Fairy Tale Junction

A Compendium of Fairy Tales I remember
...for my children

How Brer Rabbit Met Brer Tar-Baby

 

Way down south in the land o' cotton, when the moon hung in the sky like a great, big, round persimmon, and the mocking bird was singing in the trees, the negroes used to gather all together before their cabins, sing queer, sweet old melodies, dance strange dances, and tell stories in the moonlight. Sometimes a little white boy or girl would slip away of an evening from the great house with the big white pillars where the owner of the plantation lived, and go down among the little pickaninnies to hear the tales and join the fun.

All of a sudden, the banjos and the fiddles, the singing and dancing would stop, everybody would squat down in a circle, and a little old mammy with a red bandana kerchief round her head would burst out in a high, shrill laugh, "Hi,yi,yi,yi!" her teeth shining like ivory in the moonlight. Then she would roll her eyes around to see that all the little pickaninnies were still as mice and begin to tell a story.

"'Twa'n't my time an' 'twa'n't you' time, but 'twas a berry good time dat all de beastises got togeder -- Brer Fox an' Brer Wolf an' Brer Bear an' Brer 'Possum an' all de rest, an' dey say, 'We's gwine dig a well!' All but Brer Rabbit, an' he 'low he ain't gwine wuk to dig no well. So he play roun' 'bout in de bushes an' he play roun' an' he play roun' an' he play roun'. An' de udder beastises dey say to him, 'Brer Rabbit, if you don' dig no well, wot you gwine do w'en you wants wateh?' Den Brer Rabbit he say, 'Oh, I'se gwine get it an' drink it!'

"De udder beastises dey all say, 'We's gwine plough de field an' plant co'n. But Brer Rabbit he 'low he ain't gwine wuk to plant no co'n. So he play roun' an' he play roun' an' he play roun'. Den de udder beastises dey say to him, 'Brer Rabbit, if you don' plant no co'n, wot you gwine do w'en you wants food?' An' Brer Rabbit he say, 'Oh, I'se gwine get it an' eat it!'

"But w'en Brer Fox an' Brer Wolf an' Brer Bear an' Brer 'Possum an' all de rest, had dug de field, an' planted it, an' cut it, den Brer Rabbit he come 'long an' help hisself to de co'n. An' w'en Brer Fox an' Brer Wolf an' Brer Bear an' Brer 'Possum an' all de rest had dug de well, den Brer Rabbit he come 'long an' help hisself to de wateh.

" Den Brer Wolf an' brer Fox an' Brer Bear an' Brer 'Possum an' all de rest, dey make up de minds to cotch Brer Rabbit, so's he cyan't drink dere wateh an' eat dere co'n no mo'! But Brer Rabbit he am too wise. He don' come to de well twice at de same time. He jes' slip in w'en nobody ain't lookin' an' help hisself to de wateh an' de co'n, an' slip away again. So nobody cyan't cotch him.

"But Brer Wolf he say, 'By jing! I'se gwine cotch him yet!' An' he take some straw an' make it into a baby wid haid, body, ahms, laigs; an' he smear it wid tar -- soft, sticky black tar, till dat dar baby's black, black, black as any you little pickaninnies! Den he set Tar-Baby up right dar 'side de well an' go'way.

"Bimeby de moon come out, de whip-poor-will begin to w'istle in de swamps, an' ain't nobody awake anyw'ere at all, 'ceppin' Uncle Rastus' yaller dog a way off summer'ers howlin' at de moon. Den 'long come ole Brer Rabbit, mighty keerful-like, lookin' here an' lookin' dere, a-listenin' fur ev'ry sound an' duckin' down behin' a stone w'en de wind go, 'Zoo-oo!' through de trees. Purty soon he come to de well an' den, wot he see in de moonshine, but Tar-Baby settin' dar in his way, big an' black as a live pickaninny!

"Fust he gwine fur ter run, but he want to get some wateh mighty bad, so he sets up an' he puts on his best comp'ny mannehs an' he say, 'Good ebenin', suh! Fine weatheh, suh!'

"But Tar-Baby ain't say nothin'.

"Den Brer Rabbit he get mighty brave w'en he see Tar-Baby don' move, an' he drop his comp'ny mannehs right flat, an' he say, 'Look yere,' says'e, 'Get out o' my way!'

"But Tar- Baby ain't move an' ain't say nothin'.

"'Look yere,' says Brer Rabbit again, says'e, 'You see dis yere paw,' an' he hol' up his right fo' paw, 'If you don' get out o' my way, I'se gwine hit you wid dis paw an' knock de stuffin' out o' you!'

