Subject:Firewood
Entries
Entry 1254
Dey say dat if yo' come prey wit a diff'rent disease, yo' could go to a dogwood tree an' git some root an' skin de bark from de sunrise side, an' go to a cherry tree and git de bark from de sunset side. An' then go to a firewood tree - dey call it firewood tree [the ironwood CyriZla racemeflora of southeastern U. S. A.; a number of trees are called iron- wood] - an' git some from de south side, an' put those ingredients together, and it would fin'lly turn if yo' had - somebody had tricked yo' or somepin, it would turn all dat away from yo' an' yo' become well. Ah heard dat.
(Well, what would they do with those barks? How would they fix those up?)
Dey said dey would take 'em jes' lak if ah got a bark from de dogwood an' one from de cherry, ah would take dem an' de firewood tree. Ah'd take dose barks an' ah put 'em in a pot an' ah boil 'em down to a certain ingredients, so dat dey Would become liquid, yo' know. Git some of de strength from each one. An' then ah would use 'em as a drug fo' to take or to rub until de parts dat were affected would pass - de pain would leave an' ah'd become well.
(What is a firewood tree?)
It's a tree that grows in the woods. De leaves all when dey come out, the bright side - in de nighttime dey give a light, jes' de same as if it was de, yo' see, de moon or somepin shinin' on it. It has a brighter leaf den any othah tree in de woods. Dey call dat firewood.
(Do they grow that out here?)
No suh, dey all be in de rivah swamps, mostly in the rivah swamps - jes' lak soggy [ground] or somewhere lak dat. Yo' mo' or less find dose kinda tree in that.