SLAVE NARRATIVES - Library of Congress

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People talk bout dis garablin an drinkin bein a late thing — dem
1*1 ite fokes done hit way back yonder 90 years ergo, cause mah
ole boss gambled me off, ah clare he did. Gambled rae off one
Sunday mornin 1 . Ole Boss made whiskey jes like dey do tuhday*
Black preachers couldn* preach tuh us. Ole boss would
tie em tuh a tree an whoop em if dey caught us eben praying*
We had er big black washpot an de way we prayed we f d go out an
put our mouths to der groun an pray low an de sound wud go up
under de pot an ole boss couldn* hear us. De white preacher
would call us under a tree Sunday even in tuh preach tuh us* Dis
is whut his text would be: "Mind yo mistres&.* Den he would ceed
tuh preach ~~ *Don f t steal der potatoes; don f t lie bout nothin an
don* talk back tuh yo boss; ifn yo does yo'll be tied tuh a tree
an stripped neckid. When dey tell yuh tuh da somethin run an do
hit.* 1 Dat f s de kind uv gospel we got*
We cooked on fiuhplaces in er iron pot; cooked bread in a
ubben. We had ash cakes. We et purty good.
Ah didn go tuh school. Ah wuz awful sly. Ah wanted tuh
learn tuh read so ah hung eroun ole mistess when she wuz teaehin
huh chillun tuh read# Ah listened an when she put de book down
an went out ah got de book. Ah kep f hit up till ah learnt tuh
read# Ah been teaehin one Bible class in Curtis 42 years* Some
uv era dare ask me how ah learnt tuh wad so good an ah tole dem
dat a person dat couldn 1 learn tuh read in a hunnert years ought
tuh be daid*
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