ers hyar an' I doan know how many
at de Edgecombe County place.

De wuck wus hard den, I knows case I'se seed my little mammy dig ditches
wid de best of 'em. I'se seed her split 350 rails a day many's de time.
Dat wus her po'tion you knows, an' de mens had ter split 500. I wus too
little ter do much but min' de chickens outen de gyarden, an' so I fared
better dan most of 'em. You see Miss Tempie 'ud see me out at de gate
mornin's as dey wus eatin' breakfas' on de ferander, an' she'ud call me
ter her an' give me butter toasted lightbread or biscuits. She'd give me
a heap in dat way, an' do de rest of de slaves got hungry, I doan think
dat I eber did. I know dat Miss Jenny Perry, on a neighborin'
plantation, 'ud give my mammy food, fer us chilluns.

Mo'nin's we sometimes ain't had nothin' ter eat. At dinner time de cook
at de big house cooked nuff turnip salet, beans, 'taters, er peas fer
all de han's an' long wid a little piece of meat an' a little hunk of
co'nbread de dinner wus sont ter de slaves out in de fiel' on a cart.

De slaves 'ud set roun' under de trees an' eat an' laugh an' talk till
de oberseer, Bob Gravie, yells at 'em ter git back ter wuck. Iffen dey
doan git back right den he starts ter frailin' lef' an' right.

Dar wus a few spirited slaves what won't be whupped an' my uncle wus
one. He wus finally sold fer dis.

Hit wus different wid my gran'mother do'. De oberseer tried ter whup her
an' he can't, so he hollers fer Mr. Jake. Mr. Jake comes an' he can't,
so he hauls off an' kicks granny, mashin' her stomick in. He has her
carried ter her cabin an' three days atterward she dies wid nothin' done
fer her an' nobody wid her.

Mr. Jake orders de coffinmaker ter make de pine box, an' den he fergits
hit. De slaves puts de coffin on de cyart hin' de two black hosses an'
wid six or maybe seben hundert niggers follerin' dey goes ter de Simms'
graveyard an' buries her. All de way ter de graveyard dey sings, 'Swing
Low Sweet Chariot,' 'De Promised Lan', 'De Road ter Jordan,' an' 'Ole
Time Religion.'

Hit's a good thing dat none of de white folkses ain't went to de
funerals case iffen dey had de niggers can't sing deir hymns. Does you
know dat dey warn't no 'ligion 'lowed on dat plantation. Ole lady Betsy
Holmes wus whupped time an' ag'in fer talkin' 'ligion er fer singin'
hymns. We sometimes had prayermeetin' anyhow in de cabins but we'd turn
down de big pot front o' de door ter ketch de noise.

Dey won't g