CHAPTER XII.

by Solomon Northup

　　CHAPTER XII.

　　PERSONAL APPEARANCE OF EPPS EPPS, DRUNK AND SOBER A GLIMPSEOF HIS HISTORY COTTON GROWING THE MODE OF PLOUGHING ANDPREPARING GROUND OF PLANTING OF HOEING, OF PICKING, OF TREAT-ING RAW HANDS THE DIFFERENCE IN COTTON PICKERS PATSET AREMARKABLE ONE TASKED ACCORDING TO ABILITY BEAUTY OF ACOTTON FIELD THE SLAVE'S LABORS FEAR ON APPROACHING THE GIN-HOUSE WEIGHING "CHORES" CABIN LIFE THE CORN MILLTHE USES OF THE GOURD FEAR OF OVERSLEEPING FEAR CONTINUAL-LY MODE OF CULTIVATING CORN SWEET POTATOES FERTILITY OFTHE SOIL FATTENING HOGS PRESERVING BACON RAISING CATTLESHOOTING-MATCHES GARDEN PRODUCTS FLOWERS AND VERDURE.

　　Edwin Epps, of whom much will be said duringthe remainder of this history, is a large, portly, heavy-bodied man with light hair, high cheek bones, and aRoman nose of extraordinary dimensions. He hasblue eyes, a fair complexion, and is, as I should say,full six feet high. He has the sharp, inquisitive ex-pression of a jockey. His manners are repulsiveand coarse, and his language gives speedy and une-quivocal evidence that he has never enjoyed the ad-vantages of an education. He has the faculty ofsaying most provoking things, in that respect evenexcelling old Peter Tanner. At the time I came intohis possession, Edwin Epps was fond of the bottle, his

　　HABITS OF EDWIN EPPS. 163" sprees'' sometimes extending over the space of two"whole weeks. Latterly, however, he had reformedhis habits, and when I left him, was as strict a speci-men of temperance as could be found on BayouBceuf. AVlien " in his cups," Master Epps was a roys-tering, blustering, noisy fellow, whose chief delightwas in dancing with his " niggers," or lashing themabout the yard with his long whip, just for the pleas-ure of hearing them screech and scream, as the greatwelts were planted on their backs. When sober, hewas silent, reserved and cunning, not beating us in-discriminately, as in his drunken moments, but send-ing the end of his rawhide to some tender spot of alagging slave, with a sly dexterity peculiar to himself.He had been a driver and overseer in his youngeryears, but at this time was in possession of a planta-tion on Bayou Huff Power, two and a half miles fromHolmesville, eighteen from Marksville, and twelvefrom Cheneyville. It belonged to Joseph B. Koberts,his wife's uncle, and was leased by Epps. His prin-cipal business was raising cotton, and inasmuch assome may read this book who have never seen a cot-ton field, a description of the manner of its culturemay not be out of place.The ground is prepared by throwing up beds orridges, with the plough — back-furrowing, it is called.Oxen and mules, the latter almost exclusively, areused in ploughing. The women as frequently as themen perform this Jabor, feeding, currying, and ta-king care of their teams, and in all respects doing the

　　164 TWELVE YEARS A SLAVE.field and stable work, precisely as do the ploughboysof the North.The beds, or ridges, are six feet wide, that is, fromwater furrow to water furrow. A plough drawn byone mule is then run along the top of the ridge orcenter of the bed, making the drill, into which a girlusually drops the seed, which she carries in a baghuug round her neck. Behind her comes a muleand harrow, covering up the seed, so that two mules,three slaves, a plough and harrow, are employedin planting a row of cotton. This is done in themonths of March and April. Corn is planted in Feb-ruary. When there are no cold rains, the cotton usu-ally makes its appearance in a week. In the courseof eight or ten days afterwards the first hoeing iscommenced. This is performed in part, also, by theaid of the plough and mule. The plough passes asnear as possible to the cotton on both sides, throw-ing the furrow from it. Slaves follow with their hoes,cutting up the grass and cotton, leaving hills two feetand a half apart. This is called scraping cotton. Intwo weeks more commences the second hoeing.This time the furrow is thrown towards the cotton.Only one stalk, the largest, is now left standing ineach hill. In another fortnight it is hoed the thirdtime, throwing the furrow towards the cotton in thesame manner as before, and killing all the grass be-tween the rows. About the first of July, when it isa foot high or thereabouts, it is hoed the fourth andlast time. JSTow the whole space between the rows

