I said: "Honorable, why was it you ran away when General Banks' army captured this place during the war?" 

At once he was all attention, and on the defensive.

"Me run erway f'um dem Yankees? No suh, Mr. Ned, not me! You's got dat wrong. Wen dem Yankees sets fire ter de salt works en de sugar house, I wuz de fus one ter run wid some uv de udder han's en start ter puttin' de fires out. En we woulder done it, only dem dam' Yankees push us erway wid de sharp p'ints on de end uv dere guns. En w'en dey took all Ole Marster's mules en horses en oxens, en made his niggars drive 'em 'cross de causeway ter de main lan', warn't it me who turn de oxens loose at night en driv' 'em way yonder in de big woods whar dey couldn' find 'em? . En didn' my boys, Jube en Mose, stay wid dem oxens in de woods fër Gawd knows how long,-till de war wuz over, en Ole Marster home? Me run erway, Ned? Not comer me! Some uv dose younger niggers follered de Yankees erway, but not me and none uv my boys, needer none er de ole han's.

 "You see, Mr. Ned, w'en de Yankees took dis place, dey sont Ole Marster en all his fambly 'way yonder somewhar, en tole him ter never come back.

Dey wuz mad at him caise he done give er lot uv money en all de salt ter Marse Jeff Davis so his army mens would have 'nuff grub en seasonin' ter fight wid, en stop dem dam' Yankees f'um settin' all our niggers free, en stealin' all our mules en cattles. None uv our niggers wants ter be free nohow. En es fer me, en lots mo' uv us, we wuz free en had everyting in de worl' we wants, long 'fore dem Yankees come."

 "How do you mean you were free. Honorable?" I asked. 

"You see, it wuz dis erway: W'enever one er Ole Master's niggers reach er ageable a age, Ole Marster would say ter him,'Now you, Jim or Jack, or John, whosomeever it might be, you's bin er y good en faithful han', en you's done yo' share uv work. en f'um now on you en yo' ole 'oman ain't 'bliged ter work no mo'. You has yo' same house, en you draws yo' grub en clothes en 'backer same as always, but f'um now on you don' hafter work no mo', en you free.' En I wuz one uv dem ageable free niggers, long 'fore de Yankees come. NOW er w'ile atter de Yankees got here, de boss man uv dem Yankee solgers calls all Ole Marster's niggers up 'fore him. Fus,  he sez he wants take de names uv all Ole Marster's niggers; en he sez fer me ter stan' by him en tell him de names es dey pass by. Den he calls ter dem ter pass by one by in is.one. De fus nigger wut comes up is ole Mozart, en I sez: "En de 'Dis is Mozarti. and the Yankee sez to me: 'How you spells dat name?' 

"I sez: 'Wut you mean spell?' 

"En he sez: 'How you spells his name so I kin write it down?' 

'I don' know nuttin' 'bout no spellin',' sez I. 

I said: "Honorable, why was it you ran away when General Banks' army captured this place during the war?" 

At once he was all attention, and on the defensive.

"Me run erway f'um dem Yankees? No suh, Mr. Ned, not me! You's got dat wrong. Wen dem Yankees sets fire ter de salt works en de sugar house, I wuz de fus one ter run wid some uv de udder han's en start ter puttin' de fires out. En we woulder done it, only dem dam' Yankees push us erway wid de sharp p'ints on de end uv dere guns. En w'en dey took all Ole Marster's mules en horses en oxens, en made his niggars drive 'em 'cross de causeway ter de main lan', warn't it me who turn de oxens loose at night en driv' 'em way yonder in de big woods whar dey couldn' find 'em? . En didn' my boys, Jube en Mose, stay wid dem oxens in de woods fër Gawd knows how long,-till de war wuz over, en Ole Marster home? Me run erway, Ned? Not comer me! Some uv dose younger niggers follered de Yankees erway, but not me and none uv my boys, needer none er de ole han's.

 "You see, Mr. Ned, w'en de Yankees took dis place, dey sont Ole Marster en all his fambly 'way yonder somewhar, en tole him ter never come back.

Dey wuz mad at him caise he done give er lot uv money en all de salt ter Marse Jeff Davis so his army mens would have 'nuff grub en seasonin' ter fight wid, en stop dem dam' Yankees f'um settin' all our niggers free, en stealin' all our mules en cattles. None uv our niggers wants ter be free nohow. En es fer me, en lots mo' uv us, we wuz free en had everyting in de worl' we wants, long 'fore dem Yankees come."

