Wheeling times and advertiser. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1839-1849, 1843-05-03
M 1 y & Ell IAN EOUS.
NEG RIO FROLlCS IN SOU I'll
CAR LIMA

rs now travelling al the SoIth was pres
eat few days sine, ut corn shuckinc'
Oh plantation in b lruwen District.
Is. G. N thIS lscrlb,S the scsle in
letter To the EveIinr Post:
u II you mus, lear Of the corn stuck
nag. The one at which was presen:
was gwen on purpose, that might wit
ness the hum IrS OF the Carolina negroes
huge fire q: 'light-wool' was made
near the corn house. Light wood Is
the wood Of the long leaved pine, and is
SO called, not Lecause it is light, for il
IS almost the heaviest wood IN the world,
but because it gives more light ihan a
ny other fuel In clearing the lands.
the pines are grdled and suffered to
stand; the QUEER portion Of the wood de
Gays and falls Off, the inuer part, which
is saturated with turpentIIe, remains
upright Tor years, and constitutes the
planters provision Of fuel. When
supply is wanted, one OF these dead
trunks Is telled by an axe. The abund-
ance OF light-wOod is one of the boasts
OF South Carolina. Wherever you are,
IT yoa happen to be chilly, you may
have fire extempore; a bit Of hight
wood and coal give you a bright blaze
AMI strong heat in an instant. rhe
negroes make fires Of it in the fields
where they work; and when the mora
ings are wet and chilly, in the pens
where they are milking the cows. At
plantation where | passel FROSTY
night, saw fires in small inclosure,
aud was told by the lady o. the house
that she had ordered them 10 be made TO
warm The cattle.
The light wood fire was made, and the
negroes dropped in from the neighbor
Ing plantations, singing as they came
The driver Of the plantation, a coloIed
man, brought out baskets Of corn in the
husk, and piled it in a heap; and the ne.
groes began to strip the husks from the
ears, 5ing with great glee as they
worked, keeping time 10 the music, and
now and then throwing in Joke and an
extravagant burst Of laughter. The
songs were generally Of a comic charac-
ter; but one of them was set to sinpu
larly wild and plainiive air,which some
OF our musicians would do well to reduce
TO notation. These are the words:
Johnny come down de hollow.
Oh hollow!
Johnny come down de hollow.
Oh hollow!
De niger trader got me.
Oh hollow!
De Spectator bought me.
Oh hollow!
Pm sold for silver dollars.
Oh hollow!
Boys, go catch de pony.
Oh hollow!
Bring him round de corner.
Oh hollow!
I'm goin' away to Georgia.
Oh hollow
Boys, good bye forever!
Oh hollow!
The song of'Jenny gone away was
a.so given, and another called the mon.
Key song, probably Of African origin, in
which the principal singer personated a
monkey, and with oil sorts of ges:icula.
tions, and the other negroes borne part
In the chorus, dan, dan, who's de dad
oyE One oil the songs commonly sung
on these occasions, represents the vari.
Gus animals OF the woods, as belonging
TO some profession or trade For exam
Ple:-
DE cot is the boatman-
Inc cooter is the tcrrapine, and We
ry expert boa;man he is,
Oe COOler Is de Ooltman
John John Crow.
DE red bird de soger.
John John Crow.
DE mocking bird de lawyer.
John John Crow.
DE alligator sawyer.
John John Crow.
The alligator's back is furnished with
a toothed ridge, like the edge Of q saw.
which explains the last line.
When the work Of the evening was
over the negroes adjou rned to a spa.
clous kitchen. One Of them took his
place as musician, whstllng and Lcating
time with two sticks upon the hoor.-
Several OF the men came forward and
executed various dances, capering ,pran
cling and drumming with heel and toe
upon the floor, with astonishing agility
and perseverance, though al Of them
had performed their daily tasks and had
worked all the evening, and some had
walked from four 10 seven miles TO at.
tend the corn shocking. From the dan
ces tran sltion was made TO a mock
military parade, sort Of burlesque Of
our militia trainingS,in which the words
Of command and the evolutions were ex
trenely ludicrous. 1t became necessary
for the commander to make a speech
and cOnfesslng his incapaciiy for public
speaking, he called upon a huge black
man named Toby to address the compa.
ny ia his stead. Toby was a man Of