"on sat'day afternoon we was 'lowed to play, but i can't 'member none of de games. us jus' played lak all li'l niggers did den. at night time us jus' went to our cabins an' went to bed, 'caze we warn't 'lowed to do no singing. mos' of de singin' was done in de fiel's. "cornshuckin' time come when dey wanted to git de seed corn for plantin', an' us would commence de shuckin' when it commence rainin'. "you axed me 'bout funerals an' weddin's. us niggers nebber ma'ied an' don't 'member any big weddin's of de white folks. but dey buried folks den de same as dey does now, in a box. dey would bury de slaves same as dey done de white folks, but us didn't eben have no babtizin' on 'count of dat oberseer. he didn't lak for us to git no religion. cose all slaves didn't have hard treatment lak us did, 'caze dere oberseer an' marster warn't as mean as ourn. "no'm we didn't know nothin' 'bout no hoodoo stuff in dem days. dey only had homemade medicines, dat is unless dey got sho' nuff powerful sick an' den dey would go to see a doctor. us used bone-set tea made from a weed. lawd, it was bitterer dan quinine, an' it were good for de chills an' fever, an' it would purge you too. den us used life-everlastin' tea for fever, an' jerusalem brush-reed to get rid of worms.
United States