C102. Brer Rabbit Teaches Brer Fox a Trick

68. Brother Fox Makes a Narrow Escape. 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. The story starts with a little song.

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BRER RABBIT TEACHES BRER FOX A TRICK

O Mr. Rabbit! your eye mighty big—
Yes, my Lord! they are made for to see;
O Mr. Rabbit! your tail mighty short—
Yes, my Lord! it just fits me!

Well, I tell you, one time there was a monstrous dry season in the settlement where all the critters live at, and drinking-water got mighty scarce. The creeks got low, and the branches went dry, and all the springs make their disappearance excepting one great big one where all the critters drunk at. They'd all meet there, they would, and the biggest'd drink first, and by the time the big ones all done assuaged their thirst, there weren't a drop left for the little ones scarcely.

Course Brer Rabbit was on the happy side. If anybody gonna get water Brer Rabbit the man. The critters'd see he track 'round the spring, but they ain't never catch him. 

It got so after while that the big critters'd crowd Brer Fox out, and then it weren't long 'fore he hunt up Brer Rabbit and ask him what he gonna do.

Brer Rabbit, he sort of study, and then he up and tell Brer Fox for to go home and rub some molasses all on hisself and then go out and wallow in the leafs. Brer Fox ask what he must do then, and Brer Rabbit say he must go down by the spring, and when the critters come to the spring for to get they water, he must jump out at 'em, and then after that he must wallow like he one of them there kind of varmint what got bugs on 'em.

Brer Fox, he put out for home, he did, and when he get there he run to the cupboard and just gawm hisself with molasses, and then he went out in the bushes, he did, and wallow in the leafs and trash till he look most bad as Brer Rabbit look when he play Will-o-the-Wisp on the critters.

When Brer Fox get hisself all fix up, he went down to the spring and hide hisself. By and by all the critters come after their water, and whiles they was a-scuffing and a-hunching, and a-pushing and a-scrouging, Brer Fox he jump out of the bushes, and sort of switch hisself 'round, and, bless your soul, he look like the Old Boy.

Brer Wolf took and see him first, and he jump spang over Brer Bear head. Brer Bear, he leap back, and ask who that, and just time he do this then the other critters they took and make a break, they did, like pumpkins rolling down hill, and most 'fore you can wink your eye-ball, Brer Fox had the range of the spring all by hisself.

Yet it weren't for long, 'cause 'fore the critters moved far, they took and turn 'round, they did, and crept back for to see what that there scary-looking varmint doing. When they get back in seeing distance there was Brer Fox walking up and down switching hisself.

The critters don't know what to make of him. They watch, and Brer Fox march; they watch, and he march. It keep on this a-way till by and by Brer Fox begun to wallow in the water, and right there was where Brer Rabbit had him. Time he begun to wallow in the water the molasses begun to melt, and it weren't no time scarcely 'fore the molasses and the leafs done all wash off, and there was old Brer Fox just as natural as life.

The first Brer Fox know about the leafs coming off, he hear Brer Bear holler on top of the hill, "You head him off down there, Brer Wolf, and I'll head him off 'round here!"

(image source)

Brer Fox look 'round and he see all the leafs done come off, and with that he make a break, and he weren't none too soon, neither, 'cause little more and the critters would've caught him. 

O Mr. Rabbit! your ear mighty long—

Yes, my Lord! they made for to last;

O Mr. Rabbit! your tooth mighty sharp—

Yes, my Lord! they cuts down grass!

C102. Baer (p. 109). Brother Fox Makes a Narrow Escape

This is Chase102.

Types ATU055 animals build well
Motifs  K0521 disguise by covering with honey and leaves
Notes

Baer calls this "an American Negro variant of the African story of the hare at the well of the animals" - plus the disguise, which is also in Chase039.

Baer notes that the story has some unusual twists: "the fact that rabbit is successfully stealing the water is touched on, but the focus is on rabbit's trickery in getting fox to expose himself as the culprit."

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MY NOTES

This type of "function" where rabbit gets someone else to repeat his own trick, and to get caught in doing so, is really fascinating; that's the kind of classification I would like to see: functions rather than these more superficial motifs.

