Atter he done sold her, every time he got to town she beg 'im to buy her
back! But he didn' pay her no more 'tention. When they had sales of
slaves on the plantations they let everybody know what time the sale
gwine to be. When the crowd git togedder they put the niggers on the
block and sell 'em. Leas'wise, they call it 'puttin' on the block'--they
jus' fotch 'em out and show 'em and sell 'em.

"They waren't no church for niggers on our plantation and we went to
white folkses church and listened to the white preachers. We set behind
a partition. Sometimes on a plantation a nigger claim he done been
called to preach and effen he kin git his marster's cawn-sent he kin
preach round under trees and in cabins when t'aint wuk time. These
nigger preachers in slavery time was called 'chairbackers.' They waren't
no chairbackers 'lowed to baptize none of Marster's niggers. White
preachers done our baptizin' in Long Crick. When we went to be baptized
they allus sang, 'Amazing Grace! How sweet the sound!'"

The old negro's quavery voice rose in the familiar song. For a moment he
sat thinking of those long-ago Sundays. His eyes brightened again, and
he went on:

"We never done no wuk on Sundays on our plantation. The church was 'bout
nine miles from the plantation and we all walked there. Anybody too old
and feeble to walk the nine miles jus' stayed home, kazen Marster didn't
'low his mules used none on Sunday. All along the way niggers from other
plantations 'ud jine us and sometimes befo' we git to the church house
they'd be forty or fifty slaves comin' along the road in a crowd!
Preaching generally lasted twel bout three o'clock. In summertime we had
dinner on the ground at the church. Howsomever we didn' have no barbecue
like they does now. Everybody cooked enough on Sadday and fotched it in