CHAPTER7
The fight
Our first building job was on Ford’s plantation in Bayou Boeuf. I met Eliza there. I had not seen her for several months, and in that time she had become weak and thin. She asked me many times if I remembered her handsome son and beautiful daughter.
Master Ford’s overseer on his plantation was called Mr Chapin. He was a rough man, but he was kind, and he was not a friend of Timbeats.
We were building a kitchen house. From first light until late at night, Tibeats did not allow me a moment’s rest. Although I worked hard for him and earned him lots of money, he hated me.
One night, I worked until it was too dark to see. Tibeats gave me my orders for the next day.
‘Get up before daylight and fetch a bag of nails from Overseer Chapin; he said ; Get back here to the kitchen house, and start putting up the east wall;
The next morning, Chapin gave me the nails.
‘If they’re the wrong size; Chapin said; I’ll get you some different ones. But start the job with these;
Chapin then climbed on his horse and rode off to the cotton fields. I got to work on the kitchen house. There was nobody else around.
‘I thought I told you to build the east wall; he said.
‘Yes, Master, that’s what I’m doing.’
‘I told you to get a bag of nails from Chapin; he said.
‘yes, Master, I did.’
‘You got the wrong size; he said.