🧚 Opening, part 1 · page 2

One day Buh Deer bin a laugh at Buh Cooter becase eh walk so slow.229 Den Buh Cooter, him git mad, an eh tell Buh Deer dat ef eh does slow eh hab de bes win, an eh bet Buh Deer eh could beat um to de fibe mile pose.230 Buh Deer, him smile an tuk de bet.231 Dey gree on nex Monday week fur run de race.232

Buh Cooter, him call togedder him fren an tole um bout de bet an wen de race fur run.233 Eh gaged fibe er um fur help um.234 Deese yer Cooter am all so much like one anurrer you cant tell one from turrer.235 So day all come inter cohoot an conclude to fool Buh Deer.236

One gone to de fus mile pose on de big road.237 Anurrer gone to de nex mile pose, an anurrer to de nex: so dat on de day wen de race fur run, Buh Cooter hab a fren at ebery mile pose.238 Buh Deer nebber bin know nuttne bout dis plan.239

Wen de time come fur run de race, Buh Deer an Buh Cooter bofe stat off togedder.240 Befo you kin tun roun Buh Deer done gone out uh sight, an lef Buh Cooter in de middle er de road duh laugh to isself.241 Wen Buh Deer git to de fus mile pose, day was Buh Cooter day head er um.242 Buh Deer couldnt tell how dat happn.243 Eh men eh pace.244 At de nex mile pose day was Buh Cooter a crawlin along.245 Buh Deer git mad.246 Eh lay isself out ter eh berry lenk, but befo eh ketch de nex mile pose eh meet Buh Cooter in de road dis a passin er dat pose.247 Buh Deer jump clean ober um an mek fur de nex mile pose.248 Eh yent bin want fur bleeve eh own yeye wen eh see Buh Cooter dere done git head er um agin.249 Eh so mad eh try fuh kick Buh Cooter outer de road, an eh straighten fur de las mile pose.250 Wen eh git day, eh meet Buh Cooter puffin an er blowin an a leanin up gin de pose duh laugh at um.251

An dat de way Buh Cooter fool Buh Deer an win de bet.252

FOOTNOTES:253

[1] Land Terrapin.254

[2] This and two preceding _Myths_ first published in Augusta, Ga., _Chronicle and Constitutionalist_ of March 11, 1883.255

IV.256

BUH WOLF, BUH RABBIT, AN DE TAR BABY.257

Buh Wolf and Buh Rabbit, dem bin lib nabur.258 De dry drout come.259 Ebry ting stew up.260 Water scace.261 Buh Wolf dig one spring fuh him fuh git water.262 Buh Rabbit, him too lazy an too scheemy fuh wuk fuh isself.263 Eh pen pon lib off tarruh people.264 Ebry day, wen Buh Wolf yent duh watch um, eh slip to Buh Wolf spring, an eh full him calabash long water an cah um to eh house fuh cook long and fuh drink.265 Buh Wolf see Buh Rabbit track, but eh couldnt ketch um duh tief de water.266

One day eh meet Buh Rabbit in de big road, an eh ax um how eh mek out fur water.267 Buh Rabbit say him no casion fuh hunt water: him lib off de jew on de grass.268 Buh Wolf quire: “Enty you blan tek water outer me spring?”269 Buh Rabbit say: “Me yent.”270 Buh Wolf say: “You yis, enty me see you track?”271 Buh Rabbit mek answer: “Yent me gone to you spring.272 Must be some edder rabbit.273 Me nebber bin nigh you spring.274 Me dunno way you spring day.”275 Buh Wolf no question um no mo; but eh know say eh bin Buh Rabbit fuh true, an eh fix plan fuh ketch um.276

De same ebenin eh mek Tar Baby, an eh gone an set um right in de middle er de trail wuh lead to de spring, an dist in front er de spring.277

