~x,aslaye Stories	Page Three
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ti.ey waa 258 nigger. out of dira nigger yards in Meaphis what git. on dat boat. Dey puts de niggere upstairs and goes down de river far as Ticks~ b~rg, dat was d. place, and den us gita offen de boat end gits on de train ‘gain and d&t time we goes to New Orleans.

EI‘s satisfy den I los‘ sty people and ain‘t never goin~ to see

d6~ià no sore in~ dis world, end I aever did. Dey has three big trader yard in New Orleans and. X hear de traders sey dat town 25 aile squars. I ain‘t like it •O well, 1~3aUß5 I ain‘t like it ~bo~it dat big river, We hears some of ‚ e~ ee~ der. ‚ s gwineter throw a long war and us all think what dey buy us for if we‘s gwine to be sot free. Sœie was still buyin‘ niggers •very fall and us think it too fanny dey kep‘ on f ihm‘ up when dey gwineter be .~ptyin‘ out soon.

	~‚ Dey k~4Ye big sandbars and plaits fix ‚ roend de nigger yaHs end

dey have watebmane to keep dem fros rumiin ‚ way in de •w~p. SO~5 o!

de niggers &sy haYe jus‘ picked up on de road, di~ steals des. Dey calls

de~ S wagon toy‘ and wagon gal . ‚ D‘y has one b~ nulatto boy dey stole t long de road dat way and he massa find out ‚ bout hi~ end come and git him and tak~e hia ‚ war. And a wœan what was a aea~et er ‚ a ~an what biowed her seed her in d.e pen and. he done told her aasea and he come right down at~d git her. She sho‘ was proud to git out, She was stole frOId ‘lOfl~ de road, too. You sees, if dey could steal de nigger. and seU ‚~ for di good noney, dea traders co~u1d siaks plenty money dat way.

	“At 18$ ~ Col. ?ortesc~i., h. bt~‘ ~e and icep‘ ~e, Ha a fighter in de Mexican War and he come to ~iew Orleans to buy he slaves. He takes ~e

ttp de Bed Rivsr to Shreveport and den b7 di ~ to Liberty, ~ TSX&8.
—3I~