Balti: Ain't had so much luck since we been fishin' here. Dis here place done fish out.
Tunga: Less we lef' here and go to Boggy Gut. Ain't nobody fish much dere.
Old Bill: I rudder stay here and don't have so much fish. I never is think too much of Boggy Gut.
Tunga: How come you ain't want to go to Boggy Gut?
Old Bill: Is you 'member hearin' 'bout Ole Man Rogan name call?
Balti: I hear Ole Man Rogan name call, but I ain't know nothin' 'bout him. Tell we.
Old Bill: Ole Man Rogan nuse to sell nigger in slavery time. Dat's wey he nuse to fishin', and every time he come for res' he come to Boggy Gut. Ole Man Rogan a man wid curious ways. He ain't beat a nigger much, and he guin him plenty to eat, and he bring 'em here in drove and he have 'em chained together, but he have curious ways and he ain't have but one pleasure,--settin' fishin'. He always buy ooman wid chillun, and ooman wid husband, and ain't nobody can buy from Ole Man Rogan mother and chile or man and ooman. He great pleasure been to part. He always love to take er baby away from he ma and sell it, and take he ma somewhere else and sell her, and ain't luh 'em see one another again. He love to part a man and he ooman, sell de man one place and sell de ooman another, and dat look like all Ole Man Rogan live for, and when he ain't 'casion 'stress dat er way, he been onrestless. He love to see a man wid he head bowed down in 'stress, and he love to see chillun holdin' out dey arms cryin' for dey mother, and he always looked satisfied when he see tear runnin' down de face of er ooman when she weepin' for her chile.
And Ole Man Rogan die on Boggy Gut, and ever since den he sperrit wander and wander from Boggy Gut to de river and wander 'cross de big swamps to Congaree. Whether it be God or whether it be devil, de sperrit of Ole Man Rogan ain't got no res'. Some time in de night ef you'll set on Boggy Gut, you'll
-48-
Questia, a part of Gale, Cengage Learning. www.questia.com
Publication information:
Book title: Tales of the Congaree.
Contributors: Edward C. L. Adams - Author, Robert G. O'Meally - Editor.
Publisher: University of North Carolina Press.
Place of publication: Chapel Hill, NC.
Publication year: 1987.
Page number: 48.
This material is protected by copyright and, with the exception of fair use, may not be further copied, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means.
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