"DERE wuz nudder man dat sorter play it sharp on Brer Rabbit,"
said Uncle Remus, as, by some mysterious process, he twisted a
hog's bristle into the end of a piece of thread--an operation
which the little boy watched with great interest. "In dem days,"
continued the old man, "de creeturs kyar'd on marters same ez
fokes. Dey went inter fahmin', en I speck ef de troof wuz ter
come out, dey kep' sto', en had der camp-meetin' times en der
bobbycues w'en de wedder wuz 'greeble."
Uncle Remus evidently thought that the little boy wouldn't like
to hear of any further discomfiture of Brer Rabbit, who had come
to be a sort of hero, and he was not mistaken.
"I thought the Terrapin was the only one that fooled the Rabbit,"
said the little boy, dismally.
"Hit's des like I tell you, honey. Dey ain't no smart man, 'cep'
w'at dey's a smarter. Ef ole Brer Rabbit hadn't er got kotch up
wid, de nabers 'ud er took 'im for a ha'nt, en in dem times dey
bu'nt witches 'fo' you could squinch yo' eyeballs. Dey did dat."
"Who fooled the Rabbit this time?" the little boy asked.
When Uncle Remus had the bristle "sot" in the thread, he
proceeded with the story:
"One time Brer Rabbit en ole Brer Buzzard 'cluded dey'd sorter
go shares, en crap tergedder. Hit wuz a mighty good year, en de
truck tu'n out monstus well, but bimeby, w'en de time come fer
dividjun, hit come ter light dat ole Brer Buzzard ain't got
nuthin'. De crap wuz all gone, en dey want nuthin' dar fer ter
show fer it. Brer Rabbit, he make like he in a wuss fix'n Brer
Buzzard, en he mope 'roun', he did, like he fear'd dey gwineter
sell 'im out.
"Brer Buzzard, he ain't sayin' nuthin', but he keep up a monstus
thinkin', en one day he come 'long en holler en tell Brer Rabbit
dat he done fine rich gol'-mine des 'cross de river.
"'You come en go longer me, Brer Rabbit,' sez Brer Tukkey
Buzzard, sezee. 'Ill scratch en you kin grabble, en 'tween de two
un us we'll make short wuk er dat gol'-mine,' sezee.
"Brer Rabbit, he wuz high up fer de job, but he study en study,
he did, how he gwineter git 'cross de water, kaze ev'y time he
git his foot wet all de fambly kotch col'. Den he up'n ax Brer
Buzzard how he gwine do, en Brer Buzzard he up'n say dat he kyar
Brer Rabbit 'cross, en wid dat ole Brer Buzzard, he squot down,
he did, en spread his wings, en Brer Rabbit, he mounted, en up
dey riz." There was a pause.
"What did the Buzzard do then?" asked the little boy.
"Dey riz," continued Uncle Remus, "en w'en dey lit, dey lit in de
top er de highest sorter pine, en de pine w'at dey lit in wuz
growin' on er ilun, en de ilun wuz in de middle er de river, wid
de deep water runnin' all 'roun'. Dey ain't mo'n lit 'fo' Brer
Rabbit, he know w'ich way de win' 'uz blowin', en by de time ole
Brer Buzzard got hisse'f balance on a lim', Brer Rabbit, he up'n
say, sezee:
"'W'iles we er res'n here, Brer Buzzard, en bein's you bin so
good, I got sump'n fer ter tell you,' sezee. 'I got a gol'-mine
er my own, one w'at I make myse'f, en I speck we better go back
ter mine 'fo' we bodder 'longer yone,' sezee.
"Den ole Brer Buzzard, he laff, he did, twel he shake, en Brer
Rabbit, he sing out:
"'Hol' on, Brer Buzzard! Don't flop yo' wings w'en you laff, kaze
den if you duz, sump'n 'ill drap fum up yer, en my gol'-mine
won't do you no good, en needer will yone do me no good.'
"But 'fo' dey got down fum dar, Brer Rabbit done tole all 'bout
de crap, en he hatter prommus fer ter 'vide fa'r en squar. So
Brer Buzzard, he kyar 'im back, en Brer Rabbit he walk weak in
de knees a mont' atterwuds."