De fust thing. I 'members back in slavery time was gittin' in de master's strawberry patch. He's right proud of dat patch and git after us plenty. Dey was li'l Tim Edgar , dat de white boy, and me. Tim , he still livin' down in Wallisville. Old master he cut us both a couple times for thiefin' he strawberries, jes' give us a bresh or two to skeer us. Dat de onlies' time he ever did whip me and you couldn' hardly call that a whippin'. Old man Tom Edgar was my master and de old Edgar place was down below where Jackson's store it and 'bout two mile from where I lives now. Some de brick from dat house still standin' dere in de woods. My mama name Mary and Dolf Mayes my papa, and I's borned 'bout 1862, I guess, 'cause I wasn't very big when freedom come. I did most my playin' with young master, Tim , him and me 'bout de same age. Old master was sho' good to he slaves and dey ain't never have no cruel overseer nor no lot of whippin' like some masters did. Mama work in de white folks house and done de cookin' in de big kitchen. De big house was a big, low place with galleries 'round it. Mama tie me to a chair leg on de gallery to keep me from runnin' off to de bayou. Dey 'fraid of alligators. Dem 'gators never did eat no cullud chillen 'round us place, but dey allus 'fraid dey would. Dey sich big snakes in de woods, to dey skeered of dem. De cullud folks all have li'l brick cabin quarters and dey have a brickyard right near de place what a white man own and he make de bricks what dey calls Cedar Bayou brick 'count of de mud being diff'rent. I's born in one dem li'l brick houses. I don't 'member none my grandfolks 'cept my papa's mama, call Martha Godfry . She come from Virginny, and 'long to de Mayes where my papa born. I never did bother with Sunday School much, me. Dey one on de bayou and a white lady. Miss Joseph , am de teacher. Dey wasn't no school but after I git free I go to school on de edge of de woods. Dey have teacher name Runne and a old blue-back speller to larn out of. After us freed my papa move up de prairie a ways and hire out to ride de range. Dey done larn me to ride when I 'bout five, six year old and I rid with de old man. Dat ridin' business was jes' my job. My daddy never did like to settle down and farm, but druther ride de range for four bits or six bits de day. De old master done give us nothin', jes' turn us adrift, but he didn't have much and everybody jes' have to shift for demselves dem days. Us git 'long all right makin' money with de cattlemen. De prairie lands a good place to git things to eat and us see plenty deers, sometime eight or ten in de bunch. Dey lots of wolves roamin' 'round lookin' for stray cows. Dat when de whip come in handy, to knock dem on de head. Never hear tell of but one bear, and us cotch him on Gum Island and kill him. You know dem funny lookin', horny things dey calls armadillos' Dey been immigrate here 'bout ten year ago. Dey come from somewhere but us ain't knowed why. Dey never was none here in slavery time but plenty horny toads frogs and 'gators. I marry 51 year ago to Wilina Day and I's still marry to her. Us marry in her brudder's house with jes' homefolks. Dey's nine chillen and eight still livin' and most dem farmers, 'cept two boys in de reg'lar army. Dey am Dolf and Robert , Oscar runs de fillin' station at Double Bayou. Oscar was in France in de World War. I has two my gals with me here and two grandchillen. I rode de range till 'bout 20 year ago and den I start gittin' purty old, so I settles down to farmin'. Dey charter a Masonic lodge here in 1906. I 'lieve it were number naught six, and dey put me up for Worshipful Master of de bunch. After dey vouch for me I git de chair and I been sittin' in de east for 30 year.

Thick white wool grows in profusion over his large head, down across massive cheeks and chin, and scatters in tufts on his neck and bared chest. This hairy old negro is Hiram Mayes , of Double Bayou. For 30 years Hiram has served as Worshipful Master of the Masonic Lodge in the settlement, and the dignity of his high office sets well upon his broad shoulders. Native intelligence gleams in his deep set eyes, yet his speech shows that he received little education. Hiram lives with two daughters in a rambling farmhouse, less than three miles from his birthplace on the old Edgar homestead near the Iron Bridge. When called, he came across his cowlot in the heat of a summer afternoon, clad in heavy knit underwear, ragged, sleeveless shirt, and broken brogans, but seemed little impressed by the heat. De fus' t'ing ' remember back in slav'ry time was gittin' in de marster's strawberry patch. He was right proud of dat patch and he git atter us plenty. Dey was li'l Tim Edgar , dat de w'ite boy, and me. Tim he still libin' down in Wallisville. De ol' marster he cut us bofe a couple of times for t'iefin' his strawberries, jes' give us a bresh or two to skeer us. Dat de on'ies' time he eber did whip me, and you couldn' hardly call dat a whippin'. Ol' man Tom Edgar was my marster. De ol' Edgar place was down below where Jackson ' sto' is. It 'bout two miles from where I live now. Some de brick from dat house still standin' dere in de' woods. I don' 'member de ol' marster's wife at all. My mama was name' Mary and Dolf Mayes was my father. I was bo'n 'bout '62 I guess, but I warn' very big when freedom come. Dey was on'y two of us chillen bo'n in slav'ry time. Dat my sister, Carrie , she bo'n and die befo' I ever was bo'n. I did mos' my playin' wid de young marster, Tim , him and me 'bout de same age. Ol' marster was a small slight man, I reckilleck, but he was sho' good to his slaves. Dey ain' neber had no cruel overseer' nor do no lot of whippin' like some of de marsters did. I dunno how many slaves dey was. Mama wuk in de w'ite folks house. She done de cookin' in de big kitchen. De w'ite folks house was a big low house wid galleries 'roun' it. Mama uster tie me wid a string to a chair leg out on de gallery to keep me from runnin' off down to de Bayou. Dey was 'fraid of alligators. Dem 'gators never did eat no cullud chillen 'roun' us place, but dey was allus 'fraid dey would. Dey was sich big snakes in de woods too, dat dey was skeer' of dem, too.