Soon a mornin Buh Rabbit rise an tun in fuh cook eh bittle.278 Eh pot biggin fuh bun.279 Buh Rabbit say: “Hey! me pot duh bun.280 Lemme slip to Buh Wolf spring an git some water fuh cool um.”281 So eh tek eh calabash an hop off fuh de spring.282 Wen eh ketch de spring, eh see de Tar Baby duh tan dist een front er de spring.283 Eh stonish.284 Eh stop.285 Eh come close.286 Eh look at um.287 Eh wait fur um fuh mobe.288 De Tar Baby yent notice um.289 Eh yent wink eh yeye.290 Eh yent say nuttne.291 Eh yent mobe.292 Buh Rabbit, him say: “Hey titter, enty you guine tan one side an lemme git some water?”293 De Tar Baby no answer.294 Den Buh Rabbit say: “Leely Gal, mobe, me tell you, so me kin dip some water outer de spring long me calabash.”295 De Tar Baby wunt mobe.296 Buh Rabbit say: “Enty you know me pot duh bun?297 Enty you know me hurry?298 Enty you yeddy me tell you fuh mobe?299 You see dis han?300 Ef you dont go long and lemme git some water, me guine slap you ober.”301 De Tar Baby stan day.302 Buh Rabbit haul off an slap um side de head.303 Eh han fastne.304 Buh Rabbit try fuh pull eh hand back, an eh say: “Wuh you hole me han fuh?305 Lemme go.306 Ef you dont loose me, me guine box de life outer you wid dis tarruh han.”307 De Tar Baby yent crack eh teet.308 Buh Rabbit hit um, bim, wid eh tarruh han.309 Dat han fastne too same luk tudder.310 Buh Rabbit say: “Wuh you up teh?311 Tun me loose.312 Ef you dont leggo me right off, me guine knee you.”313 De Tar Baby hole um fas.314 Buh Rabbit skade an bex too.315 Eh faid Buh Wolf come ketch um.316 Wen eh fine eh cant loosne eh han, eh kick de Tar Baby wid eh knee.317 Eh knee fastne.318 Yuh de big trouble now.319 Buh Rabbit skade den wus den nebber.320 Eh try fuh skade de Tar Baby.321 Eh say: “Leely Gal, you better mine who you duh fool long.322 Me tell you, fuh de las time, tun me loose.323 Ef you dont loosne me han an me knee right off, me guine bus you wide open wid dis head.”324 De Tar Baby hole um fas.325 Eh yent say one wud.326 Den Buh Rabbit butt de Tar Baby een eh face.327 Eh head fastne same fashion luk eh han an eh knee.328 Yuh de ting now.329 Po Buh Rabbit done fuh.330 Eh fastne all side.331 Eh cant pull loose.332 Eh gib up.333 Eh bague.334 Eh cry.335 Eh holler.336 Buh Wolf yeddy um.337 Eh run day.338 Eh hail Buh Rabbit: “Hey, Budder! wuh de trouble?339 Enty you tell me you no blan wisit me spring fuh git water?340 Who calabash dis?341 Wuh you duh do yuh anyhow?”342 Buh Rabbit so condemn eh yent hab one wud fuh talk.343 Buh Wolf, him say: “Nummine, I done ketch you dis day.344 I guine lick you now.”345 Buh Rabbit bague.346 Eh bague.347 Eh prommus nebber fuh trouble Buh Wolf spring no mo.348 Buh Wolf laugh at um.349 Den eh tek an loose Buh Rabbit from de Tar Baby, an eh tie um teh one spakleberry bush, an eh git switch an eh lick um tel eh tired.350 All de time Buh Rabbit bin a bague an a holler.351 Buh Wolf yent duh listne ter um, but eh keep on duh pit de lick ter um.352 At las Buh Rabbit tell Buh Wolf: “Dont lick me no mo.353 Kill me one time.354 Mek fire an bun me up.355 Knock me brains out gin de tree.”356 Buh Wolf mek answer: “Ef I bun you up, ef I knock you brains out, you guine dead too quick.357 Me guine trow you in de brier patch, so de brier kin cratch you life out.”358 Buh Rabbit say: “Do Buh Wolf, bun me: broke me neck, but dont trow me in de brier patch.359 Lemme dead one time.360 Dont tarrify me no mo.”361 Buh Wolf yent bin know wuh Buh Rabbit up teh.362 Eh tink eh bin guine tare Buh Rabbit hide off.363 So, wuh eh do?364 Eh loose Buh Rabbit from de spakleberry bush, an eh tek um by de hine leg, and eh swing um roun, an eh trow um way in de tick brier patch fuh tare eh hide an cratch eh yeye out.365 De minnit Buh Rabbit drap in de brier patch, eh cock up eh tail, eh jump, an eh holler back to Buh Wolf: “Good bye, Budder!366 Dis de place me mammy fotch me up,--dis de place me mammy fotch me up:” an eh gone befo Buh Wolf kin ketch um.367 Buh Rabbit too scheemy.368