"That well out dere? Naw, dat ain't old. Dat ain't been dere mo'un
fifteen-twenty year. De ole well, she was ole, though she nevuh war much
good. Paw ain't dug et in de right place. Old Shep Brown tolt him, but
my old man ain't nevuh pay no mine to old Shep.
"But old Shep sho' did know how tuh dig uh well. Ah kin see now him ah
comin' up de lane when paw was adiggin'. Moble [SP: Mobile] he say--my
paw an' me had de same name--Moble [SP: Mobile], ye ain't diggin' dat
well de right place.
"'Diggin' et wheer ah wants et,' answers paw, a diggin' away en de hole
shoulder deep.
"'Well, ye ain't gonna git much water. Oughta got yo'se'f uh ellum
stick.'
"'Don' need no ellum stick. Diggin' dis well in my own youd an' ah'm
gonna dig et jes' wheer ah wants et. Go haid an' dig yo' own well.'
"Well, old Shep musta got sorta mad, cause he goes home an' de nex' day
he digs hisse'f uh well.
"Ah seen him. Ah watched him when he figgered wheer tuh dig dat well.
Sho' nuf old Shep got hisse'f uh prime ellum stick fum ah good sized
branch dat was forked. First he skint all de bark off.
"'Kain't fine no water lessen ye skin de bark off,' he tell me. Long
'bout 2-3 feet on each limb, et was. Well, old Shep tek dat ellum stick
wid one fork in each hand an' de big end straight up in de air an' he
holt it tight an' started tuh walk around, wid me followin' right on his
heels. An sho' nuff, perty soon ah seed dat branch commence tuh shake
an' den et started tuh bend an' old Shep let et lead him across de field
wid et bendin' lower all de time tell perty soon de big end uh dat ellum
stick point straight down.
"Old Shep marked de spot an' got his pick an' commence tuh dig out dat
spot. An' fo' old Shep had got down mo'un five uh six feet ah be dawg ef
he don' hit uh stream uh water dat filt up de well in uh hurry so dat he
git his laigs all wet fo' he kin clamb out.
"An' yuh moughten believe et but ah know dat tuh be uh fac', cause ah
tuk dat ellum stick in muh own han's an' ah felt dat stick apullin' me
back tuh dat water. No matter which way ah turn, dat stick keep
atwistin' me roun' toward dat water. An' ah tried tuh pull et back an'
old Shep tuk hole uh et wid me an' tried tuh hole et up straight but de
big end uh dat ellum branch pult down and pointed tuh dat well spite uh
both uh us.
"Still dere? Nawsuh, ah reckon dat old well been crumbled in an' filled
up long time now. Old Shep died back en 93, ah reckon. His old shack
blowed down, an' ah reckon dat ole well all covered up. But dat was some
well while she lasted. Gave mo' water dan all de udder wells in
Poquoson, ah reckon."
450008
[HW: Jones, Albert]
Interview of Ex-slave and
Civil War Veteran
Portsmouth, Virginia
By--Thelma Dunston
January 8, 1937