in't we got house and rations there?

"How many chillun I got? Lemme see. Lemme see how many head of chillun.
You, Stella! Help me now! Don't let me tell the Missis wrong. Charles
Henry, thirty eight, dere in New York. Ben Horry--I gie' 'em directly!"
(Lifting cap and scratching high forehead and gray wool). "Twenty four.
I going to give you all I got! All I know about! Bill Horry, that's a
boy, he twenty. Dinah, that's a gal, twenty five. Christine, she bout
twenty. Mary Horry, I would say fifteen. When the last war come, the
last war deputize them boy and take 'em way up North and the gals
follow, trail 'em on to New York. That the war when you can't get no
sugar and have to put candy in your coffee.

"How old I is?" Slowly and deliberately "December 13th., 1852. Eighty
five years or more. When my mother dead to Brookgreen I would say I
'bout thirty three year old.

"After Freedom, from my behavior wid my former owner, I wuz pinted
(appointed) head man on Brookgreen Plantation. By that put drop in my
hand (getting the drop on others). When kennel been dug out (canal dug)
from the Oaks Plantation to Dr. Wardie Flagg house, I wuz pint
(appointed) head man. Take that down, Missis. Kennel (canal) cut 1877.
Near as I kin, I must task it on the kennel (canal) and turn in every
man's work to Big Boss. That kennel (canal) bigger than one Mr.
Huntingdon dig right now with machine.

"Missus, slavery time people done something."

Uncle Gabe Lance, born on Sandy Island the first year of the Civil War,
a visitor at Uncle Ben's: "Yes sir. All them rice field been nothing but
swamp. Slavery people cut kennel (canal) and dig ditch through the raw
swamp. All these fields been thick woods. Ditching man task was ten
compass."

Uncle Ben continues:

"Storm? Ain't I tell you I BEEN here? Yes, sir. More than one storm I
live through! Been through the Flagg storm. Been turn over twice outside
there in the sea. One time been have the seine. Been rough. Have
weather. And the breakers take the boat. I swim till I get the rope
hold. Two men on the shore have the rope end of the seine rope and I
hold to that and that how I save THAT time.

"Member another time. Had a boat full of people this last go 'round. Wuz
Miss Mary, he aunty and the lawyer. I take them fishing outside in
oshun. Been in the Inlet mouth. Come half way to Drunken Jack Island.
Breaker start to lick in the boat! I start to bail! Have a maters
(tomatoes) can for bail w