Brother Fox Makes a Narrow Escape

The next time the little boy had an opportunity to visit Uncle Remus the

old man was alone, but he appeared to be in good spirits. He was

cobbling away upon what the youngster recognized as 'Tildy's Sunday

shoes, and singing snatches of a song something like this:

"_O Mr. Rabbit! yo' eye mighty big--

Yes, my Lord! dey er made fer ter see;

O Mr. Rabbit! yo' tail mighty short--

Yes, my Lord! hit des fits me!_"

The child waited to hear more, but the song was the same thing over and

over again--always about Brother Rabbit's big eyes and his short tail.

After a while Uncle Remus acknowledged the presence of his little

partner by remarking:

"Well, sir, we er all yer. Brer Jack and Sis Tempy en dat ar 'Tildy

nigger may be a-pacin' 'roun' lookin' in de fence-cornders fer

Chris'mus, but me en you en ole Brer Rabbit, we er all yer, en ef we

aint right on de spot, we er mighty close erroun'. Yasser, we is dat;

mo' speshually ole Brer Rabbit, wid he big eye and he short tail. Don't

tell me 'bout Brer Rabbit!" exclaimed Uncle Remus, with a great apparent

enthusiasm, "'kaze dey aint no use er talkin' 'bout dat creetur."

The little boy was very anxious to know why.

"Well, I tell you," said the old man. "One time dey wuz a monst'us dry

season in de settlement whar all de creeturs live at, en drinkin'-water

got mighty skace. De creeks got low, en de branches went dry, en all de

springs make der disappearance 'cep'n one great big un whar all de

creeturs drunk at. Dey'd all meet dar, dey would, en de bigges' 'ud

drink fus', en by de time de big uns all done swaje der thuss[83] dey

wa'n't a drap lef' fer de little uns skacely.

"Co'se Brer Rabbit 'uz on de happy side. Ef anybody gwine git water Brer

Rabbit de man. De creeturs 'ud see he track 'roun' de spring, but dey

aint nev' ketch 'im. Hit got so atter w'ile dat de big creeturs 'ud

crowd Brer Fox out, en den 't wa'n't long 'fo' he hunt up Brer Rabbit en

ax 'im w'at he gwine do.

"Brer Rabbit, he sorter study, en den he up 'n tell Brer Fox fer ter go

home en rub some 'lasses all on hisse'f en den go out en waller in de

leafs. Brer Fox ax w'at he mus' do den, en Brer Rabbit say he mus' go

down by de spring, en w'en de creeturs come ter de spring fer ter git

dey water, he mus' jump out at um, en den atter dat he mus' waller lak

he one er dem ar kinder varment w'at got bugs on um.

"Brer Fox, he put out fer home, he did, en w'en he git dar he run ter de

cubbud[84] en des gawm hisse'f wid 'lasses, en den he went out in de

bushes, he did, en waller in de leafs en trash twel he look mos' bad ez

Brer Rabbit look w'en he play Wull-er-de-Wust on de creeturs.

"W'en Brer Fox git hisse'f all fix up, he went down ter de spring en

hide hisse'f. Bimeby all de creeturs come atter der water, en w'iles dey

'uz a-scuffin' en a-hunchin', en a-pushin' en a-scrougin', Brer Fox he

jump out'n de bushes, en sorter switch hisse'f 'roun', en, bless yo'

soul, he look lak de Ole Boy.

"Brer Wolf tuck'n see 'im fus', en he jump spang over Brer B'ar head.

Brer B'ar, he lip back, en ax who dat, en des time he do dis de t'er

creeturs dey tuck'n make a break, dey did, lak punkins rollin' down

hill, en mos' 'fo' youk'n wink yo' eye-ball, Brer Fox had de range er de

spring all by hisse'f.

"Yit 't wa'n't fur long, 'kaze 'fo' de creeturs mov'd fur, dey tuck'n

tu'n 'roun', dey did, en crope back fer ter see w'at dat ar skeery

lookin' varment doin'. W'en dey git back in seein' distuns dar 'uz Brer

Fox walkin' up en down switchin' hisse'f.

"De creeturs dunner w'at ter make un 'im. Dey watch, en Brer Fox march;

dey watch, en he march. Hit keep on dis a-way twel bimeby Brer Fox 'gun

ter waller in de water, en right dar," continued Uncle Remus, leaning

back to laugh, "right dar 'uz whar Brer Rabbit had 'im. Time he 'gun ter

waller in de water de 'lasses 'gun ter melt, en 't wa'n't no time

skacely 'fo' de 'lasses en de leafs done all wash off, en dar 'uz ole

Brer Fox des ez natchul ez life.

"De fus' Brer Fox know 'bout de leafs comin' off, he year Brer B'ar

holler on top er de hill:

"'You head 'im off down dar, Brer Wolf, en I'll head 'im off 'roun'

yer!'

"Brer Fox look 'roun' en he see all de leafs done come off, en wid dat

he make a break, en he wa'n't none too soon, n'er, 'kaze little mo' en

de creeturs 'ud 'a' kotch 'im."

Without giving the little boy time to ask any questions, Uncle Remus

added another verse to his Rabbit song, and harped on it for several

minutes:

"_O Mr. Rabbit! yo' year mighty long--

Yes, my Lord! dey made fer ter las';

O Mr. Rabbit! yo' toof mighty sharp--

Yes, my Lord! dey cuts down grass!_"

[83] Assuaged their thirst.

[84] Cupboard.