cloth. Us wore de same clothes Sundays as evvyday,
only us was s'posed to put 'em on clean on Sunday mornin'. A colored man
named Clark Dogget made our shoes out of rough red leather what never
had been dyed or colored up none. Sometimes Manuel would have to help
him wid de shoemakin'.

"On Sundays Mammy would comb my hair and put a clean dress on me, and
den take me to de white folkses' church at Salem, whar dere was two rows
of benches in de back for slaves. Rev. Brantley Calloway was de pastor,
and Rev. Patrick Butler preached too.

"I never seed no baptizin's or fun'als in slavery days, but atter
anybody was buried Mammy tuk us to de graveyard and let us look at de
grave. Dey allus put a fence made wid pine poles 'round de grave. Some
few of de slaves might have read de Bible a little, but dar warn't none
what could write.

"I jined church 'cause I was converted and had done changed my way of
livin'. I think folkses ought to be 'ligious so dey can help others to
live lak de Bible says.

"Marse Jabe Smith was a good white man. He was a grand fiddler and he
used to call us to de big house at night to dance for him. I couldn't do
nothin' 'cept jump up and down and I sho' did git tired. Marse Jabe
warn't married. He raised his brother's chillun, but dey was all grown
when de war come on.

"I done clean forgot de name of Marster's overseer and I don't ricollec'
how many acres was in dat plantation, but it sho' was a big one. Dere
was 'bout 25 grown slaves, and a lot of Nigger chillun rompin' round. De
overseer got 'em up 'bout three 'clock and dey stayed in de field 'til
sundown 'fore dey started for de house.

"When dey got f'um de fields at night, de 'omans spun, mended, and knit,
and de mens wukked in deir gyardens and cotton patches. Winter nights
dey plaited baskets and made hoss collars. All de slaves knocked off at
twelve o'clock Sadday. Dere was allus somepin' to do on Sadday
night--frolics, dances, and sich lak. Dey picked de banjo and knocked on
tin pans for music to dance by. Sunday was a rest day. Slaves visited
each other or went to church if dey wanted to, but dey had to git a
pass.

"I seed dem patterollers on hosses jus' goin' it down de big road. I
seed 'em axin' Niggers dey met if dey had passes. Attar dey looked at de
passes, dey would let 'em go on. But if a slave was cotched widout no
pass dey would beat him mos' nigh to death. If us had patterollers to
keep Niggers f'um gallivantin' 'round