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"What did you say?" Rabbit says, "Nuffin. I says good piece to de bank yet." Then, when de elephant got close enough fur de rabbit to jump off him, de rabbit'jumped off, an' he says to de elephant, "You old scoundrel, you! you wouldn' get across to-night nohow."

14. WATCHER TRICKED.

Once dere was an ol' frawg an' rabbit fell out over a 'possum. An' said, de ol' rabbit an' frawg did hung (fit) [fight]. An' de ol' 'possum it clamb de tree. An' de ol' frawg said to de 'possum, "Ain't you goin' to help me out?" De ol' 'possum still staid up de

An' de rabbit tol' de frawg if de 'possum wouldn't come down, to watch it till he run to de house an' git de axe. De 'possum says, "Mr. Frawg, look up de tree." An' de 'possum had filled his mouth full o' tobacker. An' when de frawg looked up de tree, de 'possum spit his eyes full of 'backer-juice. So when de rabbit come, "Mr. Frawg, where is Mr. 'Possum?" So de rabbit said, "I'm goin' to kill you." So he sang back, an' oder old frawg, "I'm goin' to have your head an' guts."1

(Second Version.2)

Said once dere was a terpin an' a frawg. De terpin lived two or three miles from de frawg's house. De ol' frawg had a knack ev'ry night of blockin' de path. De terpin was goin' to kill de frawg. So de terpin went home after his axe, an' he tol' ol' Rabbit to watch Frawg while he was gone. So de ol' frawg he jumped into de brushpile. After a while de terpin come back. Says, "Mr. Rabbit, where is Mr. Frawg?" Says, "He's in dat brush-pile." So he hid down on de brush-pile. An' de ol' frawg jumped into a hole of water an' begin to sing,

"You can't git me now,
You can't git me now!"

15. THE INSULT MIDSTREAM; WATCHER TRICKED; MOCK FUNERAL. Once on a time as a rabbit went on his journey. He came to river that he couldn't cross. Mr. Fox being near, and seeing his condition, said, "Get into my ear, and I will carry you across for ten dollars." Mr. Rabbit got into Mr. Fox's ear, and was carried safely across. After reaching the other side, Mr. Fox ask for his pay. Mr. Rabbit jumped out and ran into a hole near by.

After this, Mr. Fox ask Mr. Red-Bird to get a shovel to dig him out. 1 Informant 7. See No. 15. Compare Jones, XXXVIII, XLIII; Harris 1: X; Harris 2 XLVII; MAFLS 2: 115.

2 Informant 7.

3 Informant 8. See No. 13; also p. 233.

Mr. Red-Bird went after the shovel. While he was gone, Mr. Rabbit threw dirt in Mr. Fox's eyes. So when Mr. Red-Bird came back, Mr. Rabbit could not be found, as Mr. Fox's eyes was filled with dirt and he didn't know which way he was gone. So he was deprived again of his dime.

After a period of wandering, Mr. Rabbit was asked to a party, but he would not go in. So he [Mr. Fox] was deprived of his dime once

more.

Mr. Fox planned again. This time he died, and his request was that Mr. Rabbit should prepare him for his burial.. But Mr. Rabbit said he never believe Mr. Fox was dead unless he turned over. So he turned over. And Mr. Rabbit ran off laughing, and saying, "I never saw a dead man turn over before." 2

16. BRUSH-HEAP A-FIRE.3

Come 'long de rabbit. Seed de terpin in de brush-heap. "What are you doin' dere?" — "Waitin' fur company." Tol' him go 'long with him, he'd be company. Started along wid him. Couldn't keep up wid him. De rabbit said, “You better go back where you was. - "If I knew you was going to do this, I'd not come along." Old Turtle crawled back. "Where are you now?" - "In de brush-heap." Ol' Rabbit set de brush-heap on fire. (Done him up.) "I reckon you'll run now!"-"No, I'll crawl, I reckon." — "You'll do it mighty fas'."

17. THE SPITTING HANT.4

Said that a man went to camp. An' they fix the supper down before the fire. An' said there was a man come down the steps an' hawked an' spitted over his fry meat. He tol' him he better not do that any mo'. Said he hawked an' spitted again. Said the man cursed him, an' he tore him to pieces. Said the sperit tore his entrails out. An' hung him up in the joisters.

(Second Version.5)

Travellin' in the country, sellin' tobacker. 'Plied at ol' school-house to stay all night. 'Long came ol' big hant-eyes equal to moons, head equal to a barrel, a tail six or seven feet long. He settin' up to de fire. An' he spit over his master's tea. Dis colored man says, "Don't you do dat no more." Chum! Spit. Nex' 'ply was, "Don't

1 See p. 178.

2 Compare Jones, XLVI; Harris 2: LXII; MAFLS 3: 76 (XV); Parsons, XLI; Pub. Folk-Lore Soc. 55: V; Smith, 9-10.

Informant 9. Compare Jones, I.

4 Informant 2. Compare Harris 2: LV; JAFL 13: 26 (VII); Parsons, LXXXIX. 5 Informant 5.

you do dat no more. I hit you sure." Chum! Colored man struck him. An' dis big hant an' the colored man ran 'round de house. His master run to de door 'cause he extra man. He called to his master to he'p him. Master replied, "He's reachin' up an' tearin' off de pieces. I can't go in." Den he went on to de neighbor's house. He called to de neighbor, "Would you go back an' he'p me?" This has been often de case people tore up dere.

