C058. Brer Fox, Brer Rabbit, and the Meat

24. How Brother Rabbit Got the Meat. Text Source: Nights with Uncle Remus by Joel Chandler Harris. Online at Project Gutenberg. I have removed the frame material and standardized the spelling; click here for the original spelling plus all notes to the story.

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BRER FOX, BRER RABBIT, and the MEAT

There weren't no man amongst the critters what can stand right flat-footed and work he mind quick like Brer Rabbit. He took and tie the rock on the string, instead of the meat, and he pursue long after it, he did, till Mr. Man turn a bend in the road, and then Brer Rabbit, he just lit out from there—terbuckity-buckity, buck-buck-buckity! and it weren't long before he took and catch up with Brer Fox. They took the meat, they did, and carried it way off in the woods, and laid it down on a clean place on the ground.

They laid it down, they did, and then Brer Fox allow they better sample it, and Brer Rabbit he agree. With dat, Brer Fox he took and gnaw off a hunk, and he shut both eyes, he did, and he chew and chew, and taste and taste, and chew and taste. Brer Rabbit, he watch him, but Brer Fox, he keep both eyes shut, and he chew and taste, and taste and chew.

Then Brer Fox smack he mouth and look at the meat more closer, and up and allow, "Brer Rabbit, it's lamb!"

(image source)

"No, Brer Fox! Surely not!"

"Brer Rabbit, it's lamb!"

"Brer Fox, to be surely not!"

Then Brer Rabbit, he took and gnaw off a hunk, and he shut both eyes, and chew and taste, and taste and chew. Then he smack he mouth, and up and allow, "Brer Fox, it's shote!"

"Brer Rabbit, you foolin' me!"

"Brer Fox, I vow it's shote!"

"Brer Rabbit, it just can't be!"

"Brer Fox, it surely is!"

They taste and they dispute, and they dispute and they taste. After while, Brer Rabbit make like he want some water, and he rush off in the bushes, and directly here he come back wiping he mouth and clearing up he throat.

Then Brer Fox he want some water sure enough. "Brer Rabbit, where you find the spring?"

"Cross the road, an' down the hill an' up the big gully."

Brer Fox, he lope off, he did, and after he gone Brer Rabbit touch he ear with he behind foot like he flipping him good-bye. Brer Fox, he cross the road and rush down the hill, he did, yet he ain't find no big gully. He keep on going till he find the big gully, yet he ain't find no spring.

Whiles all this here going on, Brer Rabbit he took and grabble a hole in the ground, he did, and in that hole he hid the meat. After he get it good and hid, he took and cut him a long keen hickory, and after so long a time, when he hear Brer Fox coming back, he got in a clump of bushes, and took that hickory and let in on a sapling, and every time he hit the sapling, he'd squall out, Brer Rabbit would, just like the patter-rollers had him.

Pow, pow! "Oh, pray, Mr. Man!"—
Pow, pow! "Oh, pray, Mr. Man!"—
Chippy-row, pow! "Oh, Lordy, Mr. Man! Brer Fox took yo' meat!"—
Pow! "Oh, pray, Mr. Man! Brer Fox took yo' meat!"

Course, when Brer Fox hear this kind of doings, he fetch up, he did, and listen, and every time he hear the hickory come down pow! he took and grin and allow to hisself, "Ah-yi! You fool me 'bout the water! Ah-yi! You fool me 'bout the water!"

After so long a time, the racket sort of die out, and seem like Mr. Man was dragging Brer Rabbit off. This make Brer Fox feel mighty skittish. By and by Brer Rabbit come a-cally-hooting back just a-hollering, "Run, Brer Fox, run! Mr. Man say he going to carry that meat up the road to where he son is, and then he's a-comin' back after you. Run, Brer Fox, run!"

And I let you know, I let you know Brer Fox got mighty scarce in that neighborhood!

C058. Baer (p. 75). How Brother Rabbit Got the Meat

This is Chase058.

Types
Motifs K0343.3 Companion is sent away so that rascal may steal common food supply
Notes

Baer: "This second part is of African origin; there are no European analogues cited."
See Flowers for West Indian parallel with monkey instead of fox as the dupe

C058. Brer Fox, Brer Rabbit, and the Meat (original spelling)

24. How Brother Rabbit Got the Meat. Text Source: Nights with Uncle Remus by Joel Chandler Harris. Online at Project Gutenberg. You can click here for the standardized spelling plus all notes to the story.

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BRER FOX, BRER RABBIT, and the MEAT

When the little boy next visited Uncle Remus the cabin was dark and empty and the door shut. The old man was gone. He was absent for several nights, but at last one night the little boy saw a welcome light in the cabin, and he made haste to pay Uncle Remus a visit. He was full of questions:


"Goodness, Uncle Remus! Where in the world have you been? I thought you were gone for good. Mamma said she reckoned the treatment here did n't suit you, and you had gone off to get some of your town friends to hire you."

"Is Miss Sally tell you dat, honey? Well, ef she aint de beatenes' w'ite 'oman dis side er kingdom come, you kin des shoot me. Miss Sally tuck'n writ me a pass wid her own han's fer ter go see some er my kin down dar in de Ashbank settlement. Yo' mammy quare 'oman, honey, sho'!

"En yit, w'at de good er my stayin' yer? T'er night, I aint mo'n git good en started 'fo' you er up en gone, en I aint seed ha'r ner hide un you sence. W'en I see you do dat, I 'low ter myse'f dat hit 's des 'bout time fer ole man Remus fer ter pack up he duds en go hunt comp'ny some'r's else."

"Well, Uncle Remus," exclaimed the little boy, in a tone of expostulation, "did n't Brother Fox get the meat, and was n't that the end of the story?"

