:Ex.~.s1ave Stories	Pige Four	r
~ (Pex~e)		J3






	%13~t de war starts and it not so }:i~ppy on massa‘s p1e~ce ~nd~ ‘fore long he two eons goes to dat war. De massa show worrnaent ‘cause dey fightin‘ here aM dere and den come de day when dey fight right nex‘ to d~e massa‘ s place. It am in de field next to we ‘uns and de two boys ‚ yatm‘g Char1e~r and. he brother, Bob, am in de fight. It ~m for ~ days de ai~y am am92‘chint to de field ~ñd gittin‘ ready for de battle. Dunn‘ dat time, de two boys comes home for a spell every d~y. Early one mornin‘ de shootin‘ starts and it am not much at first but lt am‘ t long t ill it am a steady thuiider and lt keep up all day.

	“De missy am walkin‘ in de yard and. den go in do hc~tise and out ‘gain. She am a-4wlst in‘ her h&nde zind cryin‘ . She keeps s ~yin‘ ‚ ‚ Dey sho‘ gits kilt, my poor b~bies. ‚ De massa talk to her to quiet her. Dat help me, too, 1ca~ise I sho‘ skeert. Nodoby do much work dat dey, but stand round with quiverments and when dey talk, dey voice quiver. V~hy, even de buildin‘s quivered. ~very once in de while, dere an an extry roar. Dat de cannon and every time I heered. it, I jumps. I ~ s sent to gi.t de eggs and have ‘bout five dozen in de basket, holdin‘ it in front of me with my two hands. All a sudden, one of dem extry shoots comes and down dis nigger kid go and my head hits into de basket~ Dore I t~, eggs oozi& all round me and I so skeert and fussed up I ju3‘ lays and kicks. I wants to scream but I cam‘t for de eggs In my mouth. To dis day I thinks of dat battle every time I eat s eggs.

	“De nex‘ d~y aster de battle am over ‚ mos ‚ us cullud folks goes to de field. Some of ~em buries de dead, and. I hears ‘em tell how in de low places de blood stend like water and de bodies all shoot to pieces.