dead two year, den he comed home one night and all de family but one had gone to de war.  He not talk much, but look mity sorry.  My ole missus was a pretty gall, den, live close by us, and it not long afore dey gets married, and den many ob de nabors come and dey hab long talk.  Dey’s all comes to de greement to come away from de country, fraid ob de war, and all de fadders ob all de nabors here take all der niggers and der stock and go up de country to de riber dat’s named de Holsten, and dare dey built heep flat boats, and in de spring dey starts down de riber.  Some ob de boats hab hogs on ’em, some hosses, some cows, some niggers, some corn and meat, and some de white families.  Dar was boff de grandfadder ob Miss Alice, and her fadder.  He was small, not grown, and old massa, her modder’s fadder, was young wid young wife, but dey all made him captain.

“We was long time comin down de riber, and we had to fite de Injuns long time at de place dey calls Mussel Shoals.  Some ob de boats got on de ground, and one on em we had to leave wid de hogs on it.  De bullets come from the Injuns so hot dat we all had to get out into de water and go to anudder boat and get away from dar.  Dem was the wust Injuns I ebber seed.  But we got away and we runned all night.  Nex day Miss Alice’s fadder was on de top ob de boat ob his fadder when Injun shoot him in de back from de woods, and he buried wid dat bullet in him up yonder to de great house.  Well, young massa, we comed one day into a big riber, and dar we stopt one hole week, and de massa and some on de ress on em got out and luck at de country, but dey not like him and we started agin, and de nex day we gits into di Massasippi, and in two days more we comed to de place dey called New Madrid, and here stopt agin.

“De land was mity level and rich, and all de men said dey would stop here and live.  De people what lived here was Spanish, and some niggers and Injuns, and dey talked a lingo we didn’t know.  Dere was a nigger who could talk American, and he comed one night and tuck ole massa out and telled him de Spaniards was gwine to rob dem all, and dat dey would kill all on de white folks, and take all de niggers and stock, and dey was gwine to do it de fus dark night.  Dis larmed us all, and dat night we slipt off, and when mornin comed we was way down de riber and gwine ahead I tell you.  We neber stopt any more till we got to de mouth of Cole’s Creek.  Dare de fadder of Miss Alice’s fadder stopt, and said he would stay dare.  Ole massa seed an Injun dat tole him ob dis place and dey started true de cane, dey was gone long time, but when dey comed back, ole massa got us all ready and away we went and neber stopt till we comed to the mouth of St. Catharine’s, right ober dar.  Dar we landed and unloaded de boats, and in a week we was all camped up dar whar de big percan is, and right dar de ole man raise all his family—­and dar he and ole missus died.