[129]Uncle Remus started to laugh, but he changed his mind so suddenly that the little boy was convulsed. The old man groaned and looked at the rafters with a curious air of disinterestedness. After a while he went on with great seriousness:

"I dunner w'at kinder idee folks got 'bout Brer Rabbit nohow, dat I don't. S'pozen you lays de plans so some yuther chap kin git a big hunk er goody, is you gwine ter set off some'r's en see 'im make way wid it?"

"What kind of goody, Uncle Remus?"

"Dish yer kinder goody w'at town folks keeps. Mint draps and reezins, en sweet doin's lak Miss Sally keep und' lock en key. Well, den, if you gits some er dat, er may be some yuther kinder goody, w'ich I wish 't wuz yer right dis blessid minnit, is you gwine ter set quile up in dat cheer en let n'er chap run off wid it? Dat you aint—dat you aint!"

"Oh, I know!" exclaimed the little boy. "Brother Rabbit went back and made Brother Fox give him his part of the meat."

"Des lak I tell you, honey; dey wa'n't no man 'mungs de creeturs w'at kin stan' right flat-footed en wuk he min' quick lak Brer Rabbit. He tuck'n tie de rock on de string, stidder de meat, en he pursue long atter it, he did, twel Mr. Man tu'n a ben' in de road, en den Brer Rabbit, he des lit out fum dar—terbuckity-buckity, buck-buck-buckity! en 't wa'n't long 'fo' he tuck'n kotch up wid Brer Fox. Dey tuck de meat, dey did, en kyar'd it way off in de woods, en laid it down on a clean place on de groun'.

[130]"Dey laid it down, dey did," continued Uncle Remus, drawing his chair up closer to the little boy, "en den Brer Fox 'low dey better sample it, en Brer Rabbit he 'gree. Wid dat, Brer Fox he tuck'n gnyaw off a hunk, en he shut bofe eyes, he did, en he chaw en chaw, en tas'e en tas'e, en chaw en tas'e. Brer Rabbit, he watch 'im, but Brer Fox, he keep bofe eyes shot, en he chaw en tas'e, en tas'e en chaw."

Uncle Remus not only furnished a pantomime accompaniment to this recital by shutting his eyes and pretending to taste, but he lowered his voice to a pitch of tragical significance in reporting the dialogue that ensued:

"Den Brer Fox smack he mouf en look at de meat mo' closeter, en up'n 'low:

"'Brer Rabbit, hit 's lam'!'

"'No, Brer Fox! sho'ly not!'

"'Brer Rabbit, hit 's lam'!'

"'Brer Fox, tooby sho'ly not!'

"Den Brer Rabbit, he tuck'n gnyaw off a hunk, en he shot bofe eyes, en chaw en tas'e, en tas'e en chaw. Den he smack he mouf, en up'n 'low:

"'Brer Fox, hit 's shote!'

"'Brer Rabbit, you foolin' me!'

"'Brer Fox, I vow hit 's shote!'

"'Brer Rabbit, hit des can't be!'

"'Brer Fox, hit sho'ly is!'

"Dey tas'e en dey 'spute, en dey 'spute en dey tas'e. Atter w'ile, Brer Rabbit make lak he want some water, en he rush off in de bushes, en d'reckly yer he come back [131]wipin' he mouf en cle'rin' up he th'oat. Den Brer Fox he want some water sho' nuff:

"'Brer Rabbit, whar you fin' de spring?'

"'Cross de road, en down de hill en up de big gully.'

"Brer Fox, he lope off, he did, en atter he gone Brer Rabbit totch he year wid he behime foot lak he flippin' 'im good-bye. Brer Fox, he cross de road en rush down de hill, he did, yit he aint fin' no big gully. He keep on gwine twel he fin' de big gully, yit he aint fin' no spring.

"W'iles all dish yer gwine on, Brer Rabbit he tuck'n grabble a hole in de groun', he did, en in dat hole he hid de meat. Atter he git it good en hid, he tuck'n cut 'im a long keen hick'ry, en atter so long a time, w'en he year Brer Fox comin' back, he got in a clump er bushes, en tuck dat hick'ry en let in on a saplin', en ev'y time he hit de saplin', he 'ud squall out, Brer Rabbit would, des lak de patter-rollers had 'im:

"Pow, pow! 'Oh, pray, Mr. Man!'—Pow, pow! 'Oh, pray, Mr. Man!'—Chippy-row, pow! 'Oh, Lordy, Mr. Man! Brer Fox tuck yo' meat!'—Pow! 'Oh, pray, Mr. Man! Brer Fox tuck yo' meat!'"

Every time Uncle Remus said "Pow!" he struck himself in the palm of his hand with a shoe-sole by way of illustration.

"Co'se," he went on, "w'en Brer Fox year dis kinder doin's, he fotch up, he did, en lissen, en ev'y time he year de hick'ry come down pow! he tuck'n grin en 'low ter hisse'f, 'Ah-yi! you fool me 'bout de water! Ah-yi! you fool me 'bout de water!'

[132]"Atter so long a time, de racket sorter die out, en seem lak Mr. Man wuz draggin' Brer Rabbit off. Dis make Brer Fox feel mighty skittish. Bimeby Brer Rabbit come a-cally-hootin' back des a-hollerin':

"'Run, Brer Fox, run! Mr. Man say he gwine to kyar dat meat up de road ter whar he son is, en den he's a-comin' back atter you. Run, Brer Fox, run!'

"En I let you know," said Uncle Remus, leaning back and laughing to see the little boy laugh, "I let you know Brer Fox got mighty skace in dat neighborhood!"