Ex~slave Stories	.	Page Four	38
(Texa5)





	‘1Fin‘ly dat new nigger gits Tom in de stomach with he knee and a lick side de jaw at de saine time and down go Tom and. de udder nigger jumps on him with both feets ‚ den straddle him and hits with right ‚ left ‚ right, left, right, side Tom‘s hew1.. Dere Toni lay, makin‘ no ~sistence, Everybody am saysin‘, ‘Tom have met he match, hirn am done,‘ Both wn bleedin‘ and ~rn awful sight. Well, dat new nigger ‘laxes for to git he wind ~nd den Toni, quick like de flash, flips him •ff and jump to he feet and beTh‘ dat new nigger could git to he feet, Tom kicks him in de stomach, ‘gain and. tgain. Dat nigger‘ s body start t o quaver and he massa say, ‚ Dat ‚ nough. ~ Dat de clostest Tom ever come to gittin‘ whupped. what I‘s know of.

ttl becomes a ranaway nigger short time after dat fight. Pc war am

started den for ‘bout a year, or somethin‘ like dat, ~nd de Fed‘rals am north of us. I hears de niggers talk ~ it, and tbout mnnin‘ ‘way to freedom. I thinks ant thinks tbout gittint freedom, 3nd l‘s swine ~n off. Den I thinks of de patter rollers and whRt happen if dey cotches inc off de place without de pass. Den I thinks of some joyment sich as de corn huskin‘
and de fights and. de ~ingint ~j I dontt know what to do,		I tells you. one
s	‘ but I can‘ t s Ing t t :

t, t De meoni ight ‚ a shinin‘ star,
De big owl hootin‘ j)~ de tree;
o, bye, my baby, ain‘t you gwineter sleep, A-.rockin on my knee?

“Bye, my honey baby, Asiuireekin‘ on my knee, Baby done gone te sleep, Owl hu~sh heotin‘ In de tree.

t, t She gone to sleep ‚ honey baby sleep,	.
&‚.rockin‘ on my~, a..rsckin‘ on my knee.‘