Gullah Folktales from the Georgia Coast

V. Buh Fowl-Hawk an Buh Rooster

V. BUH FOWL-HAWK AN BUH ROOSTER. Buh Fowl-Hawk, him fly ebry day dis way and dat way ober de Ian, an eh cant fine nuttne fuh eat. Eh hail de Sun one time, an eh tell um eh so hongry eh ready fuh drap; dat eh cant git bittle fuh eat; an he dunno wuh fuh do. De Sun, eh say: "Budder, ef you kin ketch me in me bed, me gree fuh fine you in bittle." Buh Hawk tek de greement, an eh try berry hade fuh come pon topper de Sun in eh bed. But ebry time de Sun done git up befo Buh Hawk ketch de place way de Sun sleep. Buh Hawk gib up. Eh dead tired. Den eh tun in an consult Buh Rooster. Buh Rooster yeddy him tale, and den eh say: "Me tell you, Buh Hawk, wuh you better do. You come sleep right ober me back; an wen, soon a mornin, you yeddy me knock me wing togedder and crow, you sail right off fuh de Sun house, an you kin ketch um befo eh git up from eh bed." Buh Hawk do dis es Buh Rooster tell um. Eh come dat ebenin, an eh set on de tree-limb right ober way Buh Rooster duh sleep. Long befo day duh broke Buh Rooster knock eh wing togarruh an crow. Bless yo 12 soul! Buh Fowl-Hawk wake up, eh switch eh tail, eh pitch off de tree, an eh mek fur de spot way de Sun blan sleep. Eh ketch um een eh big house. Eh day in eh bed. Buh Hawk, eh knock to de do. De Sun say: "Who dat?" Buh Hawk mek answer: "Duh me." De Sun say: "Who you?" Buh Hawk say; "Duh me, Budder Hawk." De Sun quire: "Wuh you want long me?" Buh Hawk mek answer: "Enty you bin tell me one day dat ef me kin ketch you in you bed you guine fine me? Now me done ketch you in de bed. Gimme de bittle you prommus me. Me berry hongry." De Sun bex. Eh wunt come to de do, but eh holler back to Buh Hawk, an eh say: "You tun right roun, an you go to de man wuh pint you to ketch me in me bed, an you tell um fuh fine you." Buh Hawk rale disappint. Eh try fuh swade de Sun, but de Sun wunt listne ter um; and de Sun dribe um way from him house. Buh Hawk mad, an wen eh see eh cant git no bittle from de Sun, eh fly back to Buh Rooster. Buh Rooster, him ax um: "Me Budder, how you mek out?" Buh Hawk tell um eh yent mek out wut. Den eh up an quaint Buh Rooster how de Sun wouldnt gie um no bittle fuh eat; how 13 eh dribe um way; an how eh tell um fuh go back to de man wuh pit um on de trail fuh ketch um in eh bed, an mek um fine um. Buh Rooster mek answer: "Budder, me yent hab no bittle fuh gie you. Me no kin fine you." Buh Hawk say: "Me dead tired. Me berry hongry. Me mus hab me payment." Buh Rooster say: "You cant git no payment outer me. All me got duh me wife an me chillun, an me know me yent guine gie you none er dem." Wen Buh Hawk see eh cant swade Buh Rooster fuh fine um, eh try narruh plan. Eh leff Buh Rooster, an eh sail way up in de element tell eh done gone in de cloud. All de time eh duh watch Buh Rooster. Wen Buh Rooster clean forgit Buh Hawk, an leh eh chillun play bout een de grass, befo eh know, down drap Buh Fowl-Hawk, an eh ketch up one er dem same Buh Rooster chillun. Eh fly off wid um to one big oak tree, an eh pick eh bone clean. Buh Rooster holler, but eh cant tetch Buh Hawk. De chicken sweet. Buh Hawk feel good. From dat day tell now, Buh Fowl-Hawk blan pick eh chance an lib off Buh Rooster chillun. 14 ...