befo' the war? To tell the troof, they didn't talk much like they does
now 'bout them sort of things. None of our niggers ever runned away and
we didn' know nuthin' 'bout no Norf twel long atter freedom come. We
visited round each other's cabins at night. I did hear tell 'bout the
patterollers. Folkses said effen they cotched niggers out at night they
'ud give 'em 'what Paddy give the drum'.

"Jus' befo' freedom comed 'bout 50 Yankee sojers come through our
plantation and told us that the bull-whups and cow-hides was all dead
and buried. Them sojers jus' passed on in a hurry and didn' stop for a
meal or vittles or nuffin'. We didn't talk much 'bout Mr. Abbieham
Lincum endurin' slavery time kazen we was skeered of him atter the war
got started. I don't know nothin' 'bout Mr. Jef'son Davis, I don't
remember ever hearin' 'bout him. I is heard about Mr. Booker Washin'ton
and they do say he runned a moughty good school for niggers.

"One mornin' Marster blowed the bugle his own self and called us all up
to the big 'ouse yard. He told us: 'You all jus' as free as I is. You
are free from under the taskmarster but you ain't free from labor. You
gotter labor and wuk hard effen you aims to live and eet and have
clothes to wear. You kin stay here and wuk for me, or you kin go
wharsomever you please.' He said he 'ud pay us what was right, and Lady,
hit's the troof, they didn't nary a nigger on our plantation leave our
marster then! I wukked on with Marster for 40 years atter the war!"

James had no fear of the Ku Klux.

"Right soon atter the war we saw plenty of Ku Kluxers but they never
bothered nobody on our plantation. They allus seemed to be havin' heaps
of fun. 'Course, they did have to straighten out some of them brash