e
'bout dish yer beef, w'ich anybody would er know'd I 'uz a-kyar'n off
fer ter save fer 'im, so nobody could n't git it?'

"But dish yer kinder talk don't suit Brer Fox, en he tuck'n make a
motion 'zef[63] ter ketch Brer Rabbit, but Brer Rabbit he 'gun 'im leg
bail, en dar dey had it thoo de woods twel Brer Rabbit come 'pon a
holler tree, en inter dat he went, des lak one er deze streaked lizzuds
goes inter a hole in de san'."

"And then," said the little boy, as Uncle Remus paused, "along came
Brother Buzzard, and Brother Fox set him to watch the hole, and Brother
Rabbit said he had found a fat squirrel which he would run out on the
other side; and then he came out and ran home."

This was the climax of a story that Uncle Remus had told a long time
before, and he looked at his little partner with astonishment not
unmixed with admiration.

"I 'clar' ter gracious, honey!" he exclaimed, "ef you hol's on ter yo'
pra'rs lak you does ter deze yer tales youer doin' mighty well. But
don't you try ter hol' Brer Rabbit down ter one trick, you won't never
keep up wid 'im in de 'roun' worl'--dat you won't.

"Ole Brer Buzzard wuz dar, en Brer Fox ax 'im fer ter watch de hole, but
he ain't bin dar long 'fo' Brer Rabbit sing out:--

"'I got de 'vantage un you, dis whet, Brer Buzzard, I sho'ly is.'

"'How dat, Brer Rabbit?'

"''Kaze I kin see you, en you can't see me.'

"Wid dat Brer Buzzard stuck he head in de hole, en look up; en no sooner
is he do dis dan Brer Rabbit fill he eyes full er san', en w'iles he
gone ter de branch fer ter wash it out, Brer Rabbit he come down outer
de holler, en went back ter whar de cow wuz; en mo' dan dat, Brer Rabbit
got de ballunce un de beef."

FOOTNOTE:

[63] As if.

XLVIII

BRER RABBIT AND MR. WILDCAT

"Uncle Remus," said the little boy, after a pause, "where did Brother
Rabbit go when he got out of the hollow tree?"

"Well, sir," exclaimed Uncle Remus, "you ain't gwine ter b'leeve me,
skacely, but dat owdashus creetur ain't no sooner git out er dat ar tree
dan he go en git hisse'f mix up wid some mo' trouble, w'ich he git
mighty nigh skeer'd out'n he skin.

"W'en Brer Rabbit git out'n de holler tree, he tuck'n fling some sass
back at ole Brer Buzzard, he did, en den he put out down de big road,
stidder gwine 'long back home en see 'bout he fambly. He 'uz gwine
'long--_lickety-clickety, clickety-lickety_--w'en fus' news you know he
feel sump'n' 'n'er drap down 'pun