The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1874-06-27
4 FAMILIAR LEGEND.
. DE Wolf, DE Rabbit and De Tar
Bnby,ss

"De Wolf, DE R3bb!s and De Tar
The negroes of the south have lit
I erature of their own, although, till late
/ ly, unwritten and almost unknown. But
their lyrics are now becoming famous
1 through the Fisk jubilee and Hampton
! singers. Besides these, there are a
I great number of fre-side legends that
have been to them what Cinderella and
Red-RidiSg- Hood are to us. These are
almost al lbout animals. The negroes,
even III common conversation, speak of
animals as if they thought, talked and
behaved among themselves like rational
beings; and the two animals most prom
inent in these legends are the wolf and
the rabbit. They are represented as en-
emies, and the rabbit always comes of
victorious through his superior strategy
The following is, I believe, the most
popular of these fre-side stories. But
10 appreciate it you should see the old
grandmother in her blue-checked home
spun dress, and high red-and-yellow
turban, with five or six little wOolly
heads clustering about her knee, before
a blazing fire, waiting for the sweet po-
tatoes in the ashes TO roast for their
supper, and amusing themselves mean
while with the story of Z" De Wolf, de
Rabbit an de Tar Baby"
Now de wolf e berry wise man, but
e not 50 wise as de NRbbit. De rabbit,
e mos cunnin' man lat go on TO legs.
z lib in de brier-bush.
Now de wolf e done plant corn one
ear, but rabbit, e amt plant nuthen'
tall !; e lib on wolf corn all winter
Mex ear, wolf amt plant corn, e tink
corn crop too poo; so e plant groun'-
nut. (Ihat is, peanuts.) Rabbit e do
ies' de same as befo'.
Well, wolf e biggin' to tink some
ting wrong. Z gone in de mawnin',
look at e groun'-nut patch, look berry
hard at rabbit track, say, 9" 'spicion
somebody ben tief my groun'-nut"
Mex mawnin' e gain meet mo- grcun'-
nut gone say same anne ting Den s. e say, az,
mp in dis yere groun'-
skeer de tief." SO e mex one ole skeer-
crow an set um in de middle oh de
groun' nut patch
Dat night, when rabbit come wild
bag for get groun'-nut, e see de skeer-
CROW stan berry white in de moonshine,
an e So "Wha' dat?" Nobody amt
say anything. Wba' dat ?" g gay gain.
Den nobody amt say nuthin an e amt
see nuthin moobe, so e gone leetle clo-
ser an leetIe closer, till e git close ter
um' den e put e paw an touch de
skeer- r-crow. Den e say, You amt
nuthin but one oldf fbundle O rag
Wolf tink l gwine Hiid you? mus be
fool" So e kick ooer de skeer-crow
an fill g bag wild groun'-nut an gone
back home to de brier-bush.
Mex mawnin', wolf goLe out for
look at e groun'-nut patch, an, when e
crow knock down, e berry mad. e
say, :" Nebber you min, L fix ole rabbit
dat done tief all my greun'-nnt; just
ont O. tar an set up in e groun' nut
patch, an say, Jus let old rabbit try
for knock over dis yere tar baby, an
ell see l JUS want um for try"
Dat night when rabbit come gain wild
e bag for get groun' nut an see de tar
baby stan berry black in de mOonshine,
e say "Wha' dat ole wolf done gone
set up nodder skeer crow, mus be-
SO e moobe leetle nearer. and leetle
nearer, den, stop an say, "Dis yere
enty no Eeer-crow dis ere mus be
one gal! Pmus' study pom dis" A
So e tun roun' an spread out e bag
an sit down in de middle OBJ dc groun'-
nut patch an look hard at de tar baby.
Bimeby e say, " Gal, what you name 2"
Gal amt say anything. "Gal, why
don't you speak me? what you do
dere ?" Den e listen long time, amt
hear anything 'cept whippoorwill in de
swamp.
So e gone close up ter tin, an say,
" Gal, you speak me, you min! Gal.
if you amt speak me l knock you.
knock you wild my right paw, den you
tink it tunder % Tar baby amt say
nuttin' so e knock um wild e right paw,
an e paw stick
Den e biggin for ho'ler, "Gal, lo' go
me, tell you le' go me wha' for you
hole me? Ii you don't ie' go me 1
knock you wild my lef' paw, den you
tink it tunder and tighten too !" SO e
knock UNI gain will e lef' paw, an e
lef' paw stick
Den e. say, Gal, lef me loose, lef'
me loose, tell you. If you don't
kick you wild my right foot, den you
tink colt kick you p SO e kick um
wild e right foot, an e foot stick
Den e say, Now gal, if you amt
lef' me loose mighty quick l kick you
wild my lef' foot den you tink hoss kick
you" So e kick um wild e lef' foot,
and e lef' foot stick
',
puttin to you, wha' you hole me
Mebbe you tink 1 can't do nuttin to you;
amt you know I can bite you, though ?
if you amt lef' me loose 1 gwine bite
you. Amt you know my bite worse
dan snake bite ?" So e bite um un' e
nose stick
Mex pawnin', fore sun-up, wolf
gone out e groun'-nut patch for see
what e kirNfn', an e meet poo rabbit
wild e paw an e feet an e nose all
farsten on tar baby, an e say, Enty,
I tole you so look yawnderl / reck-
on tar baby done catch ole rabbit dis
time" So e tux rabbit off an say,
s'You done tief half my groun'-nut,
now what 1 gwine do wild you ?"
Den rabbit biggin for beg. "Oh maus-
sa wolf, do le' me go an nebber tief
groun'-nut no mo-" Wolf say, "No,
brudder rabbit, you ben tief nv corn,
las ar, an you ben tief my groun'-
nut, dis ear, an now gwine eat you
up"
Den rabbit say, 90 NAUSEA wolf, do
don't do me so, but Ne' me beg you.
You ma roas' me, yo uma' toas' me, you
ma cut me up, you ma eat me, but do
NAUSEA wolf, whatebber you do, don't
trow me in .ie brier bush. Eff you trow
me in de brier bushN Ngwine dead"
80 wolf say, !" You tPin't want me for
trow you in de bri& bush, enty dat
jes' what / gwine do wild yaw." So e
fling um in de bramble bush, an den
rabbit laugh an say, eli ! NAUSEA
wolf, amt you know 1 lib in de brier
bush amt yaw know all my family
born an bred in de brier bush dis jes'