🧚 Opening, part 12

Heap er people willin’ fuh notus er pooty noung widder, wen dem no want bodder long narruh man chillun.1

LIV.2

BUH RABBIT, BUH PATTRIDGE, AN DE COW.3

Buh Rabbit, him berry greedy, an him lub fuh tell lie.4 Him an Buh Pattridge mek greement fuh kill Cow.5 Buh Pattridge ax Buh Rabbit: “Way we gwine butcher um?”6 Buh Rabbit say: “Less we dribe um close up ter my house befo we kill um.”7 Dem done dat, an arter dem kill an skin de Cow, dem cut um up fuh share um.8 Den Buh Rabbit tell Buh Pattridge: “You tek one er de fore-quarter, caze you know you leetle an cant tote much one time, an me radder you tek de fore-quarter anyhow, caze eh nex de heart, an eh mo sweeter den de res er de meat.”9 So Buh Pattridge tek one er de fore-quarter an leff fuh him house.10

Soon es Buh Pattridge gone duh tote eh meat home, Buh Rabbit tun een an tote all de res er de Cow ter him house, an pit um een eh room, an lock de do.11 Den eh stan outside duh watch fuh see wen Buh Pattridge would er come back fuh mo meat, so dem all two could er meet same time at de place way dem bin butcher de Cow.12 Buh Rabbit leh Buh Pattridge git er leely way ahead er um es dem gwine back ter de spot way de Cow bin kill, an wen eh come up eh say: “Hi!13 Buh Pattridge, way all de meat gone?”14 Buh Pattridge, him mek answer: “Me dis bin gwine ax you wuh you bin do wid all de meat.”15 Buh Rabbit say: “How you kin ax me sich er question, wen me bin see er whole gang er Pattridge dis gone from yuh?16 Me sho say you an you fambly bin come back fuh tek anarruh tun long de meat.”17 Buh Pattridge mek answer say him an eh fambly nebber bin nigh de Cow sence eh fus leff um.18 Den Buh Rabbit schway say: “Ef eh yender you, somebody else muster tief de Cow meat wen we all two bin gone;” an so eh fool Buh Pattridge, an mek um bleebe say strange people muster slip up an cahr off de meat, wen all de time him binner de tief, an hab um lock up safe een him house.19

You nebber kin trus Buh Rabbit.20 Eh all fuh ehself; an ef you listne ter him tale, eh gwine cheat you ebry time, an tell de bigges lie dout wink eh yeye.21

LV.22

DE FIDDLER, BUH TIGER, AN BUH BEAR.23

Long time ago dere bin er Ebo man wuh bin er great fiddler.24 Eh know better den all dem tarruh people wuffer do long fiddle.25 Wen eh lean back, an shet eh yeye, an draw eh bow fuh tru, nobody wuh yeddy kin keep from shuffle eh foot.26 Ebry body roun de settlement blan gage um fuh mek de music fuh dem fuh dance.27 One day eh bin gwine fuh keep eh gagement fuh play at er party.28 Eh hab eh fiddle een er bag.29 Es eh bin der walk tru er deep swamp, Buh Tiger an Buh Bear tek eh track an run um.30 De man skaid wus den bad, but eh wunt drap eh fiddle.31 Eh clime one tree an fix ehself een one crotch.32 Fus ting eh know, Buh Tiger biggin fuh crawl up de tree fuh ketch um.33 De man holler and try fuh skaid de beas, but eh wunt skaid.34 Eh keep on duh clime up.35 Den de man draw eh fiddle an eh bow outer de bag, an biggin fuh play wid all eh strenk.36 Buh Tiger bleege fuh stop teh listne ter um.37 Een er leely wile de chune sweeten Buh Tiger so bad eh forgit ter foller de man, an eh tun roun an come down de tree, an him an Buh Bear graff han, an all two set een fuh dance.38 De faster de fiddler play, de faster dem dance.39 Dem gone roun an roun, up an down, tel dem dead tired.40 At lenk dem all two so outdone dem bleege fuh drap der groun an try fuh ketch dem win.41 Dem cant dance er foot furder, an dem duh try fuh keep de time long dem head.42