　　COTTON GROWING. 1G5is ploughed, leaving a deep water furrow in the center.During all these hoeings the overseer or driverfollows the slaves on horseback with a whip, such ashas been described. The fastest hoer takes the leadrow. He is usually about a rod in advance of hiscompanions. If one of them passes him, he is whip-ped. If one falls behind or is a moment idle, he iswhipped. In fact, the lash is flying from morninguntil night, the whole day long. The hoeing seasonthus continues from April until July, a held havingno sooner been finished once, than it is commencedagain.In the latter part of August begins the cotton pick-ing season. At this time each slave is presentedwith a sack. A strap is fastened to it, which goesover the neck, holding the mouth of the sack breasthigh, while the bottom reaches nearly to the ground.Each one is also presented with a large basket thatwill hold about two barrels. This is to put the cottonin when the sack is filled. The baskets are carriedto the field and placed at the beginning of the rows.When a new hand, one unaccustomed to the busi-ness, is sent for the first time into the field, he iswhipped up smartly, and made for that day to pickas fast as he can possibly. At night it is weighed,so that his capability in cotton picking is known.He must bring in the same weight each night follow-ing. If it falls short, it is considered evidence thathe has been laggard, and a greater or less numberof lashes is the penalty.

　　166 TWELVE YEARS A SLAVE.An ordinary day's work is two hundred pounds.A slave who is accustomed to picking, is punished,if he or she brings in a less quantity than that.There is a great difference among them as regardsthis kind of labor. Some of them seem to have anatural knack, or quickness, which enables them topick with great celerity, and with both hands, whileothers, with whatever practice or industry, are utterlyunable to come up to the ordinary standard. Suchhands are taken from the cotton field and employedin other business. Patsey, of whom I shall havemore to say, was known as the most remarkable cot-ton picker on Bayou Boeuf. She picked with bothhands and with such surprising rapidity, that fivehundred pounds a day was not unusual for her.Each one is tasked, therefore, according to hispicking abilities, none, however, to come short of twohundred weight. I, being unskillful always in thatbusiness, would have satisfied my master by bringingin the latter quantity, while on the other hand, Pat-sey would surely have been beaten if she failed toproduce twice as much.The cotton grows from five to seven feet high, eachstalk having a great many branches, shooting out inall directions, and lapping each other above the wa-ter furrow.There are few sights more pleasant to the eye,than a wide cotton field when it is in the bloom. Itpresents an appearance of purity, like an immaculateexpanse of light, new-fallen snow.

　　COTTON PICKING. 167Sometimes the slave picks down one side of a row,and back upon the other, but more usually, there isone on either side, gathering all that has blossomed,leaving the unopened bolls for a succeeding picking."When the sack is filled, it is emptied into the basket andtrodden down. It is necessary to be extremely care-ful the first time going through the field, in order notto break the branches off the stalks. The cottonwill not bloom upon a broken branch. Epps neverfailed to inflict the severest chastisement on the un-lucky servant who, either carelessly or unavoidably,was guilty in the least degree in this respect.The hands are required to be in the cotton field assoon as it is light in the morning, and, with the ex-ception of ten or fifteen minutes, which is given themat noon to swallow their allowance of cold bacon,they are not permitted to be a moment idle until itis too dark to see, and when the moon is full, theyoften times labor till the middle of the night. Theydo not dare to stop even at dinner time, nor returnto the quarters, however late it be, until the order tohalt is given by the driver.The clay's work over in the field, the baskets are" toted," or in other words, carried to the gin-house,where the cotton is weighed. No matter how fa-tigued and weary he may be — no matter how muchhe longs for sleep and rest — a slave never approachesthe gin-house with his basket of cotton but with fear.If it falls short in weight — if he has not performedthe full task appointed him, he knows that he must

　　1G8 TWELVE YEARS A SLATE.suffer. And if he lias exceeded it by ten or twentypounds, in all probability his master will measure thenext day's task accordingly. So, whether he has toolittle or too much, his approach to the gin-house isalways with fear and trembling. Most frequentlythey have too little, and therefore it is they are notanxious to leave the held. After weighing, follow thewhippings ; and then the baskets are carried to thecotton house, and their contents stored away like hay,all hands being sent in to tramp it down. If the cot-ton is not dry, instead of taking it to the gin-houseat once, it is laid upon platforms, two feet high, andsome three times as wide, covered with boards orplank, with narrow walks running between them.This done, the labor of the day is not yet ended, byany means. Each one must then attend to his re-spective chores. One feeds the mules, another theswine — another cuts the wood, and so forth ; besides,the packing is all done by candle light. Finally, ata late hour, they reach the quarters, sleepy and over-come with the long day's toil. Then a fire must bekindled in the cabin, the corn ground in the smallhand-mill, and supper, and dinner for the next day inthe field, prepared. All that is allowed them is cornand bacon, which is given out at the corncrib andsmoke-house every Sunday morning. Each one re-ceives, as his weekly, allowance, three and a halfpounds of bacon, and corn enough to make a peck ofmeal. That is all — no tea, coffee, sugar, and withthe exception of a very scanty sprinkling now and

