received the new rules. The masters would say, "don't be running up here
telling me on the overseer." They had a bush harbor church and the white
preacher came to preach to black and white sometimes. They taught
obedience and the Golden Rules. No schools--Henry said since freedom the
white men had cheated him out of all he had ever made, with pen-and-ink.
He rather be whipped with a stick than a writing pen. He said Mr. and
Mrs. Williams were good people. Henry learned to knit his socks and
gloves at night watching the grown people. They made a certain number of
broches every night. He liked that.

Henry said Mr. Williams let him carry his gun hunting with him and
taught him how to shoot squirrels. They were plentiful. He had a lot of
dogs. The master went to the deer stand and Henry managed the twelve
hounds. He didn't like to fox hunt. About a hundred men and thirty dogs,
horns, etc. out for the chase. They came from Nashville and in the
country. A fox make three rounds from where he is jumped and then widens
out. They brought "fine whiskey" out on the chases.

When they had corn shuckings one Negro would sit on the fence and lead
the singing, the others shuck on each side. The master would pour out a
tin cup full of whiskey from a big jug for each corn shucker, and Mrs.
Williams would give each a square of gingerbread.

Mr. Williams set aside a certain number of acres of land every year to
be cleared, fenced and broke for cultivation by spring. Six or eight men
worked together. They used tong-hand sticks to carry the logs to the
piles where they were burning them. A saw was a side show, they used
mall, axe and wedge. After the log rolling there would be a big supper
and a good one. The visitors got what they wanted from the table first.
"That was manners."