Wen de Fiddler notus how complete dem outdone, eh slip down de tree, an tek eh foot een eh han, an lean fuh de place way eh bin gwine.43 Buh Tiger an Buh Bear yent hab strenk fuh foller um: an so eh music sabe um.44

LVI.45

DE OLE KING AN DE NOUNG KING.46

Er ole King yeddy say dem gwine pit er noung King een him place.47 De ting worry um an mek um bex.48 Eh want fuh keep eh trone: so eh gen order teh eh head man fuh mek him soldier kill all de ole people een de nation, so de noung King shant hab no wise pusson fuh help um cahr on de bidness er de kingdom.49 De soldier tek dem gun an dem club, an dem massacree all de ageable people een de lan.50

Den de ole King sen wud teh de noung King, wuh de people bin pick out fuh rule ober dem, dat eh mus fetch um er fat hog, but eh musnt be eider er sow-hog, neider er bo-hog, but eh mus be er fat hog.51

Wen de noung King git de message, eh tun dis answer: “Tell de ole King say me hab er fat barruh een de pen, an him mus come fur um; but eh musnt come een de day, ner eh musnt come fuh um een de night.”52 De ole King, wen eh yeddy dis message, mek up eh mine say de noung King mus hab heap er sense, er else some wise man muster help um; an eh couldnt see how dat kin be, case all de ole an de wise people een de nation done kill.53 Eh no bin know dat wen de order gie fuh stroy all de ole people een de kingdom, de noung King hide eh farruh een one holler tree, an so eh mek eh scape from de soldier, an bin day fuh gen eh son sense.54

De noung King tun sich er smart answer, wid de help er eh farruh, dat de ole King couldnt mek out wuh time fuh gone fuh de fat hog; an so eh gib up, an de noung King, befo long, come an tun um out an tek eh office.55

LVII.56

BUH GOAT AN BUH WOLF.57

Buh Goat berry faid tunder an lightnin an rain.58 One day big tunder storm rise een de wes, an eh rain, an eh lightnin, an eh hail.59 Buh Goat an eh wife bin er feed een de wood close by Buh Wolf house.60 Wen de lightnin flash, an de tunder roll, an de rain po down, dem faid fuh stay een de wood, an dem run teh Buh Wolf house, an dem bague um fuh leh dem come een tel de storm done ober.61 Buh Wolf tell dem yes; an eh tun Buh Goat an eh wife een de shedroom, an eh shet de do behine dem an latch um.62 Buh Wolf shedroom yent bin hab bode flo.63 Eh mek topper de neked dut.64 Arter Buh Wolf done shet up Buh Goat an eh wife, eh git eh fiddle an eh biggin fuh play an sing: “Tenky goolly God, tunder an lightnin done sen meat een me house.65 Tenky goolly God, tunder an lightnin done sen meat een me house.”66 Buh Goat wife yeddy wuh Buh Wolf bin er play an sing, an eh say teh eh husbun: “Enty you yeddy wuh Buh Wolf duh play an duh sing: ‘Tenky goolly God, tunder an lightnin done sen meat een me house’?67 Him gwine kill an eat we.68 Better leh we grabble out an leff.”69 All dis time Buh Wolf wife bin er tell eh husbun: “You better mine wuh you duh sing.70 You better keep you mout shet.71 Buh Goat an eh wife gwine yeddy wuh you duh say.”72 Buh Wolf wouldnt listen ter um.73 Eh wouldnt stop.74 Him say de rain duh fall so hebby Buh Goat an him wife couldnt mek out wuh him duh sing.75 Wile dis bin er gwine on, Buh Goat an eh wife busy duh grabble, grabble, grabble onder de sill er de shedroom tel dem mek hole big nough fuh dem fuh crawl out, an den dem slip out an gone.76