Nights With Uncle Remus: Myths and Legends of the Old Plantation

Chapter 1

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NIGHTS WITH UNCLE REMUS

NIGHTS WITH UNCLE REMUS

MYTHS AND LEGENDS OF THE OLD PLANTATION

JOEL CHANDLER HARRIS

AUTHOR OF "UNCLE REMUS: HIS SONGS AND SAYINGS," "AT TEAGUE POTEET'S," ETC.

_WITH ILLUSTRATIONS_

BOSTON AND NEW YORK HOUGHTON MIFFLIN COMPANY

The Riverside Press Cambridge

CONTENTS

CHAPTER PAGE

I. MR. FOX AND MISS GOOSE 3

II. BROTHER FOX CATCHES MR. HORSE 8

III. BROTHER RABBIT AND THE LITTLE GIRL 12

IV. HOW BROTHER FOX WAS TOO SMART 17

V. BROTHER RABBIT'S ASTONISHING PRANK 21

VI. BROTHER RABBIT SECURES A MANSION 26

VII. MR. LION HUNTS FOR MR. MAN 33

VIII. THE STORY OF THE PIGS 38

IX. MR. BENJAMIN RAM AND HIS WONDERFUL FIDDLE 44

X. BROTHER RABBIT'S RIDDLE 51

XI. HOW MR. ROOSTER LOST HIS DINNER 56

XII. BROTHER RABBIT BREAKS UP A PARTY 61

XIII. BROTHER FOX, BROTHER RABBIT, AND KING DEER'S DAUGHTER 68

XIV. BROTHER TERRAPIN DECEIVES BROTHER BUZZARD 74

XV. BROTHER FOX COVETS THE QUILLS 79

XVI. HOW BROTHER FOX FAILED TO GET HIS GRAPES 83

XVII. MR. FOX FIGURES AS AN INCENDIARY 90

XVIII. A DREAM AND A STORY 95

XIX. THE MOON IN THE MILL-POND 100

XX. BROTHER RABBIT TAKES SOME EXERCISE 108

XXI. WHY BROTHER BEAR HAS NO TAIL 113

XXII. HOW BROTHER RABBIT FRIGHTENED HIS NEIGHBOURS 118

XXIII. MR. MAN HAS SOME MEAT 123

XXIV. HOW BROTHER RABBIT GOT THE MEAT 128

XXV. AFRICAN JACK 132

XXVI. WHY THE ALLIGATOR'S BACK IS ROUGH 141

XXVII. BROTHER WOLF SAYS GRACE 146

XXVIII. SPIRITS, SEEN AND UNSEEN 154

XXIX. A GHOST STORY 161

XXX. BROTHER RABBIT AND HIS FAMOUS FOOT 166

XXXI. "IN SOME LADY'S GARDEN" 177

XXXII. BROTHER 'POSSUM GETS IN TROUBLE 185

XXXIII. WHY THE GUINEA-FOWLS ARE SPECKLED 193

XXXIV. BROTHER RABBIT'S LOVE-CHARM 198

XXXV. BROTHER RABBIT SUBMITS TO A TEST 203

XXXVI. BROTHER WOLF FALLS A VICTIM 208

XXXVII. BROTHER RABBIT AND THE MOSQUITOES 214

XXXVIII. THE PIMMERLY PLUM 223

XXXIX. BROTHER RABBIT GETS THE PROVISIONS 230

XL. "CUTTA CORD-LA!" 236

XLI. AUNT TEMPY'S STORY 241

XLII. THE FIRE-TEST 248

XLIII. THE CUNNING SNAKE 255

XLIV. HOW BROTHER FOX WAS TOO SMART 260

XLV. BROTHER WOLF GETS IN A WARM PLACE 268

XLVI. BROTHER WOLF STILL IN TROUBLE 274

XLVII. BROTHER RABBIT LAYS IN HIS BEEF SUPPLY 280

XLVIII. BROTHER RABBIT AND MR. WILDCAT 286

XLIX. MR. BENJAMIN RAM DEFENDS HIMSELF 291

L. BROTHER RABBIT PRETENDS TO BE POISONED 297

LI. MORE TROUBLE FOR BROTHER WOLF 302

LII. BROTHER RABBIT OUTDOES MR. MAN 306

LIII. BROTHER RABBIT TAKES A WALK 311

LIV. OLD GRINNY-GRANNY WOLF 314

LV. HOW WATTLE WEASEL WAS CAUGHT 319

LVI. BROTHER RABBIT TIES MR. LION 325

LVII. MR. LION'S SAD PREDICAMENT 330

LVIII. THE ORIGIN OF THE OCEAN 334

LIX. BROTHER RABBIT GETS BROTHER FOX'S DINNER 339

LX. HOW THE BEAR NURSED THE LITTLE ALLIGATOR 344

LXI. WHY MR. DOG RUNS BROTHER RABBIT 349

LXII. BROTHER WOLF AND THE HORNED CATTLE 353

LXIII. BROTHER FOX AND THE WHITE MUSCADINES 357

LXIV. MR. HAWK AND BROTHER BUZZARD 362

LXV. MR. HAWK AND BROTHER RABBIT 366

LXVI. THE WISE BIRD AND THE FOOLISH BIRD 370

LXVII. OLD BROTHER TERRAPIN GETS SOME FISH 373

LXVIII. BROTHER FOX MAKES A NARROW ESCAPE 377

LXIX. BROTHER FOX'S FISH-TRAP 381

LXX. BROTHER RABBIT RESCUES BROTHER TERRAPIN 386

LXXI. THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS 396

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

