rse Billy
sicked dem hounds on his heels and dey was sho' to ketch him and fetch
him back. Dey had to keep knives from Pappy or when dem dogs cotch him
he would jus' cut 'em up so dey would die. When dey got him back to de
house, dey would buckle him down over a barrel and larrup him wid a
plaited whup. 'Omans warn't whupped much. My grandpa York was so bad
'bout runnin' 'way Marse Billy made him wear long old horns. One Sunday
Marse Billy went by our church to see if all his Niggers was dar what
was sposen to be dar. And dere grandpa was a-sottin' wid dem horns on
his head. Marse Billy told him he could take de horns off his head
whilst he was in de meetin' house. At dat grandpa dropped dem horns, and
lit a rag to de woods and it tuk de dogs days to find him.

"If one slave kilt another, Marse Billy made de overseer tie dat dead
Nigger to de one what kilt him, and de killer had to drag de corpse
'round 'til he died too. De murderers never lived long a-draggin' dem
daid ones 'round. Dat jus' pyorely skeered 'em to death. Dere was a
guard house on de farm, whar de wust Niggers was kept, and while dey was
in dat guard house, dey warn't fed but once a day. It warn't nothin'
unusual for Marse Billy to sell slaves, but he never sold his best
Niggers. De ones he sold was allus dem he couldn't git no wuk out of.

"Not a Nigger could read or write on Marse Billy's plantation. Dey was
all too dumb to larn. Dere was a shackly sort of church house on our
plantation and on Sundays atter de Niggers had cleaned deyselfs up, if
dey told Marse Billy dey wanted to go to church, he sent 'em on. All I
knows 'bout baptizin's is dey jus' tuk 'em to de river and plunged 'em
in. Dey sung somepin' 'bout: 'Gwine to de River for to be Baptized.' Us
had prayer meetin's on Wednesday nights sometimes.

"Oh, Mussy! Don't ax me 'bout fun'rals. I got de misery in my laigs and
I feels too bad dis mornin' to let myself even think 'bout fun'rals.
Back den when slave folks died dey jus' put 'em in home-made pine
coffins what dey throwed in a wagon and tuk 'em to de graveyard. At dem
buryin's, dey used to sing:

'Am I born to die
To let dis body down.'

"None of our Niggers ever runned away to de North. Dey was too busy
runnin' off to de woods. Jus' to tell de truth dem Niggers on our place
was so dumb dey didn't even take in 'bout no North. Dey didn't even know
what de war was 'bout 'til it was all over. I don't know whar to start
'bout dem pat