de Lawd and he preached from his heartfelt.

"Dere am only one time dat a nigger gits whupped on dat plantation and
dat am not given by massa but by dem patterrollers. Massa don't
gin'rally 'low dem patterrollers whup on his place, and all de niggers
from round dere allus run from de patterrollers onto massa's land and
den dey safe. But in dis 'ticlar case, massa make de 'ception.

"'Twas nigger Jack what dey chases home and he gits under de cabin and
'fused to come out. Massa say, 'In dis case I gwine make 'ception,
'cause dat Jack he am too unreas'able. He allus chasin' after some
nigger wench and not satisfied with de pass I give. Give him 25 lashes
but don't draw de blood or leave de marks.'

"Well, sar, it am de great sight to see Jack git dat whuppin'. Him am
skeert, but dey ain't hurtin' him bad. Massa make him come out and dey
tie him to a post and he starts to bawl and beller befo' a lick am
struck. Say! Him beg like a good fellow. It am, 'Oh, massa, massa, Oh,
massa, have merc