nd
live in 'em. Sometimes they runned away on 'count of cruel treatment,
but most of the time they runned away kazen they jus' didn't want to
wuk, and wanted to laze around for a spell. The marsters allus put the
dogs atter 'em and git 'em back. They had black and brown dogs called
'nigger hounds' what waren't used for nothin' but to track down niggers.

"They waren't no such place as a jail whar we was. Effen a nigger done
sumpin' disorderly they jus' natcherly tuk a lash to 'im. I ain't never
seed no nigger in chains twel long atter freedom done come when I seed
'em on the chain gangs.

"The overseer woke us up at sunrise--leas'n they called it sunrise! We
would finish our vittles and be in the fields ready for wuk befo' we
seed any sun! We laid off wuk at sunset and they didn't drive us hard.
Leas'wise, they didn' on our plantation. I done heard they was moughty
hard on 'em on other plantations. My marster never did 'low his niggers
to wuk atter sundown. My employer, I means my marster, didn't have no
bell. He had 'em blow bugles to wake up his hands and to call 'em from
the fields. Sometimes the overseer blowed it. Mistess done larned the
cook to count the clock, but none of the rest of our niggers could count
the clock.

"I never knowed Marster to sell but one slave and he jus' had bought her
from the market at New Orleans. She say it lonesome off on the
plantation and axed Marster for to sell her to folkses livin' in town.
Atter he done sold her, every time he got to town she beg 'im to buy her
back! But he didn' pay her no more 'tention. When they had sales of
slaves on the plantations they let everybody know what time the sale
gwine to be. When the crowd git togedder they put the niggers on the
block and sell 'em. Leas'wise, they call it 'puttin' on the block'--they
jus' fotch 'em out and show 'em and sell 'em.

"They waren't no church for niggers on our plantation and we went to
white folkses church and listened to the white preachers. We set behind
a partition. Sometimes on a plantation a nigger claim he done been
called to preach and effen he kin git his marster's cawn-sent he kin
preach round under trees and in cabins when t'aint wuk time. These
nigger preachers in slavery time was called 'chairbackers.' They waren't
no chairbackers 'lowed to baptize none of Marster's niggers. White
preachers done our baptizin' in Long Crick. When we went to be baptized
they allus sang, 'Amazing Grace! How sweet the soun