　　CABEST LIFE. 169then, no salt. I can say, from a ten years' residencewith Master Epps, that no slave of his is ever likelyto suffer from the gout, superinduced by excessivehigh living. Master Epps' hogs were fed on shelledcorn — it was thrown out to his "niggers" in theear. The former, he thought, would fatten faster byshelling, and soaking it in the water — -the latter,perhaps, if treated in the same manner, might growtoo fat to labor. Master Epps was a shrewd cal-culator, and knew how to manage his own animals,drunk or sober.The corn mill stands in the yard beneath a shelter.It is like a common coffee mill, the hopper holdingabout six quarts. There was one privilege whichMaster Epps granted freely to every slave he had.They might grind their corn nightly, in such smallquantities as their daily wants required, or theymight grind the whole week's allowance at one time,on Sundays, just as they preferred. A very gener-ous man was Master Epps !I kept my corn in a small wooden box, the meal ina gourd ; and, by the way, the gourd is one of the 'most convenient and necessary utensils on a planta-tion. Besides supplying the place of all kinds ofcrockery in a slave cabin, it is used for carryingwater to the fields. Another, also, contains the din-ner. It dispenses with the necessity of pails, dippers,basins, and such tin and wooden superfluities alto-gether.When the corn is ground, and fire is made, theH

　　170 TWELVE YEARS A SLAVE.bacon is taken down from the nail on which it hangs,a slice cut off and thrown npon the coals to broil.The majority of slaves have no knife, much less afork. They cut their bacon with the axe at the wood-pile. The corn meal is mixed with a little water,placed in the fire, and baked. When it is "donebrown," the ashes are scraped off, and being placedupon a chip, which answers for a table, the tenant ofthe slave hut is ready to sit down upon the ground tosupper. By this time it is usually midnight. Thesame fear of punishment with which they approachthe gin-house, possesses them again on lying down toget a snatch of rest. It is the fear of oversleeping inthe morning. Such an offence would certainly beattended with not less than twenty lashes. With aprayer that he may be on his feet and wide awake atthe first sound of the horn, he sinks to his slumbersnightly.The softest couches in the world are not to be foundin the log mansion of the slave. The one whereon Ireclined year after year, was a plank twelve incheswide and ten feet long. My pillow was a stick ofwood. The Oedding was a coarse blanket, and not arag or shred beside. Moss might be used, were it notthat it directly breeds a swarm of fleas.The cabin is constructed of logs, without floor orwindow. The latter is altogether unnecessary, thecrevices between the logs admitting sufficient light.In stormy weather the rain drives through them,rendering it comfortless and extremely disagreeable.

　　THE SLAVE'S LAB0KS. 171The rude door hangs on great wooden hinges. In oneend is constructed an awkward fire-place.An hour before day light the horn is blown. Thenthe slaves arouse, prepare their breakfast, fill a gourdwith water, in another deposit their dinner of coldbacon and corn cake, and hurry to the field again.It is an offence invariably followed by a flogging, tobe found at the quarters after daybreak. Then thefears and labors of another day begin ; and until itsclose there is no such thing as rest. He fears he willbe caught lagging through the day ; he fears toapproach the gin-house with his basket-load of cottonat night ; he fears, when he lies down, that he willoversleep himself in the morning. Such is a true,faithful, unexaggerated picture and description ofthe slave's daily life, during the time of cotton-pick-ing, on the shores of Bayou Boeuf.In the month of January, generally, the fourth andlast picking is completed. Then commences the har-vesting of corn. This is considered a secondary crop,and receives far less attention than the cotton. It isplanted, as already mentioned, in February. Corn isgrown in that region for the purj30se of fatteninghogs and feeding slaves ; very little, if any, being sentto market. It is the white variety, the ear of greatsize, and the stalk growing to the height of eight,and often times ten feet. In August the leaves are■stripped off, dried in the sun, bound in small bundles,and stored away as provender for the mules and oxen.After this the slaves go through the field, turning

