C048. Turtle, Buzzard, and the Honey

14. Brother Terrapin Deceives Brother Buzzard. 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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TURTLE, BUZZARD, and the HONEY

What the case might be these days, I aint a-saying, but, in them times, old Brer Terrapin love honey more samer than Brer Bear, but he was that flat-footed that, when he find a bee-tree, he can't climb it, and he go so slow that he can't hardly find 'em. By and by, one day, when he going along down the road just  a-honing after honey, who should he meet but old Brer Buzzard.

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Dey shook hands mighty sociable and ask about the news of the neighborhoods, and then, after while, Brer Terrapin say to old Brer Buzzard, says he, that he want to go into cahoots with him along of getting honey, and it weren't long before they struck a trade. Brer Buzzard was to fly 'round and look for the bee-tree, and Brer Terrapin he was to creep and crawl, and hunt on the ground.

They start out, they did, old Brer Buzzard sailing 'round in the elements, and old Brer Terrapin shuffling and shambling on the ground. Almost the very first field what he come to, Brer Terrapin strike up with a great big bumbly-bee nest in the ground. He look 'round, old Brer Terrapin did, and by and by he stick he head in and taste the honey, and then he pull it out and look all 'round for to see if he can catch a glimpse of Brer Buzzard; but Brer Buzzard don't seem like he nowhere.

Then Brer Terrapin say to hisself, says he, that he expect that bumbly-bee honey ain't the kind of honey what they been talking about, and there ain't no great shakes of honey there nohow. With that, Brer Terrapin crept into the hole and gobble up the last drop of the bumbly-bee honey by he own-alone self. After he done make 'way with it, he come out, he did, and he whirl in and lick it all off of his footses, so old Brer Buzzard can't tell that he done been get a mess of honey.

Then old Brer Terrapin stretch out he neck and try to lick the honey off of he back, but he neck too short; and he try to scrape it off up against a tree, but it don't come off; and then he wallow on the ground, but still it don't come off. Then old Brer Terrapin jump up, and say to hisself that he'll just about rack off home, and when Brer Buzzard come he can lie on he back and say he sick, so old Brer Buzzard can't see the honey.

Brer Terrapin start off, he did, but he happen to look up, en, lo and beholds, there was Brer Buzzard hovering right spang over the spot where he is. Brer Terrapin know Brer Buzzard pleased to see him if he start off home, and more than that, he know he be find out if he don't stir 'round and do something mighty quick. With that, Brer Terrapin shuffle back to the bumbly-bee nest swift as he can, and build him a fire in there, and then he crawl out and holler, "Brer Buzzard! O Brer Buzzard! Run here, for gracious sake, Brer Buzzard, and look how much honey I done find! I just crept in a little ways, and it just drip all down my back, same like water. Run here, Brer Buzzard! Half yourn and half mine, Brer Buzzard!"

Brer Buzzard, he flop down, and he laugh and say he mighty glad, 'cause he done get hungry up there where he been. Then Brer Terrapin tell Brer Buzzard for to creep in little ways and taste and see how he like 'em, whiles he take his stand on the outside and watch for somebody. But no sooner is Brer Buzzard crept in the bumbly-bee nest than Brer Terrapin take and roll a great big rock front of the hole. Directly, the fire begun to burn Brer Buzzard, and he sing out like a man in trouble, "Somethin' bitin' me, Brer Terrapin Somethin' bitin' me, Brer Terrapin!"

Then old Brer Terrapin, he holler back, "It's the bumbly-bees a-stingin' you, Brer Buzzard; stand up an' flop yo' wings, Brer Buzzard. Stan' up an' flop yo' wings, Brer Buzzard, an' you'll drive 'em off," says he.

Brer Buzzard flop and flop he wings, but the more what he flop, the more he fan the fire, and it weren't long before he done bodaciously burn up, all excepting the big end of his wing-feathers, and them old Brer Terrapin took and make into some quills, which he go 'round a-playing on 'em, and the tune what he play was this here:

I foolee, I foolee, I foolee po' Buzzard;

Po' Buzzard I foolee, I foolee, I foolee.

