An’ den I say: “Maussa, I well onderstan’ de wuck, an’ I’ll tek charge of dat, but I don’t want to tek no key.” An’ maussa say I must. But when maussa gone, I slip de key back in Mr. Balentine’s hand an’ say, “I don’ want de key, you keep de key,” an’ maussa say to me: “You feed my horse and you feed Mr. Balentine’s horse too, and your daughter Patty milk the cow.” But I wouldn’t let Patty milk, ’cause I wouldn’t run ’cross Amy, him been a’milk, and I know what was going on, an’ I knows dem people been eat de meat out o’ de smoke-house, an’ I know dem would tu’n it on me--so I wait till we fin’ out, an’ Mr. Balentine gib dat man, Chance Grate, an’ he an’ Abram Hynes an’ himself were partners, and when Chance tuk some one else in the smoke-house without tell Abram he get mad an’ tu’n State evidence an’ tell me, an’ I must ask Mr. Balentine: “Y’ miss any meat?” An’ he say “No.” An I say: “Dat strange, ’cause Chance has got some; you’d better look.” An’ he gone in de smoke-house, an’ miss a lot. He had kill an’ cure fifty hog, and the meat ought to ben dere. When Mr. Balentine gone to count de meat he find half gone, den he gone with me to Chance house, an’ dere he find two hams an’ a shoulder, an’ Mr. Balentine give him a big licking, ’til he confess how he done it. Den I stop him, I hold ’e hand an’ I say: “Maussa only want de trut; he don’t allow lick after dat, not another cut.” Dere was two rice-barrel pack wid 300 bottle of ole wine in de cellar at Morven. I wucked and wucked and made a fine crop of peas, corn, and potatoes. Mr. Evans come up with ole miss to look at de crop, w’en I let her know I had housed de corn, one passel was shucked clean, an’ Mista Evans, when he look at it, estimate 1,000 bushel of corn. Howsumeber, in de fall in February we hear de Yankees was bombarding Chiraw; eberybody was trying to get away from dat side, as de bridge was burned by we people. Two soldiers cum one nite an’ ask me to let them spend de night--dey was what de people call de “Georgia Wild Cat.” Dey say: “Ole man, de Yankees will be here before nine to-morrow morning.” Dey hadn’t sooner gone away from de house next morning, when de whole place was surround wid soldier, and dey call on de men to surrender. What dey call de picket guard cum fust, and ax dat Daddy Hammedy fo’ de key, an’ when him hesitate, dem say, “I don’t want no key,” an’ he just rushed up and kicked de door in, an’ rushed in, and run up-stairs, and cum down with a bag full of silver, an’ forks and spoons an’ plate an’ dat man say: “Ole man, de man dat own dis place must be a hell of a rich man, he got such fine tings.” An’ I say: “Yes, sir, my master is a powerful rich man.” Den de oders run in an’ git more; den dey gone--den we tought dey was all gone, when on a sudden de whole place full of people, from every corner--dey seem to rise right out de ground; now dis was de infantry, an’ dey cum to station dere, and dey station dere for one week. Dem people just run dat grits-mill from de time day cum; dey just grind all de corn we mek, an’ in a half hour de smoke-house was empty, and dey kill and dey fetch in, and dey kill and dey fetch in, and dey kill and dey fetch in, an’ I got tired of it, I was sassy to them; I was wore out. Me an’ Hammedy was de only man on de place; I jus’ had to stey by de captain to perteck me and dese womens--den he put a guard an’ tell dem to shoot any soldier dat went to burn or trouble de people. By de time dey was gone dere was nothing left but de rough rice--400 bushels--an’ dey couldn’t manage dat; dey took all de corn, and if it hadn’t been for de rice we would have starved. The Yankees left on Tuesday, an’ de next Sunday Mr. Yates sent me word, I must take de people an’ left at once; we must take de road, man, woman, and chillun; we must be gone Monday night--that I must take de hands and march off at once. I send George Green to tell miss, say “Come at once,” and Tuesday miss cum, Daddy Eleck drive ’um, and Miss Bessie cum wid um, an’ Mista Evans ride ’long side, an’ miss say “What’s matter?” an’ I say: “Mr.