Slave Narratives Vol. XIV. South Carolina, Part 2 | Page 6

I reckon dey would be workin just bout like dey is
now from sunrise in de mornin till sunset in de evenin."
"Yes, honey, I been come here under a blessin cause my white folks
never didn' let dey colored people suffer no time. Always when a
woman would get in de house, old Massa would let her leave off work
en stay dere to de house a month till she get mended in de body way.
Den she would have to carry de child to de big house en get back in de
field to work. Oh, dey had a old woman in de yard to de house to stay
dere en mind all de plantation chillun till night come, while dey parents
was workin. Dey would let de chillun go home wid dey mammy to
spend de night en den she would have to march dem right back to de
yard de next mornin. We didn' do nothin, but play bout de yard dere en
eat what de woman feed us. Yes'um, dey would carry us dere when de
women would be gwine to work. Be dere fore sunrise. Would give us
three meals a day cause de old woman always give us supper fore us
mammy come out de field dat evenin. Dem bigger ones, dey would
give dem clabber en boil peas en collards sometimes. Would give de
little babies boil pea soup en gruel en suck bottle. Yes, mam, de old
woman had to mind all de yearlin chillun en de babies, too. Dat all her
business was. I recollects her name, it been Lettie. Would string us
little wooden bowls on de floor in a long row en us would get down
dere en drink just like us was pigs. Oh, she would give us a iron spoon
to taste wid, but us wouldn' never want it. Oh, my Lord, I remember
just as good, when we would see dem bowls of hot ration, dis one en
dat one would holler, 'dat mine, dat mine.' Us would just squat dere en
blow en blow cause we wouldn' have no mind to drink it while it was
hot. Den we would want it to last a long time, too. My happy, I can see
myself settin dere now coolin dem vitals (victuals)."

"Like I speak to you, my white folks was blessed wid a heap of black
chillun, but den dere been a odd one in de crowd what wasn' noways
like dem others. All de other chillun was black skin wid dis here kinky
hair en she was yellow skin wid right straight hair. My Lord, old
Missus been mighty proud of her black chillun, but she sho been
touches bout dat yellow one. I remember, all us chillun was playin
round bout de step one day whe' Miss Ross was settin en she ax dat
yellow child, say, 'Who your papa?' De child never know no better en
she tell her right out exactly de one her mammy had tell her was her
papa. Lord, Miss Ross, she say, 'Well, get off my step. Get off en stay
off dere cause you don' noways belong to me.' De poor child, she cry en
she cry so hard till her mammy never know what to do. She take en
grease her en black her all over wid smut, but she couldn' never trouble
dat straight hair off her noway. Dat how-come dere so much different
classes today, I say. Yes, mam, dat whe' dat old stain come from."
"My mammy, she was de housewoman to de big house en she say dat
she would always try to mind her business en she never didn' get no
whippin much. Yes, mam, dey was mighty good to my mother, but dem
other what never do right, dey would carry dem to de cow pen en make
dem strip off dey frock bodies clean to de waist. Den dey would tie
dem down to a log en paddle dem wid a board. When dey would whip
de men, de boards would often times have nails in dem. Hear talk dey
would wash dem wid dey blood. Dat first hide dey had, white folks
would whip it off dem en den turn round en grease dem wid tallow en
make dem work right on. Always would inflict de punishment at
sunrise in de mornin fore dey would go to work. Den de women, dey
would force dem to drop dey body frock cross de shoulders so dey
could get to de naked skin en would have a strap to whip dem wid.
Wouldn' never use no board on de women. Oh, dey would have de lot
scatter bout full of dem what was to get whip on a mornin."