C048. Baer (p. 69). Brother Terrapin Deceives Brother Buzzard

This is Chase048.

Types AT0049 Bear and Honey
Motifs K0364 partner misappropriates common goods
K0714.3 dupe tricked into entering hollow tree
Notes
Baer emphasizes that in European ATU0049, "nest or hive is on or in a tree, but in the African versions it can be in an ant-hill" -- see Chase028

Gerber had no parallel, but she thinks it is because he focused on first part "rather than the second part of it, making a musical isntrument out of some remnant of the burned dupe"

Baer cites various examples: meerkat makes instrument from burned partridge's spurs, hare makes flutes from fire-boiled duiker.

So, Baer concludes, "this is clearly an African tale."

Baer also cites Werner: "Hlakanyaa kills a hare and makes a whistle out of his bones, iguana steals the whistle, but Hlakanyana subsequently recovers it"

C048. Turtle, Buzzard, and the Honey (original spelling)

14. Brother Terrapin Deceives Brother Buzzard. 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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TURTLE, BUZZARD, and the HONEY

There was a pause here, which was finally broken by 'Tildy, whose remark was in the shape of a very undignified yawn. Uncle Remus regarded her for a moment with an expression of undisguised scorn, which quickly expressed itself in words:


"Ef you'd er bin outer de house dat whack, you'd er tuck us all in. Pity dey aint some place er 'n'er whar deze yer trollops kin go en l'arn manners."

Tildy, however, ignored the old man, and, with a toss of her head, said to the little boy in a cool, exasperating tone, employing a pet name she had heard the child's mother use:

"Well, Pinx, I 'speck we better go. De rain done mos' [75]hilt up now, en bimeby de stars'll be a-shinin'. Miss Sally lookin' fer you right now."

"You better go whar you gwine, you triflin' huzzy, you!" exclaimed Uncle Remus. "You better go git yo' Jim Crow kyard en straighten out dem wrops in yo' ha'r. I allers year w'ite folks say you better keep yo' eye on niggers w'at got der ha'r wrop up in strings. Now I done gun you fa'r warnin's."

"Uncle Remus," said the little boy, when the old man's wrath had somewhat subsided, "why do they call them Jim Crow cards?"

"I be bless ef I know, honey, 'ceppin' it's kaze dey er de onliest machine w'at deze yer low-life niggers kin oncomb der kinks wid. Now, den," continued the old man, straightening up and speaking with considerable animation, "dat 'min's me 'bout a riddle w'at been runnin' 'roun' in my head. En dat riddle—it's de outdoin'es' riddle w'at I mos' ever year tell un. Hit go lak dis: Ef he come, he don't come; ef he don't come, he come. Now, I boun' you can't tell w'at is dat."

After some time spent in vain guessing, the little boy confessed that he did n't know.

"Hit 's crow en co'n," said Uncle Remus sententiously.

"Crow and corn, Uncle Remus?"

"Co'se, honey. Crow come, de co'n don't come; crow don't come, den de co'n come."

"Dat 's so," said 'Tildy. "I done see um pull up co'n, en I done see co'n grow w'at dey don't pull up."

[76]If 'Tildy thought to propitiate Uncle Remus, she was mistaken. He scowled at her, and addressed himself to the little boy:

"De Crow, he mighty close kin ter de Buzzud, en dat puts me in min' dat we aint bin a-keepin' up wid ole Brer Buzzud close ez we might er done.

"W'at de case mout be deze days, I aint a-sayin', but, in dem times, ole Brer Tarrypin love honey mo' samer dan Brer B'ar, but he wuz dat flat-footed dat, w'en he fine a bee-tree, he can't climb it, en he go so slow dat he can't hardly fine um. Bimeby, one day, w'en he gwine 'long down de road des a-honin' atter honey, who should he meet but ole Brer Buzzud.

