SLAVE NARRATIVES Volume 11

“Run nigger, run,De Patteroll git you!Run nigger, run,De Patteroll come! “Watch nigger, watch—De Patteroll trick you!Watch nigger, watch,He got a big gun!” Dat one of the songs de slaves all knowed, and de children down on de “twenty acres” used to sing it when dey playing in de moonlight ‘round de cabins in de quarters. Sometime I wonder iffen de white folks didn’t make dat song up so us niggers would keep in line. None of my old Master’s boys tried to git away ‘cepting two, and dey met up wid evil, both of ‘em.