ib us no pass hardly, an' iffen we runs 'way de patterollers
will git us. Dey did let us have some dances do' now an' den, but not
offen. Dey let us go possum huntin' too case dat wus gittin' something
ter eat widout Mr. Jake payin' fer hit.

Mr. Henry, Mr. Jake's bruder an' his Uncle Moses uster come a-visitin'
ter de house fer de day. Mr. Henry wus little wid a short leg an' a long
one, an' he had de wust temper dat eber wus in de worl'; an' he loved
ter see slaves suffer, near 'bout much as he loved his brandy. We knowed
when we seed him comin' dat dar wus gwine ter be a whuppin' frolic 'fore
de day wus gone.

Dar wus three niggers, John Lane, Ananias Ruffin an' Dick Rogers what
got de blame fer eber'thing what happens on de place. Fer instance Mr.
Henry 'ud look in de hawg pen an' 'low dat hit 'peared dat he bruder's
stock wus growin' less all de time. Den Mr. Jake sez dat dey done been
stold.

'Why doan you punish dem thievin' niggers, Jake'?

Jake gits mad an' has dese three niggers brung out, deir shirts am
pulled off an' dey am staked down on deir stomichs, an' de oberseer gits
wored out, an' leavin' de niggers tied, dar in de sun, dey goes ter de
house ter git some brandy.

Dey more dey drinks from de white crock de better humor dey gits in. Dey
laughs an' talks an' atter awhile dey think o' de niggers, an' back dey
goes an' beats 'em some more. Dis usually lasts all de day, case hit am
fun ter dem.

Atter so long dey ketched Jack Ashe, a Free Issue, wid one of de pigs,
an' dey whups him twixt drinks all de day, an' at night dey carried him
ter de Raleigh jail. He wus convicted an' sent ter Bald Head Island ter
wuck on de breastworks durin' de war an' he ain't neber come back.

[HW: Asterisk in margin] Dar wus a man in Raleigh what had two blood
houn's an' he made his livin' by ketchin' runaway niggers. His name wus
Beaver an' he ain't missed but onct. Pat Norwood took a long grass sythe
when he runned away, an' as de fust dog come he clipped off its tail, de
second one he clipped off its ear an' dem dawgs ain't run him no more.

De war lasted a long time, an' hit wus a mess. Some of Marster Jake's
[HW: Asterisk] slaves lef' him an' when de Yankees got ter Raleigh dey
come an' tol' 'em 'bout de way Mr. Jake done. Well in a few days hyar
comes de Yankees a-ridin', an' dey sez dat dey had tentions o' hangin'
Mr. Jake on de big oak in de yard iffen he 'uv been dar, but he ain't.
He an' his family had flew