Gullah Folktales from the Georgia Coast

XL. Buh Rabbit an de Cunjur Man

XL. BUM RABBIT AN DE CUNJUR MAN. Buh Rabbit greedy fuh hab mo sense den all de tarruh animel. Eh yent lub fuh wuk, an eh try heap er scheme fuh git eh libbin outer edder people by fool um. One time eh gone ter one wise Cunjur Man fuh larne um him way, an fuh git him knowledge, so him kin stonish tarruh people an mek dem bliebe say him bin wise mo ner ebrybody. De Cunjur Man larne um heap er curous ting. At las Buh Rabbit ax um fuh gen um eh full knowledge. De Cunjur Man say: "Buh Rabbit, you hab sense nough aready." Buh Rabbit keep on bague um, an den de Cunjur Man mek answer: "Ef you kin ketch one big rattlesnake an fetch um ter me live, me gwine do wuh you ax me fuh do." Buh Rabbit git ehself one long stick an eh gone der wood. Eh hunt tel eh fine one whalin ob er rattlesnake duh quile up on one log. Eh pass de time er day berry perlite wid um, an arterwards eh bet de snake say him yent bin es long as de stick wuh him hab een him han. Buh Rattlesnake laugh at um, an eh mek answer dat eh know ill eh yiz long mo na de stick. Fuh settle de bet Buh Rattlesnake tretch ehself out ter eh berry lenk on de log, an Buh Rabbit pit de pole long side er um fuh medjuh urn. Man sir! befo Buh Rattlesnake fine out, Buh Rabbit slip one noose roun eh neck an fastne um tight ter de een der de pole. Buh Rattlesnake twis ehself, an wrop ehself roun an roun de pole, an try fuh git eh head loose, but all eh twis an tun yent do um no good. An so Buh Rabbit ketch um, an cahr um ter de Cunjur Man. De Cunjur Man rale suprise, an eh say: "Buh Rabbit, me always bin yeddy say you bin hab heap er sense, but now me know dat you got um. Ef you kin fool Rattlesnake , you hab all de sense you want/' Wen Buh Rabbit keep on bague de Cunjur Man fuh gie um mo sense, de Cunjur Man answer: "You go fetch me er swarm er Yaller Jacket, an wen you bring um ter me, me prommus you teh gie you all de sense you want/' Ebrybody know say Yaller Jacket wus den warse, an bee, an hornet. Eh sting so bad, an eh berry lub fuh drap topper ebryting wuh come close eh nes, an dout gie um any warnin. So wuh Buh Rabbit do? Eh 112 gone an eh git one big calabash, an eh crape um out clean, an eh cut one hole een urn, an eh pit honey een um, an eh tie um on de een er one long pole. Den eh hunt tel eh fine er Yaller Jacket nes, an eh set de calabash close by um dout worry de Yaller Jacket, an eh left um day, an eh tan off an watch um. Bimeby de Yaller Jacket scent de honey, an dem come out de nes an gone een de calabash fuh eat de honey. Wen de calabash full er Yaller Jacket, Buh Rabbit slip up an stop de hole, an cahr um ter de Cunjur Man. De Cunjur Man mek er great miration ober wuh Buh Rabbit bin done, an eh say: "Buh Rabbit, you is suttenly de smartest ob all de animel, an you sense shill git mo an mo ebry day. Mo na dat, me gwine pit white spot on you forrud, so ebrybody kin see you hab de bes sense een you head/' An dat de way Buh Rabbit come fuh hab er leely tuff er white hair between eh yez. 113 ...