16
j~x~slave Stories	Paie Three
(Paie Three)

Te~xas






	.~.. HI can‘t sine now froni ~.e time I lost my teeth with de B1~.ck John fever. Wnen I ~it dat fever, my Tfli~Sy told. me not to drink a mite of water ‘cept1n~ she told rr~e to. I ~1t so hot I jus‘ c~n‘t stand it ~nd done drinic a two-pint bucket of water, ~nd my t€eth drop right out,

	“Missy sho‘ good to me. Dey ‘bout 20 slaves but I stur in de

house all ~e time. Our house have two bi~ rooms ~nd a kitchen and. de boys and~ men h‘we rooms ~p~rt like little bitty houses on de outside. Then we don‘t have to green up, I ç~its up ‘bout sun-Sup to mt~ke coffée, but when we has to ~x‘een up de house ~r company I E~,ltS up earlier.

	“Missy Nancy used to wimp me if I done told a 11e, but I didn‘t ~it whu~pped often. She used to whup me with a cattle wimp made ~ut of C owhid~e.

	“S~)rne Of de slaves wore charms round d.e~r necks, little bacs of

asf~dc1ity. Me ‚ I ~ot me three vaccirtat ions ~ ~at ai]. I need.

	“~1e used. to ~it lots to eat, greens and suet, fish from de ribber, cornmeal and plenty of su~~ar, even in de war time. Soldiers was around. here ~ thick as• weeth~. V~e h~td to cive ‘em a tithe of corn and we makes clothes for ‘es, and. ban1a~es an~ light j~.ckets. We m~e de heavy leaded jackets, with lead. in de skirts of de coat to hold. it down. De lead looked like a marbi e and. *~ ~cut it in 1 on~ s t r Ip s • and h~nmer it d. own.

	t‘ One of dem Yank gunboats come up de river and shell around here~ Bj~ht here. Dem shells come whistlin‘ through de trees and. lop de limbs rij~t of~f. Dem were sho‘ scare times.

	HI &id~n‘t want to be free, I was too happy with missy. But I h~ to be free, jus‘ like de others.