🧚 Opening, part 4 · page 2

XIX.102

BUH ELEPHANT AN BUH ROOSTER.103

Buh Elephant, him bin know Buh Rooster berry well.104 Dem blan roam togerrur, an Buh Rooster blan wake Buh Elephant duh mornin, so eh kin hunt eh bittle befo de jew dry.105

Dem bin a talk togerrur one day, an Buh Elephant, him bet Buh Rooster say him kin eat longer ner him.106 Buh Rooster, him tek de bet, an dem tun in nex mornin, wen de sun jis bin a git up, fuh see who guine win de bet.107 Buh Elephant, him gedder leaf an grass, an eat an eat tel eh full an cant eat no mo.108 Buh Rooster, him sarche de grass fuh seed an wurrum, an eh pick an eat.109 Wen Buh Elephant done full, an der tan onder de tree duh flop eh yez, eh see Buh Rooster, dist es spry, duh walk bout an der swaller seed an grasshopper an wurrum same luk eh dis biggin fuh eat.110 Buh Elephant gib up.111 Eh fine eh yent de man wid de bigges belly wuh kin eat de longes.112

XX.113

DE PO MAN AN DE SNAKE.114

One po Man bin er mek eh libbin long split shingle an cut timber in de swamp.115 Him hab wife, but no chillun.116 Ebry day, from sunrise tel sundown, eh day in de swamp der cut.117 Try eh bes, eh scacely kin mek bread fuh eat.118

One berry big Snake--de farruh er all dem tarruh snake wuh lib in de swamp--notus de po man.119 Eh see how hard eh wuk an how little eh mek, and eh tek pity on um.120 One ebenin, dis befo de po man knock off wuk, dis snake crawl up ter de log way de man bin er chop, an eh say: “Budder, how you der mek out?”121 De man mek answer: “Me yent mek out wut.122 Me der wuk in dis swamp from sunrise tel dark, day een an day out, an try me bes, me scacely kin mek bittle nough fuh me an me wife fuh eat.”123 Den de snake, him say: “Me sorry fuh you, an me willin fuh help you.”124 De man tenk um, an ax um how eh guine help um.125 De snake say: “You got any chillun?”126 De man say: “No.” De snake quire: “You hab wife?”127 De man say: “Yes.”128 De snake say: “Kin you keep secret from you wife?”129 De man mek answer say eh kin.130 Buh Snake tell um eh faid fuh truss um; but wen de man bague de snake berry hard fuh try um, de snake gree fuh do so.131 Den de snake tell um eh guine gen um some money nex day, but eh mussne tell eh wife way eh git de money.132 De man mek strong prommus, and so dem part.133

De nex day, jis befo de po man done task, de snake crawl up.134 Eh belly an eh mouf puff out.135 Eh spit two quart er silber money on de groun dist in front er de po man, an eh say: “You member wuh me bin tell you las ebenin?136 Well, yuh some money me fotch fuh help you.137 Tek um, but member ef you tell you wife way you git um, er who gen um ter you, eh yent guine do you no good, an you guine dead a po man.”138 De man so glad fuh git de money eh say: “Tenky, tenky, tenky, me budder; me neber guine tell nobody way me git all dis money.”139 Arter eh leff de swamp fuh gone home, de snake spicion say eh bin guine go back on eh prommus an tell eh wife: so eh mek up eh mine fuh foller um an see wuh happne.140

Eh bin dark wen eh retch de man house.141 Eh crawl up, an eh leddown dist onder de winder, way him kin yeddy all de wud wuh talk in de house.142 De man wife bin a tun roun an der cook supper.143 Arter him an eh husbun done eat, eh husbun say: “Me bin hab big luck ter-day: looker dis money.”144 Den eh pull out de silber and spread um on de table.145 Eh wife stonish.146 Eh wife glad, an eh say: “Tell me way you bin git all dis money.”147 De man say: “Fren gen um ter me.”148 Eh wife say: “Wuh fren?”149 De man say him prommus no fuh tell.150 De wife say but eh mus tell um, an eh bague so hard tel de man done furgit eh prommus, an eh up an mek um sensible how de ting all happne.151 Den eh wife say: “Dat snake must hab eh belly full er silber money, an me tell you wuh you do ter-morruh.152 Wen de snake come fuh talk long you, you pick you chance an chop eh head off long you ax, an tek all de money outer um.”153 Eh husbun gree fur do dist is him say.154

Buh Snake, him yeddy ebry wud dem talk, an eh gone to him house in de swamp berry bex case de man wuh eh bin befren shouldder gone back on eh prommus and mek bad bargain fuh kill um.155

De nex day de man watch fuh de snake.156 Wen de sun duh lean fuh down, an de man bin a try fuh split one big log, Buh Snake crawl up long sider de log an show ehself ter de man.157 Dem talk togerrur; an de snake ax de man: “You bin show you wife de money wuh me bin gen you?”158 De man answer: “Yes, me yiz.”159 An den eh ax um: “You bin tell you wife way you bin git um?”160 De man say: “No.” De snake ax um gen: “You sho you no bin tell um you git um long me?”161 De man say: “Me tell you one time ready.162 Wuh mek you ax me dat questun gen?163 You tink me duh lie?”164 Wid dat, eh mek eh lick fuh chop de snake head off.165 De snake bin hab eh yeye on um, an eh draw back gin de log.166 De ax miss de snake, an glance back off de log an cut de man own leg off.167 De po man holler fuh somebody fuh come fuh help um.168 Eh day way in de swamp out er yearin, an noboddy yeddy.169 Wen eh duh bleed ter det, an dis befo eh dead, Buh Snake, him say ter um: “Enty me bin tell you, wen me gen you dat silber money, ef you tell you wife way you git um you guine dead one po man?170 You prommus me you guine keep de secret.171 Steader dat, you gone home ter you wife, an you show um de money, an you tell um way you git um.172 Mo na dat: you an him fix plan fuh kill me wuh bin you fren, an rob me outer wuh money me hab leff.173 Now you see de jedgment wuh come topper you.174 In try fuh chop me head off, you cut you own foot off.175 You gwine dead in dis yer wood.176 No man ner ooman gwine fine you.177 Buzzud gwine eat you.”178