James Gates
03-18-2001, 06:33 AM
Burnt Island Deer Camp is over 100 years old. Uncle Mose, the cook and guru, is a great old black man. He has helped raise most of the members and they all loved him dearly. he managed to put all his kids through college. Anyway, Uncle Mose has one fault....If he ever gets into the "cane skimmings" he goes "walking" Then everybody has to go look for him! Last Thanksgiving, as I do each year, I came in to begin the "feed" I put on. This lasts from Weds night till Sunday. I have about 25 friends and kin and they camp all over the place. Uncle Mose was to watch camp, but before Big Bob left ,he gave Uncle Mose a jug....wrong thing to do! Thsnkgiving night, the High Sheriff, who is Little Hank's first cousin called and said Uncle Mose was headed toward Cedar Key in Little Hank's Swamp Buggy! All the bunch headed out to find Uncle Mose! Little Hank and I took off South down Hwy 349 and sure enough we found the Swamp Buggy turned upside down in the ditch! We figured Uncle Mose was under it. There was a crowd there and told us he had be taken to the hospital in Gainesville. I turned on the 300 watt "kicker" and called everyone on the radio. little Hank and I fired off to Gainesville. When we got there we were told he was alright, with only a broken arm and some cuts on the head. We walked into the room and found Uncle Mose with his head wrapped up and arm in a cast. Before we could say a thing, Mose said, " Mister Hank. Yo' ain' never own' no slave. but now yo' does!" Oh well.............! Mose couldn't understand why we were crying! They let us take Uncle Mose back to the Hammock and Cissey put him to bed. We don't let him have any car keys anymore!
Best Regards, James
Best Regards, James