rkin' in the salt pen an' w'en Mr. Winning
tell him he jus' laugh cus e know why ma did it.

Dere wus a fambly doctor on de plantation name James Hibbins. My eye use
to run water a lot an' he take out my eye an' couldn' put it back in,
dats why I am blin' now. He ax ma an' pa not to say anything 'bout it
cus he'd lost his job an' hab his license take 'way. So ma an' pa even
didn' say anything even to Mr. Winning as to the truth of my blin'ness.

I wus by the "nigger quarters" one day w'en Blake, the overseer start'
to lick a slave. She take the whip frum him an' close de door an' give
him a snake beatin'.

Our boss had 'bout shree hund'ed acres o' lan' an' ober a hund'ed
slaves. De overseer never wake de slaves. Dey could go in the fiel' any
time in the mornin' cus ebery body wus given their tas' work on Monday
Mornin'. No body neber work w'en it rain or cole. Nuttin' make Lias
Winning so mad as w'en one would steal; it make him morocious. Any one
he catch stealin' wus sure to git a good whippin'. He didn' like for any
one to fight eider.

Dey tell me dat w'en slaves wus shipped to New Orleans dey had to be
dress-up in nice clothes. My pa could read an' write cus he live' in the
city here. His missus teach him.

Isaac Wigfall run 'way an' went to Florida an' meet a white man on a
horse with a gun. He ax de man for a piece o' tobacco. The man give him
de gun to hole while he git the tobacco for him. Isaac take the gun an'
point it at the man an' ax 'im, "you know wha' in dis gun?" De man got
frighten' an' he tell de man "you better be gone or I'll empty it in
you." The man gone an' come back wood a group o' men an' houndogs. He'd
jus' make it to de river 'fore the dogs cetch him. He had a piece o'
light-wood knot an' ebery time a dog git near he hit um on de neck an'
kill' all o' them. The men went back to git more help an' dogs but w'en
dey git back Isaac wus gone.

Dere wus a collud church fifteen miles frum Mt. Pleasant w'ere we went
to service. De preacher wus name' John Henry Doe. I use to like to sing
dis song:

Run away, run away
Run away, run away
Sojus of the cross.

CHORUS

Hole on, hole on
Hole on, hole on
Hole on, hole on
Hole on, sojus of the cross.

Ma too use to sing dat song.

Dere use to be dances almos' ebery week an' the older boys an' gals walk
twelve miles dis to be dere. Some time there wus a tamborine beater,
some time dey use' ole wash tubs an' beat it wood sticks