HEYWOOD FORD                 516-ALA/#032                                    021
         WHITE FOLKS, I'SE GONNA TELL YOU A STORY 'BOUT A MEAN OBERSEER AN' WHUT
HAPPENED TO HIM DURIN' DE SLAVERY DAYS. IT ALL COMMENCED WHEN A NIGGER NAMED JAK
E WILLIAMS GOT A WHUPPIN' FOR STAYIN' OUT ATTER DE TIME ON HIS PASS DONE GIB OUT
. ALL DE NIGGERS ON DE PLACE HATED DE OBERSEER WUSS DAN PIZEN, 'CAZE HE WAS SO M
EAN AN' USETA TRY TO THINK UP THINGS TO WHUP US FOR.
ONE MORNIN' DE SLAVES WAS LINED UP READY TO EAT DERE BREAKFAS' AN' JAKE WILLIAMS
 WAS A PETTIN' HIS OLE RED-BONE HOUN'. 'BOUT DAT TIME DE OBERSEER COME UP A)' SE
ED JAKE A PETTIN' HIS HOUN' AN' HE SAY: "NIGGER YOU AIN'T GOT TIME TO BE A FOLLI
N' 'LONG DAT DOG. NOW MAKE HIM GIT." JAKE TRIED TO MAKE DE DOG GO HOME, BUT DE D
OG DIDN'T WANT TO LEAVE JAKE. DEN DE OBERSEER PICK UP A ROCK AN' SLAM DE DOG IN
DE BACK. DE DOG HE DEN WENT A-HOWLIN' OFF.
         DAT NIGHT JAKE HE COME TO MY CABIN AN' HE WAY TO ME: "HEYWOOD, I IS GON
NA RUN AWAY TO A FREE STATE. I AIN'T A-ROUND PUT UP WID DIS TREATMENT NO LONGER.
 I CAN'T STAND MUCH MO'. I GIBS HIM MY HA)' A)' I S Y:""JAK(,8+ PESYOU GITS DER
E. MAYBE I'LL SEE YOU AG'IN SOMETIME."
         "HEYWOOD," HE SAYS, "I WISH YOU'D LOOK ATTER MY HOUN', BnLLE. FEED HnR
AN' KEEP HER DE BES' YOU KIN. SHE A MIGHTY GOOD POSSUM AN' COON DOG. I HATES TO
PART WID HER, BUT I KNOWS DAT YOU IS DE BES' PUSSON I COULD LEAVE HER WID." AN'
WID DAT JAKE SLIP OUT DE DO' AN' I SEED HIM A-WALKIN' TOWARD DE SWAMP DOWN DE LO
NG FURROWS OF CAWN.
         IT DIDN'T TAKE DAT OVERSEER LONG TO FIN' OUT DAT JAKE DONE RUN AWAY, AN
', WHEN HE DID, HE GOT OUT DE BLOOD HOUN'S AN' STARTED OFF ATTER HIM. IT WARN'T
LONG AFORE JAKE HEERED DEM HOUN'S A-HOWLIN' IN DE DISTANCE. JAKE HE WAS TOO TIRE
D TO GO ANY FURTHER. HE CIRCLES 'ROUN' AN' DOUBLED ON HIS TRACKS SO AS TO CONFUS
E DE HOUN'S AN' DEN HE CLUMB A TREE. T'WARN'T LONG AFORE HE SEED DE LIGHT OF DE
OBERSEER COMIN' TH'OGH DE WOODS AND DE DOGS WAS A-GITTIN' CLOSER AN' CLOSER. FIN
ALLY DEY SMELLED DE TREE DAT JAKE WAS IN AN' DEY STARTED BARKIN' 'ROUN' IT. DE O
BERSEER LIF' HIS LIGHTED PINE KNOT IN DE AIR SO'S HE COULD SEE JAKE. HE SAY: "NI
GGER, COME ON DOWN FUM DERE. YOU DONE WASTED 'NUFF OF OUR TIME." BUT JAKE, HE NE
BER MOVE NOR MAKE A SOUND AN' ALL DE TIME DE DOGS KEPPA HOWLIN' AN' DE OBERSEER
KEPPA SWEARIN'. "COME ON DOWN," HE WAY AGIN; "IFFEN YOU DON'T I'SE COMIN' UP AN'
 KNOCK YOU OUTEN DE TREE WID A STICK." JAKE STILL HE NEBER MOVED AN' DE OBERSEER
 DEN BEGAN TO CLIMB DE TREE. WHEN HE GOT WHERE HE COULD ALMOS' REA.H-J KEHE SWU
NG DAT STICK AN' IT COME DOWN ON JAKE'S LEG AN' HURT HIM TUR'BLE. JAKE, HE RAISE
D HIS FOOT AN' KICKED DE OBERSEER RAGHT IN DE MOUF, AN' DAT WHITE MAN WENT A TUM
BLIN' TO DE GROUN'. WHEN HE HIT DE EARTH DEM HOUN'S POUNCED ON HIM. JAKE HE DEN
LOWERED HISSELF TO DE BOTTOM LIMBS SO'S HE COULD SEE WHAT HAD HAPPENED. HE SAW D
E DOGS A-TEARIN' AT DE MAN AN' HE HOLLA: "HOL' 'IM, BELLE] 'OL' 'IM, GAL]" DE LE
ADER OF DAT PACK OF HOUN'S, WHITE FOLKS, WARN'T NO BLOOD HOUN'. SHE WAS A PLAIN
OLD RED-BONE POSSUM AN' COON DOG, AN' DE RES' DONE JUS' LAK SHE DON, TEARIN' AT
DE OBERSEER'S TH'OAT. ALL DE WHILE, JAKE HE A-HOLLERIN' F'UM DE TREE FER DEM DOG
S TO GIT 'IM. 'TWARN'T LONG AFORE DEM DOGS TO' DAT MAN ALL TO PIECES.
HE DIED RAGHT UNDER DAT MAPLE TREE DAT HE RUN JAKE UP. JAKE HE AN' DAT COON HOUN
' STRUCK OFF THROUGH DE WOODS. DE RES' OF DE PACK COME HOME.
         I SEED JAKE ATTER US NIGGERS WAS FREED. DATS HOW COME I K OWED ALL8' OU
T IT. IT MUSTA BEEN SIX YEARS ATTER DEY KILLED DE OBERSEER. IT WAS IN KENTUCKY D
AT I RUN ACROSS JAKE. HE WAS A-SITTIN' ON SOME STEPS OF A NIGGER CABIN. A HOUN'
DOG WAS A-SITTIN' AT HIS SIDE. I TELLS HIM HOW GOAD I IS TO SEE HIM, AN' DEN I L
OOK AT DE DOG. "DAT AIN'T BELLE," I SAYS. "NAW," JAKE ANSWERS, DIS HER PUPPY." D
EN HE TOL' ME DE WHOLE STORY. I ALWAYS DID WANT TO KNOW WHAT HAPPEN TO 'EM.
  X   XXX