his slaves; but dat overseer, he would beat us down in a minute if us
didn't do to suit him. When dey give slaves tasks to do and dey warn't
done in a certain time, dat old overseer would whup 'em 'bout dat.
Marster never had to take none of his Niggers to court or put 'em in
jails neither; him and de overseer sot 'em right. Long as Miss Sallie
lived de carriage driver driv her and Marse Lewis around lots, but atter
she died dere warn't so much use of de carriage. He jus' driv for Marse
Lewis and piddled 'round de yard den.

"Some slaves larnt to read and write. If dey went to meetin' dey had to
go wid deir white folks 'cause dey didn't have no sep'rate churches for
de Niggers 'til atter de war. On our Marster's place, slaves didn't go
off to meetin' a t'all. Dey jus' went 'round to one another's houses and
sung songs. Some of 'em read de Bible by heart. Once I heared a man
preach what didn't know how to read one word in de Bible, and he didn't
even have no Bible yit.

"De fust baptizin' I ever seed was atter I was nigh 'bout grown. If a
slave from our place ever jined up wid a church 'fore de war was over, I
never heared tell nothin' 'bout it.

"Lordy, Miss! I didn't know nothin' 'bout what a funeral was dem days.
If a Nigger died dis mornin', dey sho' didn't waste no time a-puttin'
him right on down in de ground dat same day. Dem coffins never had no
shape to 'em; dey was jus' squar-aidged pine boxes. Now warn't dat
turrible?

"Slaves never went nowhar widout dem patterollers beatin' 'em up if dey
didn't have no pass.