huntin' an' then we had possum an' squirrel to eat. Th'
possums was best of all."

Melvin was asked to tell something about his master's family.

"Old Marster was name Jim Farrell an' his wife was Miss Mary. They had
three chillun name Mary, Jim an' Martha. They live in a big white house
sot off from th' road 'bout two an' a half mile from Beaufort. Marster
was rich I reckon 'cause he had 'bout a sixteen horse farm an' a whole
hoodle of niggers. If you measured 'em it would a-been several cowpens
full. Heap of them niggers worked in Marster's house to wait on th'
white folks. They had a heap of comp'ny so they had to have a heap of
niggers. Marster was good to his niggers but he had a overseer that was
a mean man. He beat th' niggers so bad that Marster showed him th' road
an' told him to git. Then th' Boss an' his son looked after th' hands
theyselves 'till they could git another one. That overseer's name was
Jimmy.

"Ever' mornin' at four clock th' overseer blowed a conchshell an' all us
niggers knowed it was time to git up an' go to work. Sometimes he blowed
a bugle that'd wake up the nation. Ever'body worked from sunup 'till
sundown. If we didn't git up when we was s'posed to we got a beatin'.
Marster'd make 'em beat the part that couldn't be bought." Melvin
chuckled at his own sly way of saying that the slaves were whipped
through their clothes.

"In the summertime," he continued, "We wore shirts that come down to
here." Melvin measured to his ankle. "In the wintertime we wore heavy
jeans over them shirts an' brogan shoes. They made shoes on the
plantation but mine was store-bought. Marster give us all the vittles
an' clothes we needed. He was good to ever'body. I 'member all the po'
white trash that lived near us. Marster all time send 'em meat an' bread
an' help 'em with they crop. Some of 'em come from Goldsboro, North
Ca'lina to git a crop whar we lived. They was so sorry they couldn't git
no crop whar they come frum, so they moved near us. Sometimes they even
come to see the niggers an' et with us. We went to see them, too, but we
had more to eat than them. They was sorry folks."

After a pause, Melvin asked:

"Did you ever hear how the niggers was sold? They was put on a stage on
the courthouse square an' sold kinder like they was stock. The prettiest
one got the biggest bid. They said that they was a market in North
Ca'lina but I never see'd it. The ones I saw was jest sold like I told
you. Then they