I was a li'l chap 'bout so high I guess w'en freedom come (about nine or ten years of age). I don' 'member much real early but I was bo'n in Baltimo', Mar'lan'. I neber hear my marster's name I don' t'ink. My mother she was one 'r' his slaves. I neber know my father. One time Mister Jerry Grey he come t' Baltimo' 'n' he buy my mother. Dey had a law dat under so ol' dey couldn' tek a chile 'way from d' mother. 'N' I wasn' dat ol' so d' new marster he had t' buy me too. He pay $1600 fo' me 'n' my mother bofe. W'en d' war broke out I want t' go wid my young marster. He tell me t' run 'bout a mile down d' road 'n' den wait fo' him. He come 'long on his hoss 'n' say dat ain' fur nuf' 'n' t' run 'bout mile mo' 'n' wait fo' him on d' holler stump. He kep' on tellin' me dat 'til he mek me run 'bout fo' 'r' five mile' 'n' den he tell me he guess I couldn' go. I hafter go back home. Dey neber beat me in dem time, none 'r' 'em cept 'n' my mother. She ketch me wid a slap on d' side 'r' d' head onct in a w'ile. My marster had a big farm in Tyler county. Sim Boykin was my young marster dat went off t' d' war. D' marsters dey neber mistreat me 'r' my mother 'r' none his cullud folks. We always had plenty t' eat. My mother cook 'n' make homemake clo's 'n' spin 'n' she weave some too. Marster's wife was name Ann. She die w'en d' fus' chile was bo'n. Marster kep' me wid 'im fo' a kinder waitin' boy. His lef' arm was off yere 'bout d' elbow. I go 'long t' git t'ings fo' him 'cause it was sorter hard fo' him t' git down offn' his hoss 'n' git back ag'in. W'en he want some water he tell me t' tek his shoe off 'n' I git it full 'r' water 'n' tek it t' him 'n' he drink it outn' he shoe. W'en freedom come he say all dat wants t' kin stay dere. Us stayed wid him but all d' res' lef'. Den he sol' out d' big place 'n' move yere t' Jasper. He had a place right dere on dat corner nor'wes' 'r' d' co'te house. I stay wid 'im 'til he die. W'en I stay in town tho' I didn' like it. Dey ain' nuf' cows 'n' I been wid dem cows since I so high. Atter d' ol' marster die I leave right now 'n' went t' Lou'siana. I so uster it I went w'ere dey was cattle. I done wo' myse'f out han'lin cattle 'n' ridin' rough hosses 'n' breakin' bad hosses. Dey cal 'em bronchos. I been kilt sev'ral times ridin' bad hosses. Had d' bref' knock' outn' me. D' hosses fall on me. One time dey tear two rib loose from d' backbone 'n' nudder time dey bus' dis leg. I wasn' so ol' 'n' I decide I want t' go on d' big drive wid d' men. My ol' mother she say, 'Frank , you too li'l go wid d' cows yit.' I say, 'No, so I go on. Dat was d' time d' hoss turn ober 'n' fall on my leg. I say, 'I ain' neber goin' a'gin, 'n' I ain' goin' ride no mo' hoss.' But soon dat leg git well I back up on d' saddle, 'n' I ain' been off much since. Us had roun' up time w'en us rope 'n' bran' d' hoss, wil' hoss I mean, 'n' all d' calves. I see d' time us work from sun-up t' sundown brandin'. We bran' 35 'r' 40 calf in haffer day. We jus' didn' bran' us own calves. Ifn' some udder cows git in d' bunch we bran' 'em wid d' udder w'ite folks bran'. People didn' steal dey neighbor's t'ings in dem days. Dat come later. Dey wasn' none cattle t'iefs eder. Sometime d' marster 'n' me by myse'f we stay out on d' range fo' days watchin' wire 'n' dat. I cook on d' camp fire, 'r' us eat w'at we carry in d' sack.' Dey was plenty 'r' wil' hosses. Mustangs w'at was raise wil' in d' woods dey was. Sometime dey make hair rope 'n' bridles outer d' hosshairs from d' tail. In slavery dey'd hab fish fry 'n' preachin' on d' Fo'th 'r' July. We wo' homemake clo's 'n' shoes in d' winter time. We sho' didn' wear no shoes in d' summer time 'cause us couldn' carry d' shoes fas' 'nough t' git 'bout 'n' wuk. I was 12 year ol' fo' I wear any britches. Den I was mos' a man.