After
dis it was ebident that de best ting to do was to work hard.
"I was young and berry strong, sar, and soon got de name of a
willing hard working nigger. De massa he keep his word. Dose who
work well not bad treated, plenty ob food and a piece of ground
to plant vegetables and to raise fowls for ourselves. So we passed
two or tree year, plenty ob hard work, but not berry much to grumble
at. Den me and a gal of my own village, who had been bought in de
same batch wid me, we go to massa and say we want to marry. Massa
say, berry well. I fine strong nigger and work well, so he gib de
gal four yards ob bright cotton for wedding dress, and a bottle ob
rum to me, and we married.
"Two or tree years pass, and my wife hab two piccanninies. Den de
massa go home to Spain, and leab overseer in plantation. Berry bad
man dat. Before, if nigger work well he not beaten. Now he beaten
wheder he work or not. For two or tree months we 'tand it, but
tings get worse and worse. De oberseer he always drunk and go on
like wild beast. One day he passed by my wife hoeing de sugarcane
and he gib her cut wid whip, jus' out of 'musement. She turn round
and ask, 'What dat for?' He get mad, cut her wid whip, knock her
down wid de handle, and den seizing de chile dat she had fastened
to her back, he catch him by de leg and smash him skull against a
tree.
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