The Georgia contrabands were great on conundrums, says a soldier of
Sherman's army. One day one of these human "charcoal sketches" was
driving a pair of contrary mules hitched to a cart loaded with foraging
stuff. He was sitting on the load, saying to himself, "Now dat Clem ax me
dat cundrum to bodder dis nigger, and I done just make it out. 'Why ar
Moses like er cotton-gin?' I done see. I mighty 'fraid I hab to gib dat
up. Whoa! Git up? What de debble you doin'?"
While "cudgelling his brains" for a solution of Clem's conundrum, the
mules had strayed from the cart road, and were stuck hard and fast in the
mud. "Git up dar yer Balum's cusses!" piling on the whip and using some
"swear words" not to be repeated. "Dar, take dat, and dat, yer!"
Just then Chaplain C. rode up, and hearing the contraband swearing,
said,--
"Do you know what the great I Am said?"
"Look'er yer, masser," interrupted the negro; "done yer ax me none of yer
cundrums till I git out ob dis d---- hole; and I answer Clem's fust--'Why
am Moses like er gin-cotton?'"