biggin fuh bun. Buh Rabbit say: “Hey! me pot duh bun. Lemme slip to Buh
Wolf spring an git some water fuh cool um.” So eh tek eh calabash an
hop off fuh de spring. Wen eh ketch de spring, eh see de Tar Baby duh
tan dist een front er de spring. Eh stonish. Eh stop. Eh come close.
Eh look at um. Eh wait fur um fuh mobe. De Tar Baby yent notice um. Eh
yent wink eh yeye. Eh yent say nuttne. Eh yent mobe. Buh Rabbit, him
say: “Hey titter, enty you guine tan one side an lemme git some water?”
De Tar Baby no answer. Den Buh Rabbit say: “Leely Gal, mobe, me tell
you, so me kin dip some water outer de spring long me calabash.” De
Tar Baby wunt mobe. Buh Babbit say: “Enty you know me pot duh bun?
Enty you know me hurry? Enty you yeddy me tell you fuh mobe? You see
dis han? Ef you dont go long and lemme git some water, me guine slap
yon ober.” De Tar Baby stan day. Buh Rabbit haul off an slap um side
de head. Eh han fastne. Buh Rabbit try fuh pull eh hand back, en eh
say: “Wuh you hole me han fuh? Lemme go. Ef you dont loose me, me guine
box de life outer you wid dis tarruh han.” De Tar Baby yent crack eh
teet. Buh Rabbit hit um, bim, wid eh tarruh han. Dat han fastne too
same luk tudder. Buh Babbit say: “Wuh you up teh? Tun me loose. Ef you
dont leggo me right off, me guine knee you.” De Tar Baby hole um fas.
Buh Rabbit skade an bex too. Eh faid Buh Wolf come ketch um. Wen eh
fine eh cant loosne eh han, eh kick de Tar Baby wid eh knee. Eh knee
fastne. Yuh de big trouble now. Buh Rabbit skade den wus den nebber. Eh
try fuh skade de Tar Baby. Eh say: “Leely Gal, you better mine who you
duh fool long. Me tell you, fuh de las time, tun me loose. Ef you dont
loosne me han an me knee right off, me guine bus you wide open wid dis
head.” De Tar Baby hole um fas. Eh yent say one wud. Den Buh Rabbit but
de Tar Baby een eh face. Eh head fastne same fashion luk eh han an eh
knee. Yuh de ting now. Po Buh Rabbit done fuh. Eh fastne all side. Eh
cant pull loose. Eh gib up. Eh bague. Eh cry. Eh holler. Buh Wolf yeddy
um. Eh run day. Eh hail Buh Rabbit: “Hey Budder; wuh de trouble? Enty
you tell me you no blan wisit me spring fuh git water? Who calabash
dis? Wuh you duh do yuh anyhow?” Buh Rabbit so condemn eh yent hab one
wud fuh talk. Buh Wolf, him say: “Nummine, I done ketch you dis day.
I guine lick you now.” Buh Rabbit bague. Eh bague. Eh prommus nebber
fuh trouble Buh Wolf spring no mo. Buh Wolf laugh at um. Den eh tek an
loose Buh Rabbit from de Tar Baby, an eh tie um teh one spakleberry
bush, an eh git switch an eh lick um tel eh tired. All de time Buh
Rabbit bin a bague an a holler. Buh Wolf yent duh listne ter um, but
eh keep on duh pit de lick ter um. At las Buh Rabbit tell Buh Wolf:
“Dont lick me no mo. Kill me one time. Mek fire an bun me up. Knock me
brains out gin de tree.” Buh Wolf mek answer: “Ef I bun you up, ef I
knock you brains out, you guine dead too quick. Me guine trow you in de
brier-patch, so de brier kin scratch you life out.” Buh Rabbit say: “Do
Buh Wolf, bun me: broke me neck, but dont trow me in de brier patch.
Lemme dead one time. Dont tarrify me no mo.” Buh Wolf yent bin know wuh
Buh Rabbit up teh. Eh tink eh bin guine tare Buh Rabbit hide off. So,
wuh eh do? Eh loose Buh Rabbit from de spakleberry bush, an eh tek um
by de hine leg, an eh swing um roun, an eh trow um way in de tick brier
patch fuh tare eh hide an cratch eh yeye out. De minnit Buh Rabbit drap
in de brier patch, eh cock up eh tail, eh jump, an holler back to Buh
Wolf: “Good bye, Budder! Dis de place me mammy fotch me up,--dis de
place me mammy fotch me up.” An eh gone befo Buh Wolf kin ketch um. Buh
Rabbit too scheemy.
