~L.slave Stories	Pa~2‘e P~e	39
(Texas)







tiNow, back to de freedom, One nicht ‘bout ten niggers ru.n

away. De next day we~ufls hears nothin‘, so I says to myself, ‘Dc patters ~ cotch dein. ‚ Den I makes up my mind to go ~d I leaves with de chunk of meat and cornbread and am on my way, half siceert to death. I she‘ has de eyes open and de ears forward, watchin‘ for de patters. I steps off de road

„	in de night) at sight of anything, and. in de day I ta3c~s to de woods. It takes me two days to make dat trip rm,nd jus‘ once de patters pass me by. I afli in de thicket watchin‘ dem and I‘s sho‘ dey gwine search dat thicket, ‘cause dey stops ~nd am ~ta~n‘ andlookin‘ my way. Dey stands dere for a 1i~l bit and. den one comes my way. Lawd A-mighty! Dat sho‘ look like de end, but dat man stop and den look and look. Den he pick up somethin‘ and goes back. It am a bottle and dey all takes de drink and rides on. l‘s sho1 in de swee.t and I don‘ttarry dere long.

	“De Yanks am caniped ziere Beilfound and dere‘s where I gits to. ‘M~gine my ‘sprise when I finds all de ten runaway niggers am dex‘e, too. Dat ~ on a Su.nday and on de Monday, de Yanks puts us on de freight train and we goes to Stevenson,in Alabama. Dere, mie pit to work buildin‘ breastworks. Thit after de few days, I gits sent to öe headquarters at Nashville, in Tennessee.

	“I‘ s water toter dere for de arn~r and dere am no fightin ‚ at first

‚~ but ‚ fore long dey starts de battle. Dat battle ~ ~im a ~ sperience for me.

~	De noise am awftü, jus‘ one steady roar of de gans and de cannons. De window

~	glass in Nashville am all shoke out from de shakement of de cannons. Dere anm

~	. dead mens • au over de ground and lot s of wounded and s orne cue sin ‚ afld some

.prayifl‘. Some ~m moanin‘ and. dis ax~d dat on&~ cry fr de water and,God &..mnighty,
-‘5..