44 Department of Conservation of Louisiana 



of Otters replied, 'Yes, I am satisfied.' 'Nonsense!' re- 

 joined his host, 'you are not satisfied. I have served you as 

 you served me.' This event ended their friendship." 



The Rabbit and the Tar Baby 



Admirers of Joel Chandler Harris and his Uncle Remus 

 stories should be greatly interested in the Biloxi myth of 

 Tcetkana, the rabbit, and Sunitoniko, the Tar Baby, which 

 the Biloxi called "The Rabibt and the Frenchman," and 

 Dr. Swanton's translation is as follows: 



"The Rabbit aided his friend the Frenchman with his 

 work. They planted potatoes. The Rabbit took the potato 

 vines as his share of the crop and devoured them all. The 

 next time that they farmed they planted corn, and this 

 time the Rabbit said 'I will eat the roots.' So he pulled up 

 all the corn by the roots, but he found nothing to satisfy 

 his hunger. Then the Frenchman said, 'Let us dig a well.' 

 But the Rabbit did not desire it. He told the Frenchman 

 that he must dig it alone. To this the Frenchman replied. 

 'You shall not drink the water from the well.' 'That does 

 not matter. I am used to licking off the dew from the 

 ground,' answered the Rabbit. 



"The Frenchman made a tar-baby and stood it up close 

 to the well. The Rabbit approached the well, carrying a 

 long piece of cane and a tin bucket. On reaching the well 

 he spoke to the tar-baby, but the latter said nothing. 'Friend, 

 what is the matter; are you angry?' said the Rabbit. Still 

 the tar-baby said nothing. So the Rabbit hit him with one 

 forepaw, which stuck there. 'Let me go, or I will hit you 

 on the other side,' said the Rabbit. And when he found 

 that the tar-baby paid no attention to him, he hit him with 

 his other forepaw, which stuck to the tar-baby. 'I will kick 

 you,' said the Rabbit. But when he kicked him. the hind 

 foot stuck. 'I will kick you with the other foot,' said the 

 Rabbit. And when he did so, that foot stuck to the tar- 

 baby. Then the Rabbit resembled a ball, because his feet 

 were sticking to the tar-baby and he could neither stand 

 nor recline. 



