"Yes suh! I done seen wild deer hop ovar fences, and hundreds of wild turkeys. We used to build turkey pens and dig a trench, put feed in dere and covar it ovar wid bresh and de turkeys would come to feed, and we would trap’ em. Yes, ma’am, an I done seen 100 to 150 wild turkeys in a flock. I has dat! Lots of wild pigeons, too. I has seen a thousand geese flyin’ over in the early mornin’. Then I’ve trapped quail too, in rail pens, built ten feet square. Yes, suh!
"But listen!—slaves couldn’t shoot; was a law agin it in slaves times; no slave could own or shoot a gun. We couldn’t shoot game. An’ dat come dis way. President Jackson say, ’Keep books and guns outa slaves’ hands if you want to keep ’em slaves’."
Joe Higgerson chuckled a little with a glint of humor in his eyes and changed the subject.
"Everybody made whiskey in dem days, had little ’stilleries all over the country, made apple and peach brandy. Good too. One day I was sent to a neighbor’s for brandy. I took a little taste and walked on. Den I took anoder little taste, and walked on. Den I took anoder little taste and sot down de jug. Den I took anoder little taste, and so on and so on. Pretty soon I looked up, and I nevar did know how I got to whar I’se gwin ter. Nobody ever say anything about it or tell me nuffin! I guess somebody carry me whar I’se gwin ter."
He was asked if he ever remembered seeing slaves sold at Boonville.
"Yes, ma’am!" he exclaimed. "Why down at Boonville, woman and a baby was put up to be sold, and de buyer he want de woman, but he don’t want de baby, so they separated ’em, and was gettin’ ready to put ’em on de boat for Noo Orleans, and ship ’em down de river, and de woman she ran back to kiss de baby goodbye, and de tradar picked up a whip and cracked it and shouts, ’A bellerin’ cow will soon forget its calf’. She was sold down de river and nevar saw de baby again. Now dat was sad." He paused and then resumed.
"One tradar, name of Henry Moore, he used to handcuff all the niggahs together till time to put ’em on de boat for Noo Orleans. Dey always carried whips and they’d crack dem to see how far de darkies could jump. Yes, Suh!! Yes, Suh!!! Deed they did!!!"
This reminiscence tickled him mightily and he laughed heartily at thoughts of the capers the negroes cut when the whip cracked.