Ex-~slave Stories	Page Two
(Texas)






de cookhouse by dc cooks for all us ni~ers and we~uns eats in de eatin‘ shed. De r~tions ein good, plain victuals and dere plenty of it and ‘bait twict a week clerc som~thin‘ for treat, Massa sho‘ ~m ‘tict~1ar ebout fe~din1, ‘specially :~~or de ~oung‘u-~ in de nursery. You see, dere am de nursery for sich what n~d~ ~re while dere mainmies ~m a-workin‘.

	“Massa feed plenty ~d him ‘mand plenty work. Det cause h~p of trouble on dat plantation, ‘cause whippin‘s ~gi~‘~n and h‘ird ones, too. Lots of times at dc end of de day I‘s so tired I‘s couldn‘t speak for to stop de mule, I jus‘ have to lean back on de lines,

	“Dis nigger never gite whupped ‘cept for dis, befo‘ I‘s a field. h~nd, Mpssa use me for huntin‘ and us~ m~ for de g~in rest. when hirn h~ve de long shot I bands over wid puts de hands on de ~i~es and cassa puts his ~.in on my back for to gît ct~ good aim, Yih~t hirn kills I runs and ~‘otches and. carries de ~me for him. I turns d~ squirrels for him and dat d.is~w~y: de squirrel allus go to udder side from dc hunter ~nd I walks ‚ round d~ tree and de squirrel see me and ~o to massa‘s side de tree and he gits de shot.

	“All dat not so bad, but when he shoots de thick in de water 9nd I has to fotch it out, dat give me de wori~srinent. De fust time he tells me to ~o in de pond I~s skeert, powe‘ful skeert. I t~ces off de shirt and pants but there I stander, I steps in de water, de~i b~ck ~ end ‘gain. ~assa am gittin‘ mad.. He say, ‘Swim in dere ~nd git dat duck.1 ‘Yes, sar, massa,‘ I says, but I won‘t go in. dat water till massa hit me some licks. I cou~ldn‘t never ~it use to bein‘ de water clog for de ducke,

	“De worst wh~~ppin‘ I seed. was give to Clarind.a. She hits massa