18. FIDDLING FOR THE DEVIL.1

Man's wife a-been a-tellin' him not to go playin' the fiddle so much. Man had been gone six months. He saw a man comin' on a nice black horse. He said he wouldn't trouble him but for two tunes. The Devil's black joke was the last tune. He come off his horse, an' he got down an' he danced it. When he danced, he give him fifty cents in money. An' that was horse-manure. When he went home, he put his hand in his pocket, an' it was nothin' but horse-manure. Devil had a club foot. "Now," said she, "you been playin' the fiddle for the Devil." An' he never went no more.

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Man went to a man's house to stay all night. Man of house said, "I tell you my case.' Woman was keeping his wife from having a child fixed her. (Heap cu'ious things in de worl'.) Told him next morning what to do. Send servant to neighbor's house after fire. Somebody settin' at chimney ask, "How is the mistress?"-"Well as she could be expected of. She had a fine son." She reached up the chimney-corner an' pulled down a sack. Out popped something. She said, "God's above the Devil." When he [the servant?] got back, she did have a fine son, sure enough.

20. ALLIGATOR'S TAIL; IN THE BRIAR-PATCH.2

Ol' 'Possum tol' ol' Rabbit one day, if he get him a piece of ol' Alligator's tail, he'd give him forty dollars. He studied an' studied about it, an' he didn't know what to do about it. One day he came along ol' Alligator, an' dey walked an' talked an' walked an' talked an' went a long ways together. Rabbit he had a little hatchet in his overcoat-pocket, an' he chopped off alligator's tail, an' picked it up an' run with it. Alligator said, "Never mind, never mind! Match yer for it, match yer for it, if it take yer seven year!" Ol' Rabbit turned 'round. "Meet in such a field, ol' straw field, fight about it, see about it." They meet tha'. Ol' Alligator got there first. Ol' Rabbit

1 Informant 9.

2 Informant 4. See this number, pp. 171, 225.

sot it all a-fire all 'round. They met tha'. "Match yer for it, match yer for it, if it take seven year!" Ol' Rabbit tol' him meet him in such an' such a place agin. "Fight about it, see about it." Ol' Rabbit he goes an' sets him a steel trap. Ol' Rabbit he got out tha', an' ol' Alligator says, "Please, brother Rabbit, let me out! Please, brother Rabbit, let me out!" He let him out den, an' ol' Alligator made out if he was goin' to throw ol' Rabbit in de ribber. De rabbit made out like as he wanted him to throw him in de ribber. An' he said he wouldn't throw him in the ribber, he'd throw him in de briar-patch, he wanted to punch his eyes out. He throwed him in de briar-patch. Ol' Rabbit jumped up an' said, "Dat's de very place I wanted to git a long time ago."

21. THE DEVIL MARRIAGE.1

One time a lady said she was never goin' to marry a man unless he was dressed in gol'. Her father had a party, en a man came dressed in gol'. Somebody at the gate. Man's son ran out, car'ed him to where the ol' people were. "Look as if you was havin' some to do here." "Yes," said the man of the house, "you better go an' take part with them." Man's daughter took man dressed in gol' for her partner. Little boy about twelve noticed him, en said, "Sister, don't you notice his feet?" "What's wrong? Why, no!" - "Why, sister, they ain't nothin' but nubbed. Notice them when he get playin'. You ask moder what's the matter wi' his feet."—"Frien', what's de matter wi' your feet?" - "I fell in the fire when I was a little feller like you, en my feet got burned off." Now his hand burned too. He said he fell in the soap-pot when he was a small boy. He fixed to be married. Dat night said he mus' go home. He kyar'ed dat man's daughter back with him. She says, "You let brother go with me. I'm goin' to a strange place. I like to have some of my people goin' with me." Little boy says, "Sister, don't you notice how he done? When he got up in his buggy, he throw out an aigg. He say, 'Hop en skip. Betty, go 'long."" Betty des flew. He went until he came to where was a great big smoke. Girl said, "Mister, what sort of a big smoke? I can't go through dat smoke." "Oh, dat my han's burnin' off new groun'. I go en lay that smoke." "Sister, don't you take notice what he said. 'Hop, skip, Betty,' 'till we come to this smoke. He stop Betty, he lay this smoke. Is 1 Informant 3. Heard by my informant at Macon, Ga. Compare Jones, XXXIV; MAFLS 2: 69; Parsons, XXIII; Pub. Folk-Lore Soc. 55: XXXIV, L.

Variant: Her father, the king, gave a big dance. This variant and the following were told me by Young's daughter Katherine, who had heard the tale only from her father. Variant: Clubbed.

Variant: His father was making a plant-bed, and he ran through. His mother was making a pot o' lye, and he grabbed in it.

you willin' to go back home with me, sister? That ain't nothin' in de worl' but the Devil." Brother threw out an aigg, en said, "Wheel, Betty!" En Betty wheel. "Betty, go 'long! Hop en skip!" En Betty flew back home to her father. En behol'! next mornin' what should we see but the Devil comin'.1 He went up to de gate. He

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to dat lady's house an' car'ed her home. He gettin' in his cheriot an' come back as hard as he could.

2 Young chanted the following. Obviously he had originally heard it sung.

3 "That was hell."

A Variant: The lady brother went an' got an ol' woman who could answer that ol' man's questions. If that ol' woman couldn't have answered one of them questions, she'd [he'd] have got that girl.

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