 "How do you mean you were free. Honorable?" I asked. 

"You see, it wuz dis erway: W'enever one er Ole Master's niggers reach er ageable a age, Ole Marster would say ter him,'Now you, Jim or Jack, or John, whosomeever it might be, you's bin er y good en faithful han', en you's done yo' share uv work. en f'um now on you en yo' ole 'oman ain't 'bliged ter work no mo'. You has yo' same house, en you draws yo' grub en clothes en 'backer same as always, but f'um now on you don' hafter work no mo', en you free.' En I wuz one uv dem ageable free niggers, long 'fore de Yankees come. NOW er w'ile atter de Yankees got here, de boss man uv dem Yankee solgers calls all Ole Marster's niggers up 'fore him. Fus,  he sez he wants take de names uv all Ole Marster's niggers; en he sez fer me ter stan' by him en tell him de names es dey pass by. Den he calls ter dem ter pass by one by in is.one. De fus nigger wut comes up is ole Mozart, en I sez: "En de 'Dis is Mozarti. and the Yankee sez to me: 'How you spells dat name?' 

"I sez: 'Wut you mean spell?' 

"En he sez: 'How you spells his name so I kin write it down?' 

'I don' know nuttin' 'bout no spellin',' sez I. 

Ef you kaint spell it jis put it down widout spellin'. Dis nigger's name is Mozart.' 

"Atter he sets all de names wut he kin write down, den he made 'em er talk, en tole us we wuz all free en could go enny- whar we wants; en ef we wanted lan' we could have all de lan' we wants; en ennyting else we wants wut wuz lef' atter de Yankee army done went erway. But he ain't say nuttin' 'bout whar we wuz ter git our clothes en vittles.

En he sez: 'Does enny uv you wants ter.say ennyting, or ax enny questions?' 

"I waits er w'ile, en es none er dem udder niggers ain't say nuttin', I holds up my han', en he sez: 'Wut is it boy? Come here.' steps out in front en I sez: 'Mr. Yankee, I thanks you kindly fer wut you ain't done fer all Ole Master's niggers. I kaint say 'zackly es knows wut you is done, but do know er lot wut you hasn't done. You sont Ole Marster en Ole Mistes en all our w'ite folks erway f'um here.comin' fo' weeks now. En de day 'fore you alls come, Ole Marster calls all his han's ter de "big house" en he tells 'em all ter git tergedder so he kin say few words t' dem, en he sez sumpin like dis:  'My peoples, we has bin gedder many years, en mos' uv bin bornded on dis place; yous termorrer de Northe'n troops, dey will be in charge uv dis place, en I will be gone, fer I done got word dat I'se to be impo'ted; en fer dat reason I kaint take care uv you. I no longer de Northe'n troops will. hopes Befo' I goes, I will he'p you all I kin, en I wants you ter come right now to de storehouse en git wut provisions I have, so you will have food fer yo' famblies, fer er w'ile ennyhow.'

 "So we all went to de store- house en dere wuz de two over-seers, en t'ree, fo' udder mens. en dey 'gins out, to de haid uv each fambly, grub 'nuff fer t'ree weeks, en dat's all de grub wut's in de storehouse.

En Ole Marster shuk each er his niggers by de han', en to each uv 'em he gives er fi' dollar gold piece, en he wish dem good luck; en he tells us all goodby. wuz fo' Satdays ergo. Ole Marster 'gins us grub fer t'ree Satdays. Who done give us grub fer dat udder Satday since Ole Marster gone--Is you? No suh! -we ain't had grub fer mo' den er week, 'cepin' de fishes en crabs en possums, en sich es we kin ketch. Dere's many er de li'l ones wut's hongry now.

Who's gwinter feed 'em?'

 "En de solger boss man he say: 'But Mister you is free; you kin do es you please, you kin go whar you please, en work whar you please, en earn yo' own food.' 

Dat's wut dat Yankee boss man tole us jis like dat. 

"Den I say: 'Don' Mister me, you Yankee, I ain't no Mister. En es fer bein' free en workin' whar we please, dere's er many er dese niggers bin free fer de longes' ain't done no work since mos' befo' you kin 'member.'

