New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1875-06-06
Arter q while he tOle mist he must 60; he
K0nldn,t even wait till aha QQf anma Qna

AFTER while he tole mist he must 60; he
wouldn't even wait till she got some one
else.
Bob Barrett was de next man in charge:
he didn't fog SO much, but he fed de slaves
so poor dat de wind could have blOwed em
over. Two pounds of meat q week and q
pint of meat day, hdsks and all, and de
work powerful heavy, too. When he was
pushed for time he'd keep de hands on
workin' day an night, and de meat was
give raw, an no fire mos of de time to cook
it. Many would mix pone an put it down
to de fire to bake, and den be KEEP 80 hard
to work dat when dey came back dey'd
find de pOne all burned up; l have, many a
time. Oar was hard times down dar. Often
when night come, arter I'd had muffin to eat
all day, I'd be too tired, spite of de hunger
in my stomach, to go up to de house an git
piece from de ,Dist's table.
Bob Barrett was de man dat threatened
| to lick me. I'd got on pretty well all along
and never had thrasbDg sin ce grew up
and was powerful hand to work. so
kept along, and he got no chance to lick
| me; but he was hard on me, pllin' up my
| stent a little more chevy day, cause he
knowed l couldn't bar de shame of the
stick, and dat I'd work de nails off my
| fingers fust. Dem days is gone, but my
| flesh was wore away like an old hoe den,
and pears like ache in all my homes when
l member of 'eln. When Bob Barrett had
been on the plantation about six months, l
had a bad turn of cholera morbel. should
| ha' died Of it. eft it hadn't been for Luce,
! madam's maid. laid down under dc trees
| near the house. most ready to glib IN, but
| Luce seen me, and she mixed powerful
| doee OBJ campfire and bot water and
worked and worked till she got it down
me. 10 day or two l was back in de
field ag'in. but 'peared like my bones
was Timber, and j.! couldn't do my
stent nohow. Mass Bob Barrett he
came up TO me in de cotton field as mad
as fire. Now you Joe,: he says, don't you
show me none of yer shamming sick tricks;
yon pick your stent to day or you git lick
ing tonight, as sure S my names Bob Bar
rett." Den he rode Oft.
Well, / tried hard fur an hour, but
couldn't pick my stenu nohow. So den
made up my mind to put for de swamp. an
nebber pick no more. l knOwed he'd fog
me, and l couldn't stan it; I'd nebber tuck
a licking, and 'peared like it would break
my heart. S, give out / was mighty sick
in my insdes, and den l crep' under de
fence, an laid dar. like l was mos dead.
AFTER while, when l seed dey wasn't
'memberin' OF me, l creep away little by
little till got out OBJ sight, and den put
fur de swamp. l was alters q ighty good
hand to run, and swim. too. and fore
dey stopped work, or suspiciOned OBJ
me. l was fur enuff away. / knew
dc swamp well, an JUS how to 'scape
from de hounds; i heern 'em arter me,
soon arter shutdown, but my trail was
lost in de water, and dey couldn't kitch me.
l stood it pretty well dat night, and de mex |
hunger. De second l went up de swamp |
two miles or more beyond our plantation, |
and den hid in de woods: l couldn't find |
muffin to eat da, SO cluRl up tree to take |
. look roun' de country, and sure 'nutf l |
seen some of Mass Blackmore's plantation
hands (de plantation 'ioDgside of ours was
Mass Blackmore-) maxim fire, and work
in roun. By'mby dey fixed some pone and !
some meat, and put 'em down 'fere de fire
ter cook. You bet l was down dat ar tree
Quicker'n iightpin', as soon as dey wen.
back to work. grabbed all their victuals
an back to de swamp again, Tell you. dat
supper tasted fnst rate. and ! had enutf ter
last me two Or free days. De dogs was out
arter me agin dat night, and had to take
to de water. Dem nights was mighty hard.
had ter keep out in de ribber on an old tree
trunk, an' de alligators wasn't nice company.
/ made kind of harpoOsh of long stick
and stuck a knife into de end of it, to keep
'em off wild. 1t was hard work, though
was mighty smart hand at hittin' aliiga.
tors. When de daylight came got along
better. Eff | could get stones, | used ter
3
de best way ter kill 'em. But Lord dew
was too thick roun' dar fur me. A fellows
arms nd git wore out in a few hours a-keepin'
on 'em Off Daytimes l lay down under de
young undergrowths, poplars and willows
and SIGH. De tussuck was soft enuff; easy
runnin' on it fur me, cause l was bar
footed; it was chock full of snakes, but /
never minded OF 'em. l was more 'fraid OBJ
q white mans face dan all &c reptileses IN
de swamp. As soon as I'd eat up all l stole
begun ter cOntrive and watch how could
creep out OF de swamp and steal suffin.
was most starved fore got anudder chance.
had little tobacker in my pocket, and
chawed dat, and when dat give out found
an old dried uD grape vine, and | lived on
dried punches of grapes fur two days.
All dis time dey was a-huntin' of me, I'd
hear DC dogs bayiu' cherry night, and l
worked my way furder and furder up de
swamp Two nights arter l fust found de
grape vine, dey was nearer to me dan dew
eber was before, and l tuck to de water.
and swum long stretch. was mos wore
put when lighted on ole boat what was
eft, and clum inter dat and a STAYED
while. I'll nebber forgit de way de mus.
keets ut me dat night 1t was worse'n de
and fore daybreak swum ae'jn
n long stretch till come to little island
n the ribber. 1t had a kind of a sandy
beach, and l kivered myself all up with |
'and up ter my neck. l got real good !
'leep den, nobody ter 'stprb me, and good ,
rundown fore l woke up, ra, in hungry.
" Lord y says, out loud, "where will :
,et sufin to eat dis dayl' l ius' lifted mn
ny eyes den. and l see right hanein' down
'oer me some sycamore buds. l was under ,
sycamore tree dat was chock full of buds.
icy was sweet and good, too, and lived :
N water and dem buds till | stripped dat y
# tree bar S de palm of my hand Den l '
uck ter hangin' round on de edge OBJ de
'lantatione ag'in, ter see ct l could find '
nff1n to eat, and | had mighty good luck: :
lar was fine sheep, one Of ole mist's
heep, strayed away from de plantation.
knoWed de look OBJ him, and felt Ike !,
Ould sing fur joy when / knocked him !
n de head. got back to de swamp aq'in :
Win MIN mighty quick, and | didn't wait Z
ir IRE, De first meal l made of dat ar !,
aeep. 1 jus FLIP myself full as l could u
tick, and den l laid down 'lougside of Y
~ sheep. De mex day set to work to r
KIN him regular and l was workin' awav :,
Vhen L heerd a kind of soft stem. and :
wigs cracklin'. Lord dar was a painter
-loOkln' at me, all ready fur ter snrinu
me: My HAIR riz On my head. and
~ 1eeiln's change, but 1 frew down de
!eep ana tuck a step away, and he a
iun come arter Inc, and l felt some lief. :,
: :ee. tnck anudder step away and felt G
refer. BY dat time de painter had hold n
o Dc sheep, and l made tracks fur de -
1ooda l knowed he wouldn't put arter q
ie I'll he'd eat up my sheep. and den RIM "
y oestest tell you l was glad of a good ~
eliyful dat time. l wouldn't have stood de a
own and hldn' dat week eff I'd beenn On =
empty belly. got away from the =,
amer easy enntf de first day, but be was h
nd o ",.er 'ne ior Tree days and nights. n