"Dey shuck han's mighty sociable en ax 'bout de news er de neighborhoods, en den, atter w'ile, Brer Tarrypin say ter ole Brer Buzzud, sezee, dat he wanter go inter cahoots wid 'im 'longer gittin' honey, en 't wa'n't long 'fo' dey struck a trade. Brer Buzzud wuz ter fly 'roun' en look fer de bee-tree, en Brer Tarrypin he wuz ter creep en crawl, en hunt on de groun'.

"Dey start out, dey did, ole Brer Buzzud sailin' 'roun' in de elements, en ole Brer Tarrypin shufflin' en shamblin' on de groun'. 'Mos' de ve'y fus' fiel' w'at he come ter, Brer Tarrypin strak up wid a great big bumbly-bee nes' in de groun'. He look 'roun', ole Brer Tarrypin did, en bimeby he stick he head in en tas'e de honey, en den he pull it out en look all 'roun' fer ter see ef he kin ketch a glimpse er Brer Buzzud; but Brer Buzzud don't seem lak he nowhar. Den Brer Tarrypin say to hisse'f, sezee, dat [77]he 'speck dat bumbly-bee honey aint de kinder honey w'at dey been talkin' 'bout, en dey aint no great shakes er honey dar nohow. Wid dat, Brer Tarrypin crope inter de hole en gobble up de las' drop er de bumbly-bee honey by he own-alone se'f. Atter he done make 'way wid it, he come out, he did, en he whirl in en lick it all off'n his footses, so ole Brer Buzzud can't tell dat he done bin git a mess er honey.

"Den ole Brer Tarrypin stretch out he neck en try ter lick de honey off'n he back, but he neck too short; en he try ter scrape it off up 'g'in' a tree, but it don't come off; en den he waller on de groun', but still it don't come off. Den old Brer Tarrypin jump up, en say ter hisse'f dat he'll des 'bout rack off home, en w'en Brer Buzzud come he kin lie on he back en say he sick, so ole Brer Buzzud can't see de honey.

"Brer Tarrypin start off, he did, but he happen ter look up, en, lo en beholes, dar wuz Brer Buzzud huv'rin' right spang over de spot whar he is. Brer Tarrypin know Brer Buzzud bleedz ter see 'im ef he start off home, en mo'n dat, he know he be fine out ef he don't stir 'roun' en do sump'n' mighty quick. Wid dat, Brer Tarrypin shuffle back ter de bumbly-bee nes' swif' ez he kin, en buil' 'im a fier in dar, en den he crawl out en holler:

"'Brer Buzzud! O Brer Buzzud! Run yer, fer gracious sake, Brer Buzzud, en look how much honey I done fine! I des crope in a little ways, en it des drip all down my back, same like water. Run yer, Brer Buzzud! Half yone en half mine, Brer Buzzud!'

[78]"Brer Buzzud, he flop down, en he laugh en say he mighty glad, kaze he done git hongry up dar whar he bin. Den Brer Tarrypin tell Brer Buzzud fer ter creep in little ways en tas'e en see how he like um, w'iles he take his stan' on de outside en watch fer somebody. But no sooner is Brer Buzzud crope in de bumbly-bee nes' dan Brer Tarrypin take'n roll a great big rock front er de hole. Terreckly, de fier 'gun ter bu'n Brer Buzzud, en he sing out like a man in trouble:

"'Sump'n' bitin' me, Brer Tarrypin—sump'n' bitin' me, Brer Tarrypin!'

"Den ole Brer Tarrypin, he holler back:

"'It's de bumbly-bees a-stingin' you, Brer Buzzud; stan' up en flop yo' wings, Brer Buzzud. Stan' up en flop yo' wings, Brer Buzzud, en you'll drive um off,' sezee.

"Brer Buzzud flop en flop he wings, but de mo' w'at he flop, de mo' he fan de fier, en 't wa'n't long 'fo' he done bodaciously bu'n up, all 'ceppin' de big een er his wing-fedders, en dem ole Brer Tarrypin tuck en make inter some quills, w'ich he go 'roun' a-playin' un um, en de chune w'at he play was dish yer:

"'I foolee, I foolee, I foolee po' Buzzud;
Po' Buzzud I foolee, I foolee, I foolee.'"