THE WONDERFUL TAR-BABY STORY
HARRIS’S VERSION
“Didn’t the fox _never_ catch the rabbit, Uncle Remus?” asked the
little boy the next evening.
“He come mighty nigh it, honey, sho’s you born--Brer Fox did. One day
atter Brer Rabbit fool ’im wid dat calamus root, Brer Fox went ter
wuk en got ’im some tar, en mix it wid some turkentime, en fix up a
contrapshun wat he call a Tar-Baby, en he tuck dish yer Tar-Baby en he
sot ’er in de big road, en den he lay off in de bushes for to see wat
de news wuz gwineter be. En he didn’t hatter wait long, nudder, kaze
bimeby here come Brer Rabbit pacin’ down de road--lippity-clippity,
clippity-lippity--dez ez sassy ez a Jay-bird. Brer Fox he lay low. Brer
Rabbit come prancin’ ’long twel he spy de Tar-Baby, en den he fotch up
on his behime legs like he wuz ’stonished. De Tar-Baby, she sot dar,
she did, en Brer Fox, he lay low.
“‘Mawnin’!’ sez Brer Rabbit, sezee--’nice wedder dis mawnin’,’ sezee.
“Tar-Baby ain’t sayin’ nothin’, en Brer Fox, he lay low.
“‘How duz yo’ sym’tums seem ter segashuate?’ sez Brer Rabbit, sezee.
“Brer Fox, he wink his eye slow, en lay low, en de Tar-Baby she ain’t
sayin’ nothin’.
“‘How you come on, den? Is you deaf?’ sez Brer Rabbit, sezee. ‘Kaze if
you is, I kin holler louder,’ sezee.
“Tar-Baby stay still, en Brer Fox he lay low.
“‘Youer stuck up, dat’s w’at you is,’ says Brer Rabbit, sezee, ‘en I’m
gwineter kyore you, dat’s w’at I’m a gwineter do,’ sezee.
“Brer Fox, he sorter chuckle in his stummuck, he did, but Tar-Baby
ain’t sayin’ nothin’.
“‘I’m gwineter larn you howter talk ter ’spectubble fokes ef hit’s de
las’ ack,’ sez Brer Rabbit, sezee. ‘Ef you don’t take off dat hat en
tell me howdy, I’m gwineter bus’ you wide open,’ sezee.
“Tar-Baby stay still, en Brer Fox, he lay low.
“Brer Rabbit keep on axin ’im, en de Tar-Baby, she keep on sayin’
nothin’, twel present’y Brer Rabbit draw back wid his fis’, he did,
en blip he tuck ’er side er de head. Right dar’s whar he broke his
merlasses jug. His fis’ stuck, en he can’t pull loose. De tar hilt ’im.
But Tar-Baby, she stay still, en Brer Fox, he lay low.
“‘Ef you don’t lemme loose, I’ll knock you agin,’ Brer Rabbit, sezee,
en wid dat he fotch ’er a wipe wid de udder han’, en dat stuck.
Tar-Baby, she ain’t sayin’ nothin’, en Brer Fox, he lay low.
“‘Tu’n me loose, fo’ I kick de natal stuffin’ outen you,’ sez Brer
Rabbit, sezee, but de Tar-Baby, she ain’t sayin’ nothin.’ She des hilt
on, en den Brer Rabbit lose de use er his feet in de same way. Brer
Fox, he lay low. Den Brer Rabbit squall out dat ef de Tar-Baby don’t
tu’n ’im loose he butt ’er cranksided. En den he butted, en his head
got stuck. Den Brer Fox, he sa’ntered fort’, lookin’ des ez innercent
ez one er yo’ mamy’s mockin’-birds.
