Why the Guinea-fowls Are Speckled

One night, while the little boy was watching Uncle Remus broil a piece

of bacon on the coals, he heard a great commotion among the

guinea-fowls. The squawking and _pot-racking_ went on at such a rate

that the geese awoke and began to scream, and finally the dogs added

their various voices to the uproar. Uncle Remus leaned back in his chair

and listened.

"I 'speck may be dat 's de patter-rollers gwine by," he said, after a

while. "But you can't put no 'pen'unce in dem ar Guinny-hins, 'kaze

dey'll wake up en holler ef dey year deyse'f sno'. Dey'll fool you,

sho'."

"They are mighty funny, anyhow," said the little boy.

"Dat 's it!" exclaimed Uncle Remus. "Dey looks quare, en dey does quare.

Dey aint do lak no yuther kinder chick'n, en dey aint look lak no

yuther kinder chick'n. Yit folks tell me," the old man went on,

reflectively, "dat dey er heap mo' kuse lookin' now dan w'at dey use'

ter be. I year tell dat dey wuz one time w'en dey wuz all blue, 'stid er

havin' all dem ar teenchy little spots on um."

"Well, how did they get to be speckled, Uncle Remus?" asked the little

boy, seeing that the old man was disposed to leave the subject and

devote his attention to his broiling bacon.

Uncle Remus did not respond at once. He turned his meat over carefully,

watched it a little while, and then adroitly transferred it to the cover

of a tin bucket, which was made to answer the purpose of a plate. Then

he searched about in the embers until he found his ash-cake, and in a

little while his supper was ready to be eaten.

"I aint begrudgin' nobody nothin'," said Uncle Remus, measuring the

victuals with his eye; "yit I'm monst'us glad Brer Jack aint nowhar's

'roun', 'kaze dey aint no tellin' de gawm dat ole nigger kin eat. He

look shaky, en he look dry up, en he aint got no toof, yit w'ence he

set hisse'f down whar dey any vittles, he des nat'ally laps hit up. En

let 'lone dat, he ull wipe he mouf en look' roun' des lak he want mo'.

Time Miss Sally see dat ole nigger eat one meal er vittles, I boun' you

he hatter go back down de country. I aint begrudgin' Brer Jack de

vittles," Uncle Remus went on, adopting a more conciliatory tone, "dat I

aint, 'kaze folks is got ter eat; but, gentermens! you be 'stonish'

w'en you see Brer Jack 'pesterin' 'long er he dinner."

The little boy sat quiet awhile, and then reminded Uncle Remus of the

guinea-fowls.

"Tooby sho', honey, tooby sho'! W'at I doin' runnin' on dis-a-way 'bout

ole Brer Jack? W'at he done ter me? Yer I is gwine on 'bout ole Brer

Jack, en dem ar Guinny-hins out dar waitin'. Well, den, one day Sis Cow

wuz a-grazin' 'bout in de ole fiel' en lookin' atter her calf. De wedder

wuz kinder hot, en de calf, he tuck'n stan', he did, in he mammy

shadder, so he kin keep cool, en so dat one flip un he mammy tail kin

keep the flies off'n bofe un um. Atter w'ile, 'long come a drove er

Guinnies. De Guinnies, dey howdied, en Sis Cow, she howdied, en de

Guinnies, dey sorter picked 'roun' en sun deyse'f; en Sis Cow, she crap

de grass en ax um de news er de neighborhoods. Dey went on dis a-way

twel 't wa'n't long 'fo' dey year mighty kuse noise out dar t'er side

er de ole fiel'. De Guinnies, dey make great 'miration, des lak dey does

deze days, en ole Sis Cow fling up 'er head en look all 'roun'. She

aint see nothin'.

"Atter w'ile dey year de kuse fuss 'g'in, en dey look 'roun', en bless

gracious! stan'in' right dar, 'twix' dem en sundown, wuz a great big

Lion!"

"A Lion, Uncle Remus?" asked the little boy, in amazement.

"Des ez sho' ez you er settin' dar, honey,--a great big Lion. You better

b'leeve dey wuz a monst'us flutterment 'mungs de Guinnies, en ole Sis

Cow, she looked mighty skeer'd. De Lion love cow meat mos' better dan he

do any yuther kinder meat, en he shake he head en 'low ter hisse'f dat

he'll des about ketch ole Sis Cow en eat 'er up, en take en kyar de calf

ter he fambly.

"Den he tuck'n shuck he head, de Lion did, en make straight at Sis Cow.

