m 



F A R M E R S' K E G I S T E R . 



[No. I 



"Down the road, come show me de motion." 

 "Set to your partner, Dolly." — "Cut him out, 

 Gabe." — "Sal, does put hor foot jrood." — "Yonder 

 come de coal-black horse." — "The yallovv roan's 

 up! hear how he hambers! he's a rael r-tornier, 

 ring-clipper, snow-belcher and drag otrf."— "Con- 

 go is a scrouger; he's up a gum, and no bug-eater 

 1 tell you; he carries a broad row, weeds out every 

 thing— hoes de corn, and digs de taters." — "Molly 

 look like kildee: she move like, handsaw — see how 

 she shake lierself." — "Heilol in there, I wish 

 you all sen' us out some simmon beer." "Lor 1 

 see how Aggy shake her loot! she ken pull the 

 whip-saw down.'" — "Nick? come here and see 

 Ben cross hi' bow-legs! look at hi' mouf! when 

 he grin, hi' mouf and teeth like hen-ness full o' 

 eggs." — "Nick? I reckon if Taraar's cat stay in 

 there much longer, they will mash her guts out; her 

 skin 'oni hold peas." — "Come here, Gabe; come, 

 if you please; Jackson's Dick is dancing with 

 Ellington's Nance! see how she quivers ! Now, 

 Nance! — Try, Nance! — She does but look pret- 

 ty. — When she sets and turns, she is like apider 

 ^— and she is fine form, back. Dick shan't have 

 Nance; I'll kick him high as the meat house first." 

 [Sings.] "She bin to the norih, she 6i?i to the 

 south, she 6m to the east, she bin to the west, 

 she bin so liir beyond the sun, and she is 

 ihe gal for me." — "Dick had'nt no business 

 dancing with Nance; he ain't a man of gump- 

 tion. I tried hira, and he can't be made to 

 understand the duramatical part of the function, 

 the function of the fundamental, and \\\e imperaliiy 

 of ditrimental things. Gabe? Dick's a fool, and 

 you may tell him Sambo says so: he is knock- 

 knee'd, and ugly enough to eat Gumboy "Well, 

 I know that; sing on Sambo." 



" I went from the great-house, down to the kitchen, 

 To get a knot of Hght-woodto see to go fishing, 

 To treat granny Dirvi; 



I went to the stable, I cotch master gray horse, 

 I clap the saddle pov, him and he trot like do''iik care. 

 He (fo'/i/: care, he do'nk care. 



Having become tired of this out of door conver- 

 sation, we concluded to view the gioup in the 

 house. Here the banjor-man, was seated on the 

 beer barrel, injan oid chair. A long v/hite cow- 

 tail, queued with red ribbon, ornamented his head, 

 find hnng gracei'ully down his back ; over this 

 he wore a three-cocked hat, decorated with pea- 

 cock feathers, a rose cockade, a bunch ot ripe per- 

 simmons, and to cap the climax, three pods of red 

 pepper as a top-knot. Tumming his banjor, grin- 

 ning with ludicrous gesticulations and playing off 

 his wild notes to the company. Before him stood 

 two athletic blacks, with open mouth and pearl 

 while teeth, clapping J>jher to the notes of the 

 banjor ; the fourth black man held in his right 

 hand a jug gourd of persimmon beer, and in his 

 left, a dipper or water-gourd, to serve the compa- 

 ny; while two black women were employed in 

 filling the fire-place, six feet square, with larded 

 persimmon dou^h. The rest of the company, 

 male and female, were dancers, except a little 

 squat wench, who held the torch light. I had 

 neverseen Juber clapped to the banjor before, and 

 you may suppose I looked upon such a novel 

 peene, with some degree ofsurprise. Indeed 1 con- 



templated the dancing group, with sensations of' 

 wonder and astonishment ! The clappers rested 

 Ihe right foot on the heel, and its clap on the floor 

 was in perfect unison with the notes of the banjor, 

 and pahns of the hands on the correspondmir ex- 

 tremities; while the dancers were all jigging it 

 away in the merriest possible gaiety of "heart, 

 having the most ludricuous twists, wry jerks, and 

 flexile contortions of the body and limbs, that hu- 

 man imagination can divine. 



"The whole world is a ball we find,- 

 The water dances to the wind; 

 The sea itself, at night and noon. 

 Rises and dances to the moon. 



The earth and planets ro\ind the sun. 

 Still dance; nor will their dance be done, 

 Till nature in one blast is blended: 

 Then may we say the ball is ended." 



The rude ballad set to Juber, corresponds ad- 

 mirably with the music and actors in this wdd iiin- 

 tastic dance. While the clappers were laboring 

 in the performance of their office, they responded at 

 the same to the notes of th.e banjor. 



".Tuber up and Juber down, 

 Juber all around de town, 

 Juber dis, and Juber dat. 

 And Juber roun' the simmon vat. 



Ploe corn, hill tobacco, 



Get over double trouble, Juber boys, Juber. 



Uncle Phil, he went to mill. 

 He suck de sow, he starve de pig, 

 Eiit the svinmon, gi' me deseed, 

 I told him, I was not in need. 



Hoe corn 1 hill tobacco 1 



Get over double trouble, Juber boys, Juber. 



Aunt Kate? look on the high shelf. 

 Take down the husky dumpUn, 

 I'll eat it wi' my simmon cake. 

 To cure the rotten belly-ach. 



Hoe corn ! hill tobacco ! 



Get over double trouble, Juber boy Juber. 



Raccoon went to simmon town. 



To choose the rotten from de soun. 



Dare he sot, upon a sill. 



Eating of a whip-poor-will. 



Hoe corn ! hill tobaccco ! ' 



Get over double trouble, Juber boys Juber." 



When supper was announced, the banjor-man, 

 was first served; then the clappers and beer bear- 

 er, and lastly, the beaux and their partners. Each 

 had a huge loaf of larded persimmon bread with 

 a gourd of beer. 



Thus ended the beer dance, and as I left the 

 house, I thought to myself, that Virginia slaves, 

 were the happiest of the human race — and I still 

 think so. 



"The learn'd is happy, nature to explore. 

 The fool is happy that he knows no more." 



Solomon the wisest man, says — "' in much wis- 

 dom, there is much grief : and he that increaseth 

 knowledge, increaseth sorrow." 



The beer dance, [ have attempted to describe, 

 is a faint representation of what actually occurred. 

 It requires an abler pen to it justice; I feel mortified 

 that I cannot give a more vivid and glowing des- 