De cullud folks all have li'l brick cabin quarters. Dey have a brickyard right near de place. Dey was a w'ite man name Mister Brown w'at own de brickyard. Dey mek de bricks w'at dey calls Cedar Bayou brick on account of de mud bein' diff'rent w'at dey use to mek dem. I's bo'n in one dem li'l brick houses. I remember rollin' 'roun' on dem dirt flo' jes' a baby. Us li'l chillen all wo' hick'ry shu'ts dat was mek on de place on a loom. Mister Andrus he marry de ol' marster's daughter and dey have four gals, two was bo'n in slav'ry time, dat was Miss May and Miss Alice . Den Miss Fannie and Miss Jackie come 'long atter w'ile, and some boys, but I never knowed dem. All dem folks seem like my own people 'cause dey never was many of us folks. I never remember none my gran'folks but my papa's mama, Martha Godfry . She come from Virginny. She belong to de Mayes where my papa was bo'n  I never did bodder wid Sunday school much, me. Dey was a Sunday school on de Bayou. Dey was a w'ite lady name' Miss Joseph , who was de fus' teacher. Dey wasn' no school in slav'ry time but atter I git free I go to school on de edge of de woods where de Mef'dis' chu'ch now stands. Dey have one teacher name' Runnells , dat was a man, and dey jes' teach eb'rybudy in one class. Dey use a ol' Blue-back speller to learn out of. When freedom come I was still too li'l to know de diff'rence. I don' even remember what us did 'cause de chillen in dem days warn' talk' to and tol' t'ings like dey is now. I knowed us move up de prairie a ways and my daddy hire' out to ride de range. Dat ridin' business was jes' my job. Dey done learn me to ride when I 'bout five or six year' ol' and soon's I could sit de saddle I ride wid de ol' man. My daddy never did like to settle down and farm. He druther ride de range for fo'bits or six'bits a day. I's jes' de same way I guess. I was young and didn' know how to spen' my money anyway. De ol' marster never give his slaves nuthin' but tu'n dem adrif'. He didn' have no big plantation though, and eb'rybudy jes' hafter shif' for deyse'fs. Us git 'long alright mekin' money wid de cattlemen. De prairie lan' was a good place to git t'ings to eat in dem days. Us uster try to run jack-rabbit down and cut off dey lef' hin' foot for a good luck piece. Never did hold wid none dem other fancy medals and dimes wid holes in dem or sich. Deers was plentiful. Five or six miles eas' late in de evenin' us could see sometime 8 or 10 in a bunch. Dey was lotser wolves roamin' de prairie lookin' for stray cows. Dat's when de whip handle come in handy, to knock dem on de head. Never hear tell of but one bear in dese woods. Us ketch a big bear one time on Gum Island and kill him. Dey kigger he wander down here from somewheres else. You know dem funny lookin' horny t'ings dey calls armadillos? Dey been immigrated here 'bout ten year' ago. Dey come from somewhere but us ain' knowed why. Dey never was none here in slav'ry time but dey was plenty of horny frogs and alligators.

I marry 51 year' ago to Wilina Day , and I's still marry to her. Us was marry in her brudder's house wid jes' de homefolks. Dey was nine chillen, eight still livin'. Mos' of dem is farmers 'cep'n' two boys in de reg'lar army, Dolf and Robert , and Oscar dat runs de fillin' station at Double Bayou. Oscar was de on'ies' one of de boys w'at was in de Worl' War, de las' war. He was in France. Two my gals live at home wid me and two gran'chillen. I rode de range 'till 'bout 20 year' ago, when I start gettin' purty ol' so I settle down to farmin'. I'se a member of the AME Chu'ch. Dey charter a Masonic lodge here in 1906, I beleebe it were 'ought 6,' and dey put me up for de Worshipful Master of de bunch. Atter dey vouch for me I git de chair. Dat was de beginnin' of de lodge and I been sittin' in de eas' for 30 year'. Dey's jes' one year dat someone else serve and den dey git me back.