“Then when they started to leave, one old Yankee set the corner of the house on fire.  We all got busy then, white folks and darkies both carry in’ water ter put it out.  We got it out but while we doin’ that, mind out, they went down the lane to the road by the duck pond we had dug out.  One old soldier spied a goose settin’ in the grass.  She been so scared she never come to the house no more.  Nobody knowed there was one on our place.  He took his javelin and stuck it through her back.  She started hollowin’ and flutterin’ till the horses, nearly all of em, started runnin’ and some of em buckin’.  We got the fire bout out.  We couldn’t help laughin’ it look so funny.  I been bustin’ I was so mad cause they tried take old Beck.  Three of em horses throwd em.  They struck out cross the jimpson weeds and down through the corn patch tryin’ to head off their horses.  Them horses throwd em sprawlin’.  That was the funniest sight I ever seed.

“We got our water out of a cave.  It was good cold limestone water.  We had a long pole and a rope with a bucket on the end.  We swing the pole round let it down then pull it back and tie it.  They go to the other end and git the bucket of water.  I toted bout all the water to both places what they used.  One day I goin’ to the cave after water.  I had a habit of throwin’ till I got to be prutty exact bout hittin’.  I spied a hornets nest in a tree long the lane.  I knowd them soldiers be long back fer sompin else, pillagin’ bout.  It wasn’t long show nuff they come back and went up to the house.

“I got a pile of rocks in my hands.  I hid down in the hazel nut bushes.  When they come by gallopin’ I throwd an’ hit that big old hornets nest.  The way they piled out on them soldiers.  You could see em fightin’ far as you could see em wid their blue caps.  The horses runnin’ and buckin’.  I let out to the house to see what else they carried off.

“I tole Mars White bout how I hit that hornets nest wid the first rock I throwd.  He scolded me, for he said if they had seen me they would killed me.  It scared him.  He said don’t do no more capers like that.  That old hornets nest soon come down.  It was big as a water bucket.  Mars White call me son boy.  I tole him what terrible language they used, and bout some of the horses goin’ over the lane fence.  It was made outer rails piled up.  Mars White sho was glad they didn’t see me.  He kept on sayin’ son boy they would killed you right on the spot.  Don’t do nuthin’ to em to aggravate em.

“It look lack we couldn’t make a scratch on the ground nowhere the soldiers couldn’t find it.  We had a ash hopper settin’ all time.  We made our soap and lye hominy.  They took all our salt.  We couldn’t buy none.  We put the dirt in the hopper and simmered the water down to salt.  We hid that.  No they didn’t find it.  Our smoke house was logs dobbed wid mud and straw.  It was good size bout as big as our cabins.  It had somepin in it too.  All the time I tell you.