JAMES WEST                   1816-TEX/#365
     YES, SON, I 'MEMBERS DE SLAVERY DAYS AND DE WAR, 'CAUSE I'S BORN IN 1854, O
N DE PLANTATION OF MASSA WILLIAM WEST, IN MISSISSIPPI.  IT WEREN'T A BIG PLANTAT
ION, JUS' 'BOUT 100 ACRES, AND MASSA WEST OWNED MY MAMMY AND FOUR OTHER SLAVES,
BUCK, SAM, RUFUS, AND MARY.  I DON'T KNOW NOTHIN' 'BOUT MY PAPPY, 'CAUSE I AIN'T
 NEVER SEED HIM, AND MY MAMMY NEVER TOLD ME NOTHIN' OF HIM.
     ALL US CULLUD FOLKS LIVED IN CABINS AND THEY HAS TWO ROOMS.  DE BUNKS IS BU
ILT TO DE WALL AND HAS STRAW TICKS AND WE HAS FLOORS AND REAL WINDOWS.
     SAM AND BUCK AND RUFUS AM FIELD WORKERS AND PLANTS COTTON AND SICH AND LOOK
S ATTER DE STOCK.  SOMETIMES DE WORK IS HEAVY AND SOMETIMES NOT.  WHEN IT AM FIN
ISH, DE MASSA LETS 'EM GO FISHIN' OR VISITIN' OR REST.  WE GOES TO CHURCH WHEN W
E WANTS AND WE HAS PARTIES WITH SAM AND RUFUS TO PLAY DE MUSIC, DE FIDDLE AND DE
 BANJO.  HOW I WISHES I COULD BE BACK DERE FOR JUS' ONE YEAR AND HAVE IT LIKE BE
FO'.  JUS' ONE YEAR BEFO' I DIE]
     WE HAS A GOOD MASSA IN EVERY WAY.  HIM GIVES ALL WE CAN EAT.  FOLKS DON'T E
AT LIKE WE USED TO, 'CAUSE WE HAD HOME-CURED HAMS, AND WHEN YOU PUT IT IN YOUR M
OUTH, IT WAS A TREAT FOR YOUR TASTER.  AS FOR DE CLOTHES, MASSA SAY, "DE 'TERIAL
 HERE AND IF YOUS DON'T SUPPLY YOURSELVES, ITS YOUS FAULT."
     DERE NEVER ANYONE WHAT GITS WHIPPIN'S ON MASSA'S PLACE, 'CEPT DIS NIGGER, B
UT DEY ONLY SPANKIN'S.  YOU SEE, DERE WAS ALLUS A BIT OF DEVILMENT IN ME.  BUT D
E MASSA SO GOOD, WE ALL TRIES TO PLEASE HIM AND WE HAS NO WHIPPIN'S.
     DE MASSA GIVES ME A HE GOAT AND DE SHOEMAKER MAKES ME DE HARNESS AND CART F
OR DAT GOAT AND WHEN I GITS HIM TRAINED GOOD, I HAS A JOB GITTIN' DE CHIPS FOR K
INDLIN' AND DE WOOD AND I TOTES DE WATER.  ONE DAY I TAKES BILLY, DE GOAT, 'CROS
S DE ROAD FOR WOOD AND IT DOWNHILL FROM DE WOODPILE SO I JUS' RIDES DE LOAD.  BI
LLY WAS GWINE JUS' AS NICE AS YOUS KIN LIKE, BUT HIM SAYS BAAH, AND STARTS TO RU
N LIKE A SKEERT BULL.  I THINKS WHAT KIN BE WRONG WITH DAT FOOL GOAT, WHEN SOMET
HIN' HITS ME BACK OF DE NECK LIKE A COAL OF FIRE, AND DE CART HITS A ROCK AND OF
F I GOES.  TO SAYS I'S SKEERT AM NOT TELLIN' DE TRUF, AND I STARTS HOLLERIN'.  I
T WAS DE BEE STUNG ME AND WHEN I GITS TO DE HOUSE I LOOKS BILLY OVER AND, SHO' '
NOUGH, ON HIS HIP WAS DE BEE STING.  DAT BEE SHO' PUT DE LIFE IN BILLY.
     'BOUT DE WAR TIME, DE PLANTATION WAS NEAR WHAR DEY FIGHTS A BATTLE TWO DAYS
 AND I SEED LOTS OF SOLDIERS.  BEFORE DAT, DE SOLDIERS BEGINS TO COME TO MASSA'S
 HOUSE AND WATER DE HOSSES AND EAT DE LUNCH.  DEY NEVER DID RAID HIS PLACE LIKE
OTHER PLACES 'ROUND DERE, BUT I HIDES WHEN DEY COMES, 'CAUSE I SKEERT OF DEM.  I
 QUAVERS AND GITS SKEERT WHEN I SEES 'EM.
     WE JUS' SETTIN' DOWN TO BREAKFAST ONE MORNIN' AND WE HEARS A BIG BOOMIN'.
WHEN DAT START, DIS NIGGER DON'T EAT BREAKFAST.  I STARTS FSOR SOME PLACE TO HID
E.  I RUNS TO ONE PLACE, DEN I HEARS DE BOOM, DEN I RUNS TO ONOTHER PLACE.  I FI
NALLY CRAWLS UNDER DE SHED AND DERE I STAYS.  DEY COULDN'T GIT ME OUT AND DERE I
 STAYS FOR DAT DAY AND NIGHT AND 'TIL NOON DE NEX' DAY.  I HAS NO WATER OR FOOD.
  LOTS OF FOLKS FROM RIPLEY WHAT MASSA KNOWS WAS KILT IN DAT BATTLE.
     BUCK AND I GOES TO BE BATTLEGROUND AFTER DE FIGHTIN' QUITS AND DERE WAS HEA
PS OF DEAD HOSSES BUT DEY HAD DUG DE TRENCH AND BURIED DE DEAD SOLDIERS.
     I DON' KNOW ABOUT DE KLUX, BUT WE USE TO SING A SONG 'BOUT DE PATTEROLLERS.
     I STAYS WITH DE MASSA AFTER FREEDOM 'TIL I'S 21 YEAR OLD AND DEN I LEAVES A
ND WORKS FOR DIFF'UNT FOLKS.  I MARRIES IN TENNESSE WHEN I'S 22 AND WE HAS ONE C
HILE, BUT MY SIFE TAKES HIM WHEN HE'S FIVE AND LEAVES, AND I NEVER SEEN OR HEARD
 OF 'EM SINCE.  I COMES TO TEXAS 'BOUT 52 YEAR AGO.
     I HAS 'JOYED TALKIN' 'BOUT DEM OLD DAYS, 'CAUSE TALK AM ALL I KIN DO SINCE
MY LEGS HAVE DE MISERY SO BAD.
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