BRER RABBIT’S RIDDLE 
Fling um down yer, Brer Rabbit — fling um right down yer 
so I kin ketch um/ sezee. 
“Brer Rabbit, he sorter wunk de furdest eye fum Brer Fox, en 
he holler back, he did: — 
“‘Ef I fling um down dar whar you is, Brer Fox, en you misses 
um, dey’ll git squshed,’ sezee, ‘so I’ll des sorter pitch um out 
yander in de grass whar dey won’t git bus’,’ sezee. 
“Den he tuck’n flung de peaches out in de grass, en w’iles Brer 
Fox went atter um, Brer Rabbit, he skint down outer de tree, en 
hustle hisse’f twel he git elbow-room. W’en he git off little ways, 
he up ’n holler back ter Brer Fox dat he got a riddle he want ’im 
ter read. Brer Fox, he ax w’at is it. Wid dat, Brer Rabbit, he 
gun it out ter Brer Fox lak a man sayin’ a speech: — 
Big bird rob en little bird sing , 
De big bee zoon en little bee sting, 
De little man lead en big hossf oiler — 
Kin you tell w'at *s goodfer a head in a hollerV 
“Ole Brer Fox scratch he head en study, en study en scratch he 
head, but de mo’ he study de wuss he git mix up wid de riddle, en 
atter w’ile he tuck’n tell Brer Rabbit dat he dunno how in de name 
er goodness ter onriddle dat riddle. 
“‘Come en go ’longer me,’ sez ole Brer Rabbit, sezee, ‘en I 
boun’ you I show you how ter read dat same riddle. Hit’s one er 
dem ar kinder riddle,’ sez ole man Rabbit, sezee, ‘ w’ich ’fo’ you 
read ’er you got ter eat a bait er honey, en I done got my eye sot 
on de place whar we kin git de honey at,’ sezee. 
“Brer Fox, he ax wharboutsis it, en Brer Rabbit, he say up dar 
in ole Brer B’ar cotton-patch, whar he got a whole passel er bee- 
gums. Brer Fox, he ’low, he did, dat he ain’t got no sweet-toof 
much, yit he wanter git at de innerds er dat ar riddle, en he don’t 
keer ef he do go ’long. 
“Dey put out, dey did, en’t wa’n’t long ’fo’ dey come ter ole 
Brer B’ar bee-gums, en ole Brer Rabbit, he up’n gun um a rap 
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