De Guinnies dey run dis a-way, en dey run t'er way, en dey run all

'roun' en 'roun'; but ole Sis Cow, she des know she got ter stan' 'er

groun', en w'en she see de Lion makin' todes 'er, she des tuck'n drapt

'er head down en pawed de dirt. De Lion, he crope up, he did, en crope

'roun', watchin' fer good chance fer ter make a jump. He crope 'roun',

he did, but no diffunce which a-way he creep, dar wuz ole Sis Cow hawns

p'intin' right straight at 'im. Ole Sis Cow, she paw de dirt, she did,

en show de white er her eyes, en beller way down in 'er stomach.

"Dey went on dis a-way, dey did, twel bimeby de Guinnies, dey see dat

Sis Cow aint so mighty skeer'd, en den dey 'gun ter take heart. Fus'

news you know, one un um sorter drap he wings en fuzzle up de fedders en

run out 'twix' Sis Cow en de Lion. W'en he get dar, he sorter dip down,

he did, en fling up dirt des lak you see um do in de ash-pile. Den he

tuck'n run back, he did, en time he git back, 'n'er one run out en raise

de dus' 'twix' Sis Cow en de Lion. Den 'n'er one, he run out en dip down

en shoo up de dus'; den 'n'er one run out en dip down, en 'n'er one en

yit 'n'er one, twel, bless gracious! time dey all run out en dip down

en raise de dus', de Lion wuz dat blin' twel he aint kin see he han'

befo' 'im. Dis make 'im so mad dat he make a splunge at Sis Cow, en de

old lady, she kotch 'im on her hawns en got 'im down, en des nat'ally

to' intruls out."

"Did she kill the Lion, Uncle Remus?" asked the little boy,

incredulously.

"Dat she did--dat she did! Yit 't aint make 'er proud, 'kaze atter de

Lion done good en dead, she tuck en call up de Guinnies, she did, en she

'low, dey bin so quick fer ter he'p 'er out, dat she wanter pay um back.

De Guinnies, dey say, sezee:

"'Don't bodder 'long er we all, Sis Cow,' sezee. 'You had yo' fun en we

all had ourn, en 'ceppin' dat ar blood en ha'r on yo' hawn,' sezee, 'dey

aint none un us any de wuss off,' sezee.

"But ole Sis Cow, she stan' um down, she did, dat she got ter pay um

back, en den atter w'ile she ax um w'at dey lak bes'.

"One un um up en make answer dat w'at dey lak bes', Sis Cow, she can't

gi' um. Sis Cow, she up en 'low dat she dunno 'bout dat, en she ax um

w'at is it.

"Den de Guinnies, dey tuck'n huddle up, dey did, en hol' er confab wid

one er 'n'er, en w'iles dey er doin' dis, ole Sis Cow, she tuck'n fetch

a long breff, en den she call up 'er cud, en stood dar chawin' on it des

lak she aint had no tribalation dat day.

"Bimeby one er de Guinnies step out fum de huddlement en make a bow en

'low dat dey all 'ud be mighty proud ef Sis Cow kin fix it some way so

dey can't be seed so fur thoo de woods, 'kaze dey look blue in de sun,

en dey look blue in de shade, en dey can't hide deyse'f nohow. Sis Cow,

she chaw on 'er cud, en shet 'er eyes, en study. She chaw en chaw, en

study en study. Bimeby she 'low:

"'Go fetch me a pail!' Guinny-hin laff!

"'Law, Sis Cow! w'at de name er goodness you gwine do wid a pail?'

"'Go fetch me a pail!'

"Guinny-hin, she run'd off, she did, en atter w'ile yer she come

trottin' back wid a pail. She sot dat pail down," continued Uncle Remus,

in the tone of an eye-witness to the occurrence, "en Sis Cow, she tuck

'er stan' over it, en she let down 'er milk in dar twel she mighty nigh

fill de pail full. Den she tuck'n make dem Guinny-hins git in a row, en

she dip 'er tail in dat ar pail, en she switch it at de fust un en

sprinkle 'er all over wid de milk; en eve'y time she switch 'er tail at

um she 'low:

"'I loves dis un!' Den she 'ud sing:

"'_Oh, Blue, go 'way! you shill not stay!

Oh, Guinny, be Gray, be Gray!_'

"She tuck'n sprinkle de las' one un um, en de Guinnies, dey sot in de

sun twel dey git dry, en fum dat time out dey got dem little speckles un

um."