“‘Howdy, Brer Rabbit,’ sez Brer Fox, sezee. ‘You look sorter stuck
up dis mawnin’,’ sezee, en den he rolled on de groun’, en laughed en
laughed twel he couldn’t laugh no mo’. ‘I speck you’ll take dinner wid
me dis time, Brer Rabbit. I done laid in some calamus root, en I ain’t
gwineter take no skuse,’ sez Brer Fox, sezee.”
Here Uncle Remus paused, and drew a two-pound yam out of the ashes.
“Did the fox eat the rabbit”? asked the little boy to whom the story
had been told.
“W’en Brer Fox fine Brer Rabbit mixt up wid de Tar-Baby, he feel mighty
good, en he roll on de groun’ en laff. Bimeby he up’n say, sezee:
“‘Well, I speck I got you dis time, Brer Rabbit,’ sezee: ‘maybe I
ain’t, but I speck I is. You been runnin’ roun’ here sassin’ atter me
a mighty long time, but I speck you done come ter de een’ er de row.
You bin cuttin’ up yo’ capers en bouncin’ roun’ in dis neighberhood
ontwel you come ter b’leeve yo’se’f de boss er de whole gang. En den
youer allers some’rs whar you got no bizness,’ sez Brer Fox sezee. ‘Who
ax you fer ter come en strike up a ’quaintance wid dish yer Tar-Baby?
En who stuck you up dar whar you iz? Nobody in de roun worril. You des
tuck en jam yo’se’f on dat Tar-Baby widout waitin’ fer enny invite,’
sez Brer Fox, sezee, ‘en dar you is, en dar you’ll stay twel I fixes up
a bresh-pile and fires her up, kaze I’m gwineter bobbycue you dis day,
sho,’ sez Brer Fox, sezee.
“Den Brer Rabbit talk mighty ’umble.
“‘I don’t keer w’at you do wid me, Brer Fox,’ sezee, ‘so you don’t
fling me in dat brier-patch. Roas’ me, Brer Fox,’ sezee, ‘but don’t
fling me in dat brier-patch,’ sezee.
“‘Hit’s so much trouble fer ter kindle a fier,’ sez Brer Fox, sezee,
‘dat I speck I’ll hatter hang you,’ sezee.
“‘Hang me des ez high as you please, Brer Fox,’ sez Brer Rabbit, sezee,
‘but do fer de Lord’s sake don’t fling me in dat brier-patch,’ sezee.
“‘I ain’t got no string,’ sez Brer Fox, sezee, ‘en now I speck I’ll
hatter drown you,’ sezee.
“‘Drown me des ez deep ez you please, Brer Fox,’ sez Brer Rabbit,
sezee, ‘but do don’t fling me in dat brier-patch,’ sezee.
“‘Dey ain’t no water nigh,’ sez Brer Fox, sezee, ‘en now I speck I’ll
hatter skin you,’ sezee.
“‘Skin me, Brer Fox,’ sez Brer Rabbit, sezee, ‘snatch out my eyeballs,
t’ar out my years by de roots, en cut off my legs,’ sezee, ‘but do
please, Brer Fox, don’t fling me in dat brier-patch,’ sezee.
“Co’se Brer Fox wanter hurt Brer Rabbit bad ez he kin, so he cotch ’im
by de behime legs en slung ’im right in de middle er de brier-patch.
Dar wuz a considerbul flutter whar Brer Rabbit struck de bushes, en
Brer Fox sorter hang ’roun’ fer ter see w’at wus gwineter happen.
Bimeby he hear somebody call ’im, en way up de hill he see Brer Rabbit
settin’ cross-legged on a chinkapin log koamin’ de pitch outer his har
wid a chip. Den Brer Fox know dat he bin swop off mighty bad. Brer
Rabbit wuz bleedzed fer ter fling back some er his sass, en he holler
out:
“‘Bred en bawn in a brier-patch, Brer Fox--bred en bawn in a
brier-patch!’ en wid dat he skip out des ez lively ez a cricket in de
embers.”
FOOTNOTES:
[1] A Gullah synonym for hunger.
[2] Ward primary.
[3] Hermaphrodite.
[4] “Take care” is better than “beg pardon.”
Transcriber’s Notes
Obvious typographical errors have been silently corrected. Variations
in hyphenation and accents have been standardised but all other
spelling and punctuation remains unchanged.
Italics are represented thus _italic_.