y, don't let 'em whup me. Massa, I won't go off any
more.' De patterrollers gives him a lick and Jack lets out a yell dat
sounds like a mule bray and twice as loud.

"Dere used to be a patterroller song what sent like dis:

"Up 'de hill and down de holler
White man cotch nigger by de collar
Dat nigger run and dat nigger flew,
Dat nigger tore he shirt in two.'

"Well, while dey's whuppin' dat nigger, Jack, he couldn't run and he
couldn't tear he shirt in two, but he holler till he tear he mouth in
two. Jack say he never go off without de pass 'gain and he kept he word,
too.

"De big doin's am on Christmas Day and de massa have present for each
cullud person. Dey am little things and I laughs when I thinks of them,
but de cullud folks sho' 'joy dem and it show massa's heart am right.
For de chillen it am candy and for de women, a pin or sich, and for de
men, a knife or sich. On dat day, preacherman Allen sho' have de full
heart, and he preach and preach.

"But de war starts and it not so happy on massa's place and 'fore long
he two sons goes to dat war. De massa show worryment 'cause dey fightin'
here and dere and den come de day when dey fight right nex' to de
massa's place. It am in de field next to we'uns and de two boys, young
Charley and he brother, Bob, am in de fight. It am for sev'ral days de
army am a-marchin' to de field and gittin' ready for de battle. Durin'
dat time, de two boys comes home for a spell every day. Early one
mornin' de shootin' starts and it am not much at first but it ain't long
till it am a steady thunder and it keep up all day.

"De missy am walkin' in de yard and den go in de house and out 'gain.
She am a-twistin' her hands and cryin'. She keeps sayin', 'Dey sho' gits
kilt, my poor babies.' De massa talk to her to quiet her. Dat help me,
too, 'cause I sho' skeert. Nobody do much work dat day, but stand round
with quiverments and when dey talk, dey voice quiver. Why, even de
buildin's quivered. Every once in de while, dere am an extry roar. Dat
de cannon and every time I heered it, I jumps. I's sent to git de eggs
and have 'bout five dozen in de basket, holdin' it in front of me with
my two hands. All a sudden, one of dem extry shoots comes and down dis
nigger kid go and my head hits into de basket. Dere I is, eggs oozin'
all round me and I so skeert and fussed up I jus' lays and kicks. I
wants to scream but I can't for de eggs in my mouth. To dis day I thinks
of dat battle ev