　　172 TWELVE YEAES A SLAVE.down the ear, for the purpose of keeping the rainsfrom penetrating to the grain. It is left in this condi-tion until after cotton-picking is over, whether earlieror later. Then the ears are separated from the stalks,and deposited in the corncrib with the husks on;otherwise, stripped of the husks, the weevil woulddestroy it. The stalks are left standing in the field.The Carolina, or sweet potato, is also grown in thatregion to some extent. They are not fed, however,to hogs or cattle, and are considered but of small im-portance. They are preserved by placing them uponthe surface of the ground, with a slight covering ofearth or cornstalks. There is not a cellar on BayouBceuf. The ground is so low it would fill with water.Potatoes are worth from two to three "bits," orshillings a barrel ; corn, except when there is anunusual scarcity, can be purchased at the same rate.As soon as the cotton and corn crops are secured,the stalks are pulled up, thrown into piles and burned.The ploughs are started at the same time, throwingup the beds again, preparatory to another planting.The soil, in the parishes of Rapides and Avoyelles,and throughout the whole country, so far as my. obser-vation extended, is of exceeding richness and fertility.It is a kind of marl, of a brown or reddish color. Itdoes not require those invigorating composts neces-sary to more barren lands, and on the same field thesame crop is grown for many successive years.Ploughing, planting, picking cotton, gathering thecorn, and pulling and burning stalks, occupies the

　　PRESERVING- BACON. 173whole of the four seasons of the year. Drawing andcutting wood, pressing cotton, fattening and killinghogs, are but incidental labors.In the month of September or October, the hogsare run out of the swamps by dogs, and confined inpens. On a cold morning, generally about NewTear's day, they are slaughtered. Each carcass iscut into six parts, and piled one above the other insalt, upon large tables in the smoke-house. In thiscondition it remains a fortnight, when it is hung up,and a fire built, and continued more than half thetime during the remainder of the year. This thoroughsmoking is necessary to prevent the bacon from be-coming infested with worms. In so warm a climateit is difficult to preserve it, and very many times my-self and my companions have received our weeklyallowance of three pounds and a half, when it wasfull of these disgusting vermin.Although the swamps are overrun with cattle, theyare never made the source of profit, to any considera-ble extent. The planter cuts his mark upon the ear,or brands his initials upon the side, and turns theminto the swamps, to roam unrestricted within theiralmost limitless confines. They are the Spanish breed,small and spike-horned. I have known of drovesbeing taken from Bayou Boeuf, but it is of very rareoccurrence. The value of the best cows is about fivedollars each. Two quarts at one milking, would beconsidered an unusual large quantity. They furnishlittle tallow, and that of a soft, inferior quality. Not-

　　174 TWELVE YEARS A SLAVE.withstanding the great number of cows that throngthe swamps, the planters are indebted to the Northfor their cheese and butter, which is purchased in the!New-Orleans market. Salted beef is not an article offood either in the great house, or in the cabin.Master Epps was accustomed to attend shootingmatches for the purpose of obtaining what fresh beefhe required. These sports occurred weekly at theneighboring 1 village of Holmesville. Fat beeves aredriven thither and shot at, a stipulated price beingdemanded for the privilege. The lucky marksmandivides the flesh among his fellows, and in this man-ner the attending planters are supplied.The great number of tame and untamed cattlewhich swarm the woods and swamps of Bayou Bceuf,most probably suggested that appellation to theFrench, inasmuch as the term, translated, signifies thecreek or river of the wild ox.Garden products, such as cabbages, turnips and thelike, are cultivated for the use of the master and hisfamily. They have greens and vegetables at all timesand seasons of the year. " The grass withereth andthe flower fadeth" before the desolating winds of au-tumn in the chill northern latitudes, but perpetualverdure overspreads the hot lowlands, and flowersbloom in the heart of winter, in the region of BayouBceuf.There are no meadows appropriated to the cultiva-tion of the grasses. The leaves of the corn supply asufficiency of food for the laboring cattle, while the

　　LIFE AT THE SOUTH. 175rest provide for themselves all the year in the ever-growing pasture.There are many other peculiarities of climate,habit, custom, and of the manner of living and labor-ing at the South, but the foregoing, it is supposed,will give the reader an insight and general idea oflife on a cotton plantation in Louisiana. The modeof cultivating cane, and the process of sugar manu-facturing, will be mentioned in another place.