DAVID BLONT
     DE DAYS ON DE PLANTATION WAS DE HAPPY DAYS.  DE MARSTER MADE US WORK THROUG
H DE WEEK, BUT ON SATURDAYS WE USED TO GO SWIMMIN' IN DE RIVER AND DO A LOT OF O
THER THINGS DAT WE LIKE TO DO.
     WE DIDN'T MIND DE WORK SO MUCH 'CAUSE DE GROUND WAS SOFT AS ASHES AND DE MA
RSTER LET US STOP AND REST WHEN WE GOT TIRED.  WE PLANTED 'TATERS IN DE UPLANDS
 AND CORN IN DE LOW GROUNDS NEXT DE RIVER.  IT WAS ON DE CAPE FEAR AND ON HOT DA
YS WHEN WE WAS APULLIN' DE FODDER WE'D ALL STOP WORK ABOUT THREE O'CLOCK IN DE E
VENIN' AND GO SWIMMIN'.  AFTER WE COME OUT'N DE WATER WE WOULD WORK HARDER DAN E
VER AND DE MARSTER WAS GOOD TO US, 'CAUSE WE DID WORK HARD AND WE DONE WHAT HE A
SKED US.
     I 'MEMBERS ONCE DE MARSTER HAD A OVERSEER DERE DAT WAS MEANER DAN A MEAN NI
GGER.  HE ALWAYS HIRED GOOD OVERSEERS AND A WHOLE LOT OF TIMES HE LET SOME NEGRO
 SLAVE OVERSEE.  WELL, DIS OVERSEER BEAT SOME OF DE HALF GROWN BOYS TILL DE BLOO
D RUN DOWN TO DERE HEELS AND HE TOLD DE REST OF US DAT IF WE TOLD ON HIM DAT HE'
D KILL US.  WE DON'T DARE ASK DE MARSTER TO GET RID OF DE MAN SO DIS WENT ON FOR
 A LONG TIME.
     IT WAS A COLD AS DE DEVIL ONE DAY AND DIS OVERSEER HAD A GANG OF US ACLEARI
N' NEW GROUND.  ONE BOY ASK IF HE COULD WARM BY DE BRUSH HEAP.  DE OVERSEER SAID
  ;, AND  FT    R A>HILE DE BOY HAD A CHILL.  DE6OVERSEER DON'T CARE, BUT DAT NI
GHT
 DE BOY AM A SICK NIGGER.  DE NEXT MORNIN' DE MARSTER GETS DE DOCTOR, AND DE DOC
TOR SAY DAT DE BOY HAS GOT PNEUMONIA.  HE TELLS 'EM TO TAKE OFF DE BOY'S SHIRT A
ND GREASE HIM WITH SOME TAR, TURPENTINE, AND KEROSENE, AND WHEN DEY STARTS TO TA
KE DE SHIRT OFF DEY FINDS DAT IT AM STUCK.  DEY HAD TO GREASE DE SHIRT TO GET IT
 OFF 'CAUSE DE BLOOD WHERE DE OVERSEER BEAT HIM HAD STUCK DE SHIRT TIGHT TO DE S
KIN.  DE MARSTER WAS IN DE ROOM AND HE ASKED DE BOY HOW COME IT, AND DE BOY TOLD
 HIM.