FACE PAGE

MISS MEADOWS AND BROTHER RABBIT _Frontispiece_

MR. FOX AND MISS GOOSE 4

BROTHER RABBIT AND THE LITTLE GIRL 14

BROTHER RABBIT'S ASTONISHING PRANK 24

MR. BENJAMIN RAM AND HIS WONDERFUL FIDDLE 46

BROTHER FOX, BROTHER RABBIT, AND KING DEER'S DAUGHTER 70

BROTHER FOX COVETS THE QUILLS 82

A DREAM AND A STORY 96

BROTHER RABBIT TAKES SOME EXERCISE 110

WHY BROTHER BEAR HAS NO TAIL 116

WHY THE ALLIGATOR'S BACK IS ROUGH 144

BROTHER WOLF SAYS GRACE 152

WHY THE GUINEA FOWLS ARE SPECKLED 196

BROTHER RABBIT AND THE MOSQUITOES 216

THE PIMMERLY PLUM 228

BROTHER RABBIT GETS THE PROVISIONS 234

BROTHER WOLF STILL IN TROUBLE 278

BROTHER RABBIT AND MR. WILDCAT 288

BROTHER RABBIT TIES MR. LION 328

HOW THE BEAR NURSED THE LITTLE ALLIGATOR 344

GOOD-NIGHT 404

INTRODUCTION

The volume[i_1] containing an instalment of thirty-four negro legends, which was given to the public three years ago, was accompanied by an apology for both the matter and the manner. Perhaps such an apology is more necessary now than it was then; but the warm reception given to the book on all sides--by literary critics, as well as by ethnologists and students of folk-lore, in this country and in Europe--has led the author to believe that a volume embodying everything, or nearly everything, of importance in the oral literature of the negroes of the Southern States, would be as heartily welcomed.

The thirty-four legends in the first volume were merely selections from the large body of plantation folk-lore familiar to the author from his childhood, and these selections were made less with an eye to their ethnological importance than with a view to presenting certain quaint and curious race characteristics, of which the world at large had had either vague or greatly exaggerated notions.

The first book, therefore, must be the excuse and apology for the present volume. Indeed, the first book made the second a necessity; for, immediately upon its appearance, letters and correspondence began to pour in upon the author from all parts of the South. Much of this correspondence was very valuable, for it embodied legends that had escaped the author's memory, and contained hints and suggestions that led to some very interesting discoveries. The result is, that the present volume is about as complete as it could be made under the circumstances, though there is no doubt of the existence of legends and myths, especially upon the rice plantations, and Sea Islands of the Georgia and Carolina seacoast, which, owing to the difficulties that stand in the way of those who attempt to gather them, are not included in this collection.

It is safe to say, however, that the best and most characteristic of the legends current on the rice plantations and Sea Islands, are also current on the cotton plantations. Indeed, this has been abundantly verified in the correspondence of those who kindly consented to aid the author in his efforts to secure stories told by the negroes on the seacoast. The great majority of legends and stories collected and forwarded by these generous collaborators had already been collected among the negroes on the cotton plantations and uplands of Georgia and other Southern States. This will account for the comparatively meagre contribution which Daddy Jack, the old African of the rice plantations, makes towards the entertainment of the little boy.

