de fireplace.

"We allus have plenty for to eat, plenty co'nmeal, 'lasses and heavy,
brown sugar. We gits flour bread once de week, but lots of butter and
milk. For de coffee, we roasts meal bran and for de tea, de sassafras.
Den we has veg'tables and fruit dat am raised on de place. De meat
mostly am de wil' game, deer and de turkey, but sometimes hawg meat.

"Massa have overseer and overlooker. De overseer am in charge of wo'k
and de overlooker am in charge of de cullud women. De overseer give all
de whippin's. Sometimes when de nigger gits late, 'stead of comin' home
and takin' de whippin' him goes to de caves of de river and stays and
jus' comes in night time for food. When dey do dat, de dawgs is put
after dem and den it am de fight 'tween de nigger and de dawg. Jus' once
a nigger kills de dawg with de knife, dat was close to freedom and it
come 'fore dey ketches him. When dey whips for runnin' off, de nigger am
tied down over a barrel and whipped ha'd, till dey draws blood,
sometimes.

"Dem fool niggers what sneak off without de pass, have two things for to
watch, one is not to be ketched by de overseer and de other am de
patter-rollers. De nigger sho' am skeert of de patters. One time my
pappy and my mammy goes out without de pass and de patters takes after
dem. I'se home, 'cause I's too young to be pesterin' roun'. I sees dem
comin,' and you couldn' catched dem with a jackrabbit. One time anoudder
nigger am runnin' from de patters and hides under de house. Dey fin' him
and make him come out. You's seen de dawg quaver when him's col'? Well,
dat nigger have de quaverment jus' like dat. De patters hits him five or
six licks and lets him go. Dat nigger have lots of power--him gits to de
quarters ahead of his shadow.

"Now, I tell 'bout some good times. We is 'lowed to have parties and de
dance and we has for music, sich as de banjo and de jew's harp and a
'cordian. Dey dance de promenade and de jeg. Sometimes day
have de jiggin' contest and two niggers puts a glass of water on dere
heads and den see who can dance de longes' without spillin' any water.
Den we has log-rollin'. Dere was two teams, 'bout three to de team, and
dey see which can roll de log de fastes'. Den sometimes a couple am
'lowed to git married and dere am extry fixed for supper. De couple
steps over de broom laid en de floor, dey's married den.

"Sometimes de overlooker don' let dem git married. I 'splains it dis
way. He am used for to father