C102. Brother Fox Makes a Narrow Escape (original spelling)

68. Brother Fox Makes a Narrow Escape. 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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The next time the little boy had an opportunity to visit Uncle Remus the old man was alone, but he appeared to be in good spirits. He was cobbling away upon what the youngster recognized as 'Tildy's Sunday shoes, and singing snatches of a song something like this:

"O Mr. Rabbit! yo' eye mighty big—
Yes, my Lord! dey er made fer ter see;
O Mr. Rabbit! yo' tail mighty short—
Yes, my Lord! hit des fits me!"
The child waited to hear more, but the song was the same thing over and over again—always about Brother Rabbit's big eyes and his short tail. After a while Uncle Remus acknowledged the presence of his little partner by remarking:

[378]"Well, sir, we er all yer. Brer Jack and Sis Tempy en dat ar 'Tildy nigger may be a-pacin' 'roun' lookin' in de fence-cornders fer Chris'mus, but me en you en ole Brer Rabbit, we er all yer, en ef we aint right on de spot, we er mighty close erroun'. Yasser, we is dat; mo' speshually ole Brer Rabbit, wid he big eye and he short tail. Don't tell me 'bout Brer Rabbit!" exclaimed Uncle Remus, with a great apparent enthusiasm, "'kaze dey aint no use er talkin' 'bout dat creetur."

The little boy was very anxious to know why.

"Well, I tell you," said the old man. "One time dey wuz a monst'us dry season in de settlement whar all de creeturs live at, en drinkin'-water got mighty skace. De creeks got low, en de branches went dry, en all de springs make der disappearance 'cep'n one great big un whar all de creeturs drunk at. Dey'd all meet dar, dey would, en de bigges' 'ud drink fus', en by de time de big uns all done swaje der thuss[*Assuaged their thirst.] dey wa'n't a drap lef' fer de little uns skacely.

"Co'se Brer Rabbit 'uz on de happy side. Ef anybody gwine git water Brer Rabbit de man. De creeturs 'ud see he track 'roun' de spring, but dey aint nev' ketch 'im. Hit got so atter w'ile dat de big creeturs 'ud crowd Brer Fox out, en den 't wa'n't long 'fo' he hunt up Brer Rabbit en ax 'im w'at he gwine do.

"Brer Rabbit, he sorter study, en den he up 'n tell Brer Fox fer ter go home en rub some 'lasses all on hisse'f en den go out en waller in de leafs. Brer Fox ax w'at he [379]mus' do den, en Brer Rabbit say he mus' go down by de spring, en w'en de creeturs come ter de spring fer ter git dey water, he mus' jump out at um, en den atter dat he mus' waller lak he one er dem ar kinder varment w'at got bugs on um.

"Brer Fox, he put out fer home, he did, en w'en he git dar he run ter de cubbud[* Cupboard] en des gawm hisse'f wid 'lasses, en den he went out in de bushes, he did, en waller in de leafs en trash twel he look mos' bad ez Brer Rabbit look w'en he play Wull-er-de-Wust on de creeturs.

"W'en Brer Fox git hisse'f all fix up, he went down ter de spring en hide hisse'f. Bimeby all de creeturs come atter der water, en w'iles dey 'uz a-scuffin' en a-hunchin', en a-pushin' en a-scrougin', Brer Fox he jump out'n de bushes, en sorter switch hisse'f 'roun', en, bless yo' soul, he look lak de Ole Boy.

"Brer Wolf tuck'n see 'im fus', en he jump spang over Brer B'ar head. Brer B'ar, he lip back, en ax who dat, en des time he do dis de t'er creeturs dey tuck'n make a break, dey did, lak punkins rollin' down hill, en mos' 'fo' youk'n wink yo' eye-ball, Brer Fox had de range er de spring all by hisse'f.

"Yit 't wa'n't fur long, 'kaze 'fo' de creeturs mov'd fur, dey tuck'n tu'n 'roun', dey did, en crope back fer ter see w'at dat ar skeery lookin' varment doin'. W'en dey git back in seein' distuns dar 'uz Brer Fox walkin' up en down switchin' hisse'f.

"De creeturs dunner w'at ter make un 'im. Dey [380]watch, en Brer Fox march; dey watch, en he march. Hit keep on dis a-way twel bimeby Brer Fox 'gun ter waller in de water, en right dar," continued Uncle Remus, leaning back to laugh, "right dar 'uz whar Brer Rabbit had 'im. Time he 'gun ter waller in de water de 'lasses 'gun ter melt, en 't wa'n't no time skacely 'fo' de 'lasses en de leafs done all wash off, en dar 'uz ole Brer Fox des ez natchul ez life.

"De fus' Brer Fox know 'bout de leafs comin' off, he year Brer B'ar holler on top er de hill:

"'You head 'im off down dar, Brer Wolf, en I'll head 'im off 'roun' yer!'

"Brer Fox look 'roun' en he see all de leafs done come off, en wid dat he make a break, en he wa'n't none too soon, n'er, 'kaze little mo' en de creeturs 'ud 'a' kotch 'im."

Without giving the little boy time to ask any questions, Uncle Remus added another verse to his Rabbit song, and harped on it for several minutes:

"O Mr. Rabbit! yo' year mighty long—
Yes, my Lord! dey made fer ter las';
O Mr. Rabbit! yo' toof mighty sharp—
Yes, my Lord! dey cuts down grass!"