from. So we say we work in slavery five year and de six months for nothinâ, now we work for money and gittee in de ship and go back to our country. We think Capân Meaher and Capân Fosterdey ought take us back home. But we think we save money and buy de ticket ourselves. So we tell de women, âNow we all want go back home. Somebody tell us it take lot of money to keer us back in de Affica soil. Derefoâ we got to work hard and save de money. You must help too. You see fine clothes, you must not wish for dem.â De women tell us dey do all dey kin to get back in dey country, and dey tellee us, âYou see fine clothes, donât you wish for dem neither.â
âWe work hard and try save our money. But it too much money we need. So we think we stay here.
âWe see we ainâ got no ruler. Nobody to be de father to de rest. We ainâ got no king neither no chief lak in de Affica. We doan try get no king âcause nobody among us ainâ born no king. Dey tell us nobody doan have no king in âMerica soil. Derefoâ we make Gumpa de head. He a nobleman back in Dahomey. We ainâ mad wid him âcause de king of Dahomey âstroy our king and sell us to de white man. He didnât do nothinâ âginst us.
âDerefore we join ourselves together to live. But we say, âWe ainâ in de Affica soil no moâ we ainâ gottee no lanâ.â Derefoâ we talk together so we say, âDey bring us âway from our soil and workee us hard de five year and six months. We go to Capân Tim and Capân Jim and dey give us de lanâ, so we makee houses for ourself.â
âDey say, âCudjo, you always talkee good, so you go tell de white men and tellee dem whut de Affican say.â
âAll de Afficans we workee hard, we gittee work in de saw mill and de powder mill. Some us work for de railroad. De women work too so dey kin help us. Dey doanwork for de white folks. Dey raisee de garden and put de basket on de head and go in de Mobile and sell de vegetable, we makee de basket and de women sellee dem too.
âDerefoâ, you unnerstand me, it one day not long after dey tell me to speakee for lanâ so we buildee our houses, Cudjo cuttinâ timber for de mill. It a place where de school-house at now. Capân Tim Meaher come sit on de tree Cudjo just choppee down. I say, now is de time for Cudjo to speakee for his people. We want lanâ so much I almost cry and derefoâ I stoppee work and lookee and lookee at Capân Tim. He set on de tree choppin splinters wid his pocket knife. When he doan hear de axe on de tree no moâ he look up and see Cudjo standinâ dere. Derefoâ he astee me, âCudjo, what make you so sad?â
âI tell him, âCapân Tim, I grieve for my home.â
âHe say, âBut you got a good home, Cudjo.â
âCudjo say, âCapân Tim, how big is de Mobile?â
ââI doan know, Cudjo, Iâve never been to de four corners.â
ââWell, if you give Cudjo all de Mobile, dat railroad, and all de banks, Cudjo doan want it âcause it ainâ home. Capân Tim, you brought us from our country where we had lanâ. You made us slave. Now dey make us free but we ainâ got no country and we ainâ got no lanâ! Why doan you give us piece dis land so we kin buildee ourself a home?â
âCapân jump on his feet and say, âFool do you think I goinâ give you property on top of property? I tookee good keer my slaves in slavery and derefoâ I doan owe dem nothin? You doan belong to me now, why must I give you my lanâ?â
âCudjo tell Gumpa call de people together and he tell dem whut Capân Tim say. Dey say, âWell we buy ourself a piece of lanâ.â
âWe workee hard and save, and eat molassee and bread and buy de land from de Meaher. Dey doan take off one
Bret Witter, Luis Carlos Montalván