raise in de Territory. I don' 'member much 'bout
my folks, 'cause I stole from dem when I a real li'l feller. I's
a-fishin' in de Cherokee River and a man name Sanford Wooldrige come by.
You see, de white folks and de Indians have de fight 'bout dat day. I's
on de river and I heared yellin' and shootin' and folkses runnin' and I
slips into some bresh right near. Den come de white man and he say,
'Everybody kilt, nigger, and dem Indians gwine kill you iffen day cotch
you. Come with me and I ain't 'low dem hurt you.' So I goes with him.

"He brung me to Texas, but I don't know jus' where, 'cause I didn't know
nothin' 'bout dat place. Massa Sanford good to us, but look out for he
missus, she sho' tough on niggers. Dere 'bout 1,600 acres in de
plantation and de big house am nice. When de niggers wouldn't work dey
whup 'em. Us work all week and sometime Sunday, iffen de crops in a
rush. Massa not much on presents or money but us have warm clothes and
plenty to eat and de dry place to live, and dat more'n lots of niggers
has now.

"Sometime us have de corn huskin' and dere a dollar for de one what
shuck de mos' corn. Us have de big dance 'bout twict a year, on
Christmas and sometime in de summer. When de white folks have dere big
balls us niggers cook and watch dem dance. Us have fun den.

"I likes to think of dem times when us fish all de hot day or hunts or
jus' lazed 'round when de crops am laid by. I likes to shet de eyes and
be back in old times and hear 'em sing, "Swing, low, Sweet Chariot." I
can't sing, now you knows can't no old man sing what ain't got no teef
or hair. I used to like to swing dat 'Ginia Reel and I's spry and young
den.

"Dere's lots I can't 'member, 'cause my mem'ry done gone weak like de
res' of me, but I 'member when us free us throw de hats in de air and
holler. Old massa say, 'How you gwine eat and git clothes and sech?' Den
us sho' scairt and stays with us white folks long as us can. But 'bout a
year after dat I gits de job punchin' cattle on a ranch in South Texas.
I druv cattle into Kansas, over what de white folks calls de Chissum
Trail. I worked lots of cattle and is what dey call a top hand. I's
workin' for Massa Boyd den, and he gits me to drive some cattle to
Mexico. He say he ain't well no more and for me to sell de cattle and
send him de money and git de job down dere. I goes on down to Mexico and
do what he say. I marries a gal name Martina in 1869, down in Matamoras.
Us have four