Slave Narratives Vol. XIV | Page 2

knowin' as to how and when dem
things is gwine to come in your path right fo your very eyes; specially
when you is partakin' in some raal dark secret whar you is planned to
act raal sof' and quiet like all de way through.
"Dem things bees light on dark nights; de shines de'self jes like dese
'lectric lights does out dar in dat street ever' night, 'cept dey is a scaird
waary light dat dey shines wid. On light nights, I is seed dem look, furs
dark like a tree shad'er; den dey gits raal scairy white. T'aint no use fer
white folks to low dat it ain't no haints, an' grievements dat follows ye
all around, kaise I is done had to many 'spriences wid dem. Den dare is
dese young niggers what ain't fit to be called darkies, dat tries to ac'
eddicated, and says dat it ain't any spe'rits dat walks de earth. When dey
lows dat to me, I rolls my old eyes at dem an' axes dem how comes dey
runs so fas' through de woods at night. Yes sirree, dem fool niggers
sees dem jes as I does. Raaly de white folks doesn't have eyes fer sech
as we darkies does; but dey bees dare jes de same.
"Never mindin' all o' dat, we n'used to steal our hog ever' sa'day night
and take off to de gully whar us'd git him dressed and barbecued.
Niggers has de mos'es fun at a barbecue dat dare is to be had. As none
o' our gang didn't have no 'ligion, us never felt no scruples bout not
gettin de 'cue' ready fo' Sunday. Us'd git back to de big house along in
de evenin' o' Sunday. Den Marse, he come out in de yard an' low whar
wuz you niggers dis mornin'. How come de chilluns had to do de work
round here. Us would tell some lie bout gwine to a church 'siety meetin'.
But we got raal scairt and mose 'cided dat de best plan wuz to do away

wid de barbecue in de holler. Conjin 'Doc.' say dat he done put a spell
on ole Marse so dat he wuz 'blevin ev'y think dat us tole him bout
Sa'day night and Sunday morning. Dat give our minds 'lief; but it
turned out dat in a few weeks de Marse come out from under de spell.
Doc never even knowed nothin' bout it. Marse had done got to countin'
his hogs ever' week. When he cotch us, us wuz all punished wid a hard
long task. Dat cured me o' believing in any conjuring an' charmin' but I
still kno's dat dare is haints; kaise ever time you goes to dat gully at
night, up to dis very day, you ken hear hogs still gruntin' in it, but you
can't see nothing.
"After Marse Glenn tuck and died, all o' de white folks went off and lef'
de plantation. Some mo' folks dat wuz not o' quality, come to live dare
an' run de plantation. It wuz done freedom den. Wo'nt long fo dem
folks pull up and lef' raal onexpected like. I doesn't recollect what dey
went by, fat is done slipped my mind; but I must 'av knowed. But dey
lowed dat de house wuz to draffy and dat dey couldn't keep de smoke
in de chimney an' dat de doo's would not stay shet. Also dey lowed dat
folks prowled aroun' in de yard in de night time a keepin' dem awake.
"Den Marse Glenn's boys put Mammy in de house to keep it fer 'em.
But Lawd God! Mammy said dat de furs night she stayed dare de haints
nebber let her git not narr'y mite o' sleep. Us all had lowed dat wuz de
raal reason dem white folks lef out so fas'. When Mammy could not
live in dat big house whar she had stayed fer years, it won't no use fer
nobody else to try. Mammy low dat it de Marse a lookin' fer his money
what he done tuck and burried and de boys couldn't find no sign o' it.
Atter dat, de sons tuck an' tacked a sign on de front gate, offering
$200.00 to de man, white or black, dat would stay dar and fin' out whar
dat money wuz burried. Our preacher, the Rev. Wallace, lowed dat he
would stay dar and find out whar dat money wuz from de spirits. He
knowed dat dey wuz tryin to sho de spot what dat money wuz.
"He went to bed. A dog began running down dem steps; and a black cat
run across de room dat turned to white befo' it run into de wall. Den a
pair of white horses come down