BRER RABBIT TIES MR. LION 
tek-a me fer be sleep ebry tam I shed-a me y-eye, you is mek 
fool-a you’se’f. Warrah yarrah garrah tarrah!” 1 
Brer Remus !” said Aunt Tempy, in an awed whisper, “may¬ 
be he’s a-cunju’n un you.” 
“No-no!” exclaimed Daddy Jack, snappishly, “me no cun- 
cher no’n’ ’t all. Wun me cuncher you all you yeddy bone 
crack. Enty!” 
“Well, in de name er de Lord, don’t come a-cunju’n wid me, 
’kaze I’m des as peaceable ez de day’s long,” said Aunt 
Tempy. 
Uncle Remus smiled and closed his eyes with an air of disdain, 
caught from his old Mistress, the little boy’s grandmother, long 
since dead. 
“Tell yo’ tale, Sis Tempy,” he said pleasantly, “en leave de 
talk er cunju’n ter de little nigger childun. We er done got too 
ole fer dat kinder foolishness.” 
This was for the ear of the little boy. In his heart Uncle 
Remus was convinced that Daddy Jack was capable of changing 
himself into the blackest of black cats, with swollen tail, arched 
back, fiery eyes, and protruding fangs. But the old man’s attitude 
reassured Aunt Tempy, as well as the child, and forthwith she 
proceeded with her story: — 
“Hit seem like dat one time w’en Brer Rabbit fine hisse’f way 
off in de middle er de woods, de win’ strike up un ’gun ter blow. 
Hit blow down on de groun’ en it blow up in de top er de timber, 
en it blow so hard twel terreckerly Brer Rabbit tuck a notion dat 
he better git out fum dar ’fo’ de timber ’gun ter fall. 
“Brer Rabbit, he broke en run, en, Man — Sir ! 2 w’en dat 
creetur run’d he run’d, now you year w’at I tell yer! He broke 
en run, he did, en he fa’rly flew ’way fum dar. W’iles he gwine 
* 1 This is simply “gullah” Degro talk intended to be unintelligible, and therefore im¬ 
pressive. It means “One or the other is as good as t’other.” 
* An expression used to give emphasis and to attract attention; used in the sense that 
Uncle Remus uses “Gentermens!” 
273 
