De young
massa he not dere at sale. Dey say he pretty nigh break him heart,
but he ought to hab thought ob dat before. Me sure dat de ole
gentleman and de ole missy pretty nigh turn in deir grabe at de
thought ob all de hands they was so kind to sold away.
"Dat de curse of slabery, sar. Me trabel a good deal, and me tink
dat no working people in de world are so merry and happy as de
slabe in a plantation wid a good massa and missy. Dey not work so
hard as de white man. Dey have plenty to eat and drink, dey hab
deir gardens and deir fowls. When dey are sick dey are taken care
ob, when dey are ole they are looked after and hab nothing to do.
I have heard people talk a lot of nonsense about de hard life of
de plantation slabe. Dat not true, sar, wid a good massa. De slabe
hab no care and he bery happy. If all massas were good, and dere
were a law dat if a plantation were broken up de slabes must be
sold in families together, me tell you dat de life on a plantation
a thousand times happier dan de life ob a black man in his own
country. But all masters are not good. Some neber look after de
slabes, and leabe all to overseers, and dese bery often bad, cruel
men. But worst of all is when a sale comes.
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