ck fuss wife wuz a Robert. Dey wuz sure wealthy
folks. One of 'em went off to sail. Bill F. Robert wuz his name. He had
so much money dat he say dat he goin' to de end of de world. He come
back an' he say he went so close hell de heat draw de pitch from de
vessel. But he lost his eyesight by it. Wa'n't (it was not) long after
he got back dat he went stone blind.

"My ole boss, preacher Joe Bostick wuz one of de best of men. He wuz
hard of hearin' like I is, an' a good ole man. But de ole lady, ole
"Miss Jenny", she wuz very rough. She hired all de overseers, and she do
all. If'n anybody try to go to de old man wid anyt'ing, she'd talk to
'em herself an' not let 'em see de old man.

"In slavery time de slaves wuz waked up every morning by de colored
over-driver blowin' a horn. Ole man Jake Chisolm wuz his name. Jes' at
daybreak, he'd put his horn through a crack in de upper part of de wall
to his house an' blow it through dat crack. Den de under-driver would go
out an' round 'em up. When dey done all dey day-work, dey come home an'
cook dey supper, an' wash up. Den dey blow de horn for 'em to go to bed.
Sometime dey have to out de fire an' finish dey supper in de dark. De
under-driver, he'd go out den and see who ain't go to bed. He wouldn't
say anyt'ing den; but next mornin' he'd report it to de overseer, an'
dem as hadn't gone to bed would be whipped.

"My mother used to tell me dat if any didn't do dey day's work, dey'd be
put in de stocks or de bill-bo. You know each wuz given a certain task
dat had to be finish dat day. Dat what dey call de day-work. When dey
put 'em in de stocks dey tie 'em hand and foot to a stick. Dey could lie
down wid dat. I hear of colored folks doin' dat now to dare chillun when
dey don't do. Now de bill-bo wuz a stabe (stave) drove in de ground, an'
dey tied dere hands and den dere feet to dat, standin' up. Dey'd work on
Saturday but dey wuz give Sundays. Rations wuz give out on Mondays.
Edmund Lawton went over to Louisiana to work on de Catherine Goride
place, but he come back, 'cause he say dey blow dey horn for work on
Sunday same as any other day, and he say he wa'n't goin' to work on no
Sunday. Dey didn't have a jail in dem times. Dey'd whip 'em, and dey'd
sell 'em. Every slave know what, 'I'll put you in my pocket, sir!' mean.

"De slaves would walk when dey'd go anywhere. If'n dey buy a bunch of
slaves in New Orleans, dey'd walk by night and day. I 'member when one
young girl come