Since, in the case of the most of these visits, there had been no notice given in advance that a stranger was expected, I had the advantage of seeing the real, everyday life of the people.
In the plantation districts I found that, as a rule, the whole family slept in one room, and that in addition to the immediate family there sometimes were relatives, or others not related to the family, who slept in the same room.

On more than one occasion I went outside the house to get ready for bed, or to wait until the family had gone to bed.

They usually contrived some kind of a place for me to sleep, either on the floor or in a special part of another's bed.

Rarely was there any place provided in the cabin where one could bathe even the face and hands, but usually some provision was made for this outside the house, in the yard.
The common diet of the people was fat pork and corn bread.

At times I have eaten in cabins where they had only corn bread and "black-eye peas" cooked in plain water.