powerful high-up man in de army.

"Good Gracious! Dere didn't nary a Nigger go off from our place to de
North, 'cause us was skeered of dem Yankees. Dere was a white
slave-trader named McRaleigh what used to come to Old Marster's
plantation to buy up Niggers to take 'em to de Mississippi bottoms. When
us seed him comin' us lit out for de woods. He got Aunt Rachel; you
could hear her hollerin' a mile down de road.

"Oh! Good Lord! Dem patterollers was awful. Folkses what dey cotched
widout no paper, dey jus' plum wore out. Old man John was de fiddler on
our place, and when de patterollers cotched him dey beat him up de wust
of all, 'cause him and his fiddle was all de time drawin' Niggers out to
do dances.

"If Old Marster wanted to send a massage he sont Uncle Randall on a mule
named Jim. Sometimes dat old mule tuk a notion he didn't want to go; den
he wouldn't budge. I ricollects one time dey tuk a bundle of fodder and
tied it to Old Jim's tail, but still he wouldn't move. Old Marster kep'
a special man to fetch and carry mail for de plantation in a road cyart,
and nobody warn't 'lowed to go nigh dat cyart.

"When slaves got in from de fields at night dey cooked and et deir
supper and went to bed. Dey had done been wukin' since sunup. When dere
warn't so much to do in de fields, sometimes Old Marster let his Niggers
lay off from wuk atter dinner on Saddays. If de chinches was most eatin'
de Niggers up, now and den de 'omans was 'lowed to stay to de house to
scald evvything and clear 'em out, but de menfolkses had to go on to de
field. On Sadday nights de 'omans patched, washed, and cut off peaches
and apples to dry in fruit season. In de daytime dey had to cut off and