     DE MARSTER SORTA TURNS WHITE AND HE SAYS TO ME, WILL YOU GO AND ASK DE OVER
SEER TO STOP HERE A MINUTE PLEASE?  WHEN DE OVERSEER COMES UP DE STEPS HE ASKS S
ORTA SASSY LIKE, WHAT YOU WANT?  DE MARSTER SAYS, PACK YOU THINGS AND GET OFF'N
MY PLACE AS FAST AS YOU CAN, YOU PESKY VARMINT.  DE OVERSEER SASSES DE MARSTER S
OME MORE, AND DEN I SEES DE MARSTER FAIRLY LOSE HIS TEMPER FOR DE FIRST TIME.  H
E DON'T SAY A WORD BUT HE WALKS OVER, GRABS DE OVERSEER BY DE SHOULDER, SETS HIS
 BOOT RIGHT HARD 'GAINST DE SEAT OF HIS PANTS AND SENDS HIM, ALL DRAWED UP, OUT
IN DE YARD ON HIS FACE.  HE CLOSE UP LIKE AN UMBRELLA FOR A MINUTE, DEN HE PULLS
 HISSnLF jLL tOGETHER AND HE LIMPOS OUTEN DAT
 HISSELF ALL TOGETHER AND HE LIMPS OUTEN DAT YARD AND WE AIN'T NEVER SEED HIM NO
 MORE.
     DERE WASN'T NO MARRYIN' ON DE PLANTATION DEM DAYS, AND AS ONE OLD WOMAN RAI
SED ALL OF DE CHILLENS, ME AND MY BROTHER JOHNNIE AIN'T NEVER KNOWED WHO OUR FOL
KS WAS.  JOHNNIE WAS A LITTLE FELLER WHEN DE WAR ENDED, BUT I WAS IN MOST OF DE
THINGS  DAT HAPPEN ON DE PLANTATION FOR A GOOD WHILE.
    ONE TIME DERE, I DONE FORGOT DE YEAR, SOME WHITE MENS COMES DOWN DE RIVER ON
 A BOAT AND DEY COMES INTO DE DIELDS AND TALKS TO A GANG OF US jND DEY SAYS DAT
OUR MASTERS AIN'T TREATIN' US RIGHT.  DEY TELLS US DAT WE OUGHTA BE PAID FOR OUR
 R], AND DAT6WE8HAD)'T6O GHTA HAVE PASSES TO GO ANYWHERE.  DEY ALSO TELLS US D
AT WE OUGHTA BE ALLOWED TO TOTE GUNS IF WE WANTS 'EM.  DEY SAYS DAT  SOMETIME OU
R MASTERS WAS GWINE TO KILL US ALL.
     I LAUGHS AT 'EM, BUT SOME DEM FOOL NIGGERS LISTENS TO 'EM, AND IT 'PEARS DA
T DESE MEN GIVE DE NIGGERS SOME GUNS AFTER I LEFT AND PROMISED TO BRING EM MORE
DE NEXT WEEK.  I FINDS OUT DE NEXT DAY ABOUT DIS AND I GOES AND TELLS DE
MARSTER.  HE SORTA LAUGHS AND SCRATCHES HIS HEAD.  DEM NIGGERS AM HEADED FOR TRO
UBLE, DAVE, HE SAYS TO ME, AND I WANTS YOU TO HELP ME.  I SAYS, YES SIR, MARSTER
 AND HE GOES ON, YOU FINDS OUT WHEN DE REST OF DE GUNS COMES, DAVE, AND LET ME K
NOW.
     WHEN DE MEN BRINGS BACK DE GUNS I TELLS MARSTER, AND I ALSO TELLS HIM DAT D
EY WANTS TO HOLD A MEETIN'.  ALL RIGHT, HE SAYS, AND LAUGHS, DEY CAN HAVE DE MEE
TIN'.  YOU TELL 'EM DAVE, DAT I SAID DAT DEY CAN MEET ON TUESDAY IN DE PACK HOUS
E.
