Gullah Folktales from the Georgia Coast

XXXIII. Buh Rabbit, Buh Wolf, an de Porpus

XXXIII. BUH RABBIT, BUH WOLF, AN DE PORPUS. Ebber sence dat time wen Buh Wolf ketch Buh Rabbit duh tief water outer him spring, an eh bin tie um ter de spakleberry bush an lick um, Buh Rabbit hate Buh Wolf an mek plan fuh git eben wid um, Dem all two lub fish. Buh Rabbit an Buh Porpus bin good fren, an many er time Buh Porpus blan gie Buh Rabbit some er de fish wuh him der ketch. One day, Buh Porpus, him bin berry lucky een eh fishin, an eh fetch fuh Buh Rabbit mo ner two quart er gannet mullet, and blow um on de bank way Buh Rabbit kin git um dout wet eh foot. Buh Rabbit, him tell um heap er tenky, an eh cahr um ter him house. Befo eh part compny wid Buh Porpus, eh tell um how Buh Wolf bin ketch um an tie um an lick um, how eh bex long Buh Wolf, an how eh want Buh Porpus fuh help um fuh punish Buh Wolf. Den dem mek plan lucker dis: Buh Porpus bin fuh come back ter de same place nex day an leh Buh Rabbit tie grapewine roun um, so Buh Wolf kin pull um outer de water fuh eat um. Wen Buh Wolf tek eh holt fuh pull Buh Porpus 88 outer de water, den Buh Porpus wus teh mek eh flut an juk Buh Wolf een de ribber an drown um. So dey gree, an Buh Rabbit gone home long eh fish. Wen eh git ter eh house eh sen one er him gal to Buh Wolf house fuh tell um him hab some nice fish, an ter eenwite Buh Wolf an him fambly fuh tek brukwus long um nex mornin. Buh Wolf, him well please, an eh say him an eh fambly gwine come wid pledjur . Dem did come. De fish sweet. Buh Wolf, him an eh wife an eh chillun joy um berry much. Buh Wolf ax Buh Rabbit way eh git de fish, an Buh Rabbit tell um say him fren, Buh Porpus, blan ketch um fur um, an dat him hab er pintment dat berry day wid Buh Porpus. Buh Wolf bague Buh Rabbit fuh leh him go long too, an see ef him couldnt mek rangement wid Buh Porpus fuh fine him een fish. Buh Rabbit say him willin; so dem finish brukwus an gone fuh meet Buh Porpus. Es dem duh gwine Buh Rabbit tell Buh Wolf say Porpus meat berry nice, an eh tink mebbe dem kin ketch Buh Porpus an eat um. Buh Wolf quire: "How you gwine do urn?" Den Buh Rabbit, him mek an89 swer: "Me tell you how we gwine wuk dis ting. Megood fren ter Buh Porpus, an wen we git ter de ribber bank me gwine tell Buh Porpus leh we hab er game, an see who kin pull de strongis. Den we will tek er grapewine an tie um roun Buh Porpus head, an you an me will tek turrer een, an we sholy kin drag Buh Porpus outer de ribber; an wen we git um out eh gwine dead, an we will hab heap er bittle fuh eat/' Buh Wolf, him no bin know de plan wuh Buh Rabbit aready done fix wid Buh Porpus, an so eh gree ter all wuh Buh Rabbit bin say. Wen dem git ter de ribber bank, day was Buh Porpus duh wait fur Buh Rabbit. Buh Rabbit mek um quaintum wid Buh Wolf, an arter er while Buh Wolf ax Buh Porpus fuh fine um een fish same luk eh fine Buh Rabbit, an Buh Porpus gree fur do so. Den Buh Rabbit, him say: "Leh we hab some fun, an see who kin pull de strongis: Buh Porpus genst me an Buh Wolf." Buh Porpus say him willin. Wid dat, Buh Rabbit git one long grape-wine, an eh tie one een roun Buh Porpus head, an de tarruh een eh tie fus roun Buh Wolf body, an den roun him own; but eh leff de een loose, so him kin slip out. Den eh gie de wud fuh pull. 90 Es eh done dat eh slip outer de wine, an leff Buh Wolf lone fuh pull genst Buh Porpus. At de fus, wen Buh Porpus ease isself off een de ribber, eh pull sorter light, an den eh gie...