 "En I turns roun' to de niggers, en I say: 'You niggers wut's say en all say is.free out me en Saul, Pete, kaint terdere caise done we our else sont folks give ter none we dom, en don' hafter work, step here side er me.'

 "En wid dat, dere steps out by Pete en his ole 'oman, Jolin, Maria, Bill,Yodel, Henry, Sabry, Josua, Tom, Li'l Royal, en some mo' wut I 'member jis now, en all 'omans, en den some mo' 'omans wut ain't got no mens dey's daid. 

En I sez: 'Mr. Yankee, all dese uv us bin free fer de longes' en don' hafter work, en we gits grub regular, en wut ever we alls need. Dat is, wen Ole Marster wuz here; but you done him en all our udder w'ite erway. Now is you gwinter needin's?' us, our grub en our 

needin's?' us, our grub en our 

En he sez: 'No, I ain't got no at'ority ter give you nuttin.' 

"Den I sez: 'Dat's all wants know.

We alls don' want wants Ole Marster's freeuv yo' kine, uv freedom; en de sooner you bringsus him back to us, de better we'll like it." 

THE Honorable paused and seemed to be thinking; SO I said: "Well, old man, what did all of you do while the Northern troops were on the Island? I believe they were here almost two years. How did you get a living?"

 "Well, Mr. Ned," said he, "de livin' wuz by de hardes'. Some uv de young mens en wimmens works fer de Yankees, en got dey grub en li'l mo'; en some uv us raises er li'l crop er corn en rice en en sweet 'taters, but mighty sugarcane, skeerse. En w'en our w'ite folks come back, atter 'bout two years, we wuz er mighty po' sorry lookin' lot uv niggers.

"De day Ole Marster en de back to de Island, famblarsits Dudley blowed de'sembly horn, looked like in no time de yard in front de 'big house' wuz plum' full uv niggers. 

"Time dat horn blowed-teta-too-too-too, te-ta-too-too-too. too-00 too-00, too-, every nigger wut could hear it knowed wut it means, en who wuz er blowin' it. Twarn't nobody could blow er horn like Marse Dudley.  En dey foment er runout de fiel', er de woods, out er de cabins; en everywhar you looked 'peared to be niggers comin' out er sumpin; en dey wuz all er runnin' fer de 'big house'.

En w'en we gits dere, dere wuz Ole Marster, en Ole Mistes, en Marse Ned, en Li'l Miss, en Marse Dudley, en Marse John, en all de chilluns (stan'in' on de front hug gallery. 'em En jis run up en en cry en run erroun' like us wuz crazy. Den Ole Marster, he hole up his han' fer quiet, en he says: 'Well my frens, it 'pears like you is glad ter see us back.'

 "En all dose niggers, dey jis jump up en down holler en clap dere han's en say: 'Sho we's glad ter see you, en you ain't never gwinter leave us no mo', caise ef you do we's gwine erlong wid you.'

 "Den Ole Marster say: 'Boys I kaint be uv much use ter you now. You know de Souf done los' de war en you is all free now, en kin go whar you please, en I ain't got no money ter hire you wid, en I ain't got no money ter buy mules en tools wid, so I s'pose you all will hafter look out fer yo'se'fs.' 

"W'en Ole Marster said dat, looks like my heart done buss try ter jump outer my mouf, en it wuz er li'l w'ile 'fo I could talk, but by en by, my voice come back, en I says: 

 'Ole Marster, you don' need no money fer to pay niggers ter work fer you; dese niggers, dey y all b'longs ter you, en you's gotter give 'em work en grub en sich, jis you allus has 'fo dem dam' Yankees come en meddle in us business. En you don' need no mules; not right now nohow, caise we's got, way back in de big woods paster, more'n 40 yokes uv well broke oxens.

En es fer tools, dem Yankees lef' mo' ole iron en broken wagons en sich es you kin use in 10 years. En yo' same fo' blacksmifs is here, en it won' be no time 'fo' us rig up de blacksmif shop, en 'fo' you knows it, us has all plows en middle busters en harrer's en wagons en.sich es we needs. All we wants is fer you to put dese lazy niggers back ter work, en 'gin us regular grub caise fer de longes' we only eats w'en we kin git it, en dat ain't none too off'n.