     TUESDAY EVENIN' HE SEND DEM ALL OFF TO DE LOW GROUNDS BUT ME, AND HE TELLS
ME TO NAIL UP DE SHUTTERS TO DE PACK HOUSE AND TO NAIL 'EM UP GOOD.  I DOES LIKE
 HE TELLS ME TO DO AND DAT NIGHT DE NIGGERS MARCHES IN AND SNEAKS DEIR GUNS IN T
OO.  I IS LYIN' UP IN DE LOFT AND I HEARS DEM SAY DAT AFTER DE MEETIN' DEY IS GW
INE TO GO UP TO DE BIG HOUSE AND KILL DE WHOLE FAMILY.  I GETS OUT OF DE WINDER
AND I RUNS TO DE HOUSE AND TELLS DE MARSTER.  DEN ME AND HIM AND DE YOUNG MARSTE
R GOES OUT, AND QUICK AS LIGHTNIN' I SLAMS DE PACK HOUSE DOOR AND I LOCKS IT.  D
EN DE MARSTER YELLS AT DEM, I'SE GOT MEN AND GUNS OUT HERE, HE YELLS, AND IF YOU
 DON'T THROW DEM GUNS OF DE HOLE UP DERE IN DE LOFT, AND THROW DEM EVERY ONE OUT
 I'SE GWINE TO STICK FIRE TO DAT PACK HOUSE.  DE NIGGERS 'LIBERATES FOR A FEW MI
NUTES AND DEN DEY THROWS DE GUNS OUT.  I KNOW HOW MANY DEY HAS GOT SO I COUNTS T
ILL DEY THROW ALL OUT, DEN I GATHERS UP DEM GUNS AND I TOTES 'EM OFF TO DE BIG H
OUSE.
     WELL, SIR, WE KEEPS DEM NIGGERS SHUT UP FOR ABOUT A WEEK ON SHORT RATIONS,
AND AT DE END OF DAT TIME DEM NIGGERS AM CURED FOR GOOD.  WHEN DEY COMES OUT DEY
 HAD THREE OVERSEERS 'STEAD OF ONE, AND DE RULES AM STRICTER DAN EVER BEFORE, AN
D DEN DE MARSTER GOES OFF TO DE WAR.  I RECKON I WAS ABOUT FIFTEEN OR SIXTEEN DE
N AND DE MARSTER CARRIES ME ALONG FOR HIS PERSONAL SERVANT AND BODYGUARD AND HE
LEAVES DE REST OF DEM NIGGERS IN DE FIELDS TO WORK LIKE DE DICKENS WHILE I LAUGH
S AT DEM YANKEES.
     JIM BELONGED TO MR HARLEY WHO LIVED IN NEW HANOVER COUNTY DURIN' DE WAR;  I
N FACT, HE WAS YOUNG MASSA HARLEY'S SLAVE.  SO WHEN YOUNG MASSA TOM WENT TO DE W
AR JIM WNET ALONG TOO.  DEY WAS AT MANASSAS, DEY TELLS ME, WHEN MASSA TOM GOT KI
LT, AND DE ORDERS WAS NOT TO TAKE NO BODIES OFF DE FIELD RIGHT DEN.  COURSE OLD
 MASSA DOWN NEAR WILMINGTON DON'T KNOW ABOUT YOUNG MASSA TOME, BUT ONE NIGHT DEY
HEARS JIM HOLLER AT DE GATE.  DEY GOES RUNNIN' OUT, AND JIM HAS BRUNG MASSA TOM
'S BODY ALL DAT LONG WAYS HOME SO DAT HE CON BE BURIED IN DE FAMILY BURYING GROU
ND.  DE MASSA FREES JIM DAT NIGHT, BUT HE STAYS ON A LONG TIME AFTER DE WAR, AND
TILL DE DAY HE DIED HE HATED DE YANKEES FOR KILLIN' MASSA TOM.  IN FACT WE ALL
HATED DE YANKEES, 'SPECIALLY AFTER WE NEAR ABOUT STARVE DAT FIRST WINTER.  I TRI
ED TO MAKE A LIVIN' FOR ME AND JOHNNIE, BUT IT WAS BAD GOIN'.  DEN I COMES TO RA
LEIGH AND I GETS ALONG BETTER.  AFTER I GETS SETTLED I BRINGS JOHNNIE, AND SO WE
 DONE PURTY GOOD.