"But Tar-Baby ain't move and ain't say nothin'! So Brer Rabbit he take his paw and blimp! he hit Tar-Baby a crack fur to knock de stuffin' out o' him, but Brer Rabbit's paw is jes' stick fast in de tar an' he cyan't pull loose. Den Brer Rabbit begin fur to holler, 'Le' go! Le' me go, you black rascal!' But Tar-Baby don' le' go! Den Brer Rabbit he hol' up his lef' fo' paw an' he say, 'You see dis yere paw. If you don' le' go, I'se gwine hit you wid dis paw an' knock de daylights out o' you!' But Tar-Baby don' le' go! So Brer Rabbit he take his paw an' blimp! he hit Tar-Baby anudder crack an' t'udder paw stick fast in de tar!

"Den Brer Rabbit begin fur to holler wuss'n ever, an' he say, 'Le' go! Le' go, you black rascal! Le' go! Le' go! You see dis yere foot! If you don' le' go, I'se gwine kick you wid dis foot an' knock you sky high!' But Tar-Baby don' le' go. So Brer Rabbit he take his right foot an' blimp! he hit Tar- Baby anudder crack, an' his right foot stick fast in de tar. Den Brer Rabbit begin fur to holler like a screech owl, an' he lift up his left foot an' he say, 'Le' go! Le' go, you black rascal! Le' go! Le' go! You see dis yere foot? If you don' le' go, I'se gwine kick you wid dis foot an' sen' you sailin' up to de moon!' But Tar-Baby don' le' go! So brer Rabbit he take his left foot an' blimp! he hit Tar-Baby anudder crack, an' his left foot stick fast in de tar!

"Den Brer Rabbit he holler an' he screech an' he howl! But he cyan't get loose, an' dar he have to stay till de mawnin'.

"'Bout sun-up 'long come Brer Wolf fur to see wot's happen, an' dar he see Brer Rabbit stuck to Tar-Baby tighter'n a burr. Den Brer Wolf he open his mouf an' laugh an' show all his toofs, an' he say, sweet as honey, 'Good mawnin' Brer Rabbit. How is you dis fine mawnin'?'

"Now Brer Rabbit ain't say nothin', but he begin to shake in de knees, kase he know wot's comin' to 'im. An' Brer Wolf he say, 'Wot for you don' speak to me, Brer Rabbit? 'Pears like you is a little stuck up dis mawnin'! ' An' he laugh fit to split, 'Hi,yi,yi,yi! I hear you is lookin' fur a drop o' wateh, so I'se jes' gwine take you an' frow you in de well!' An' he cotch hol' o' Brer Rabbit by de hind laig. Now Brer Rabbit he's got de shakes all ober! 'Pears like he's gwine ter en' up in de well. But he been a thinkin' an' he say, 'O Brer Wolf, please do frow me into de well! Dat'll gi'e me de bes' drink ob water I'se ebber had. Dat's jes' w'ere I wants to be -- in de well. But, whatebber you do, don', don', don', please don' frow me in de brier- patch!'

"Now Brer Wolf he's mighty s'prised w'en he hear Brer Rabbit say he wants to get frowed in de well, an' so he say, 'Well den, I jes' ain't gwine frow you in de well. I'se gwine build a fire fer ter roast some o' dat co'n you'se a hankerin' atter, an' I'se gwine frow you in de fire!'

" 'O Brer Wolf! Brer Wolf!' says Brer Rabbit (but he's shakin' like a leaf w'en he say it). 'Please do frow me in de fire. Den I'll eat all dat co'n I'se hankerin' atter. In de fire's jes' w'ere I wants to be. But, whatebber you do, don', don', don', please don' frow me in de brier-patch!'

" Den Brer Wolf he scratch his haid an' he say, 'You wants me to frow you in de well, you wants me to frow you in de fire; well den, you rascal dat plays roun', an' plays roun', an' plays roun', an don' do no wuk, an' eats co'n udder folks plants, an' takes wateh out a well udder folks digged, I'se gwine do de wustest thing you don't want me to, -- I'SE GWINE FROW YOU STRAIGHT IN DE BRIER-PATCH!'

"An' he yank Brer Rabbit loose from Tar-Baby an' frow him straight into de brier-patch. 'Dar now,' he say, 'De briers 'll scratch 'im, an' poke 'im, an' jab 'im! I done finish Brer Rabbit!'

"But jes' den he hear Brer Rabbit laughin' an' see him goin' lippity clippity through de briers, an' Brer Rabbit call out to him, 'Thank you, Brer Wolf, kind Brer Wolf! Thank you fur sendin' me straight back home! I an' all my fambly was bo'n an' raised in de Brier-patch. Hi,yi,yi,yi!'"

The End.

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