The difficulty of verifying the legends which came to hand from various sources has been almost as great as the attempt to procure them at first hand. It is a difficulty hard to describe. It is sometimes amusing, and sometimes irritating, but finally comes to be recognized as the result of a very serious and impressive combination of negro characteristics. The late Professor Charles F. Hartt, of Cornell University, in his admirable monograph[i_2] on the folk-lore of the Amazon regions of Brazil, found the same difficulty among the Amazonian Indians. Exploring the Amazonian valley, Professor Hartt discovered that a great body of myths and legends had its existence among the Indians of that region. Being aware of the great value of these myths, he set himself to work to collect them; but for a long time he found the task an impossible one, for the whites were unacquainted with the Indian folk-lore, and neither by coaxing nor by offers of money could an Indian be persuaded to relate a myth. In most instances, Professor Hartt was met with statements to the effect that some old woman of the neighborhood was the story-teller, who could make him laugh with tales of the animals; but he never could find this old woman.

But one night, Professor Hartt heard his Indian steersman telling the Indian boatmen a story in order to keep them awake. This Indian steersman was full of these stories, but, for a long time, Professor Hartt found it impossible to coax this steersman to tell him another. He discovered that the Indian myth is always related without mental effort, simply to pass the time away, and that all the surroundings must be congenial and familiar.

In the introduction to the first volume of "Uncle Remus"[i_3] occurs this statement: "Curiously enough, I have found few negroes who will acknowledge to a stranger that they know anything of these legends; and yet to relate one is the surest road to their confidence and esteem."

This statement was scarcely emphatic enough. The thirty-four legends in the first volume were comparatively easy to verify, for the reason that they were the most popular among the negroes, and were easily remembered. This is also true of many stories in the present volume; but some of them appear to be known only to the negroes who have the gift of story-telling,--a gift that is as rare among the blacks as among the whites. There is good reason to suppose, too, that many of the negroes born near the close of the war or since, are unfamiliar with the great body of their own folk-lore. They have heard such legends as the "Tar Baby" story and "The Moon in the Mill-Pond," and some others equally as graphic; but, in the tumult and confusion incident to their changed condition, they have had few opportunities to become acquainted with that wonderful collection of tales which their ancestors told in the kitchens and cabins of the Old Plantation. The older negroes are as fond of the legends as ever, but the occasion, or the excuse, for telling them becomes less frequent year by year.

With a fair knowledge of the negro character, and long familiarity with the manifold peculiarities of the negro mind and temperament, the writer has, nevertheless, found it a difficult task to verify such legends as he had not already heard in some shape or other. But, as their importance depended upon such verification, he has spared neither pains nor patience to make it complete. The difficulties in the way of this verification would undoubtedly have been fewer if the writer could have had an opportunity to pursue his investigations in the plantation districts of Middle Georgia; but circumstances prevented, and he has been compelled to depend upon such opportunities as casually or unexpectedly presented themselves.

One of these opportunities occurred in the summer of 1882, at Norcross, a little railroad station, twenty miles northeast of Atlanta. The writer was waiting to take the train to Atlanta, and this train, as it fortunately happened, was delayed. At the station were a number of negroes, who had been engaged in working on the railroad. It was night, and, with nothing better to do, they were waiting to see the train go by. Some were sitting in little groups up and down the platform of the station, and some were perched upon a pile of cross-ties. They seemed to be in great good-humor, and cracked jokes at each other's expense in the midst of boisterous shouts of laughter. The writer sat next to one of the liveliest talkers in the party; and, after listening and laughing awhile, told the "Tar Baby" story by way of a feeler, the excuse being that some one in the crowd mentioned "Ole Molly Har'." The story was told in a low tone, as if to avoid attracting attention; but the comments of the negro, who was a little past middle age, were loud and frequent. "Dar now!" he would exclaim, or, "He's a honey, mon!" or, "Gentermens! git out de way, an' gin 'im room!"

These comments, and the peals of unrestrained and unrestrainable laughter that accompanied them, drew the attention of the other negroes, and before the climax of the story had been reached, where Brother Rabbit is cruelly thrown into the brier-patch, they had all gathered around and made themselves comfortable. Without waiting to see what the effect of the "Tar Baby" legend would be, the writer told the story of "Brother Rabbit and the Mosquitoes," and this had the effect of convulsing them. Two or three could hardly wait for the conclusion, so anxious were they to tell stories of their own. The result was that, for almost two hours, a crowd of thirty or more negroes vied with each other to see which could tell the most and the best stories. Some told them poorly, giving only meagre outlines, while others told them passing well; but one or two, if their language and their gestures could have been taken down, would have put Uncle Remus to shame. Some of the stories told had already been gathered and verified, and a few had been printed in the first volume; but the great majority were either new or had been entirely forgotten. It was night, and impossible to take notes; but that fact was not to be regretted. The darkness gave greater scope and freedom to the narratives of the negroes, and but for this friendly curtain it is doubtful if the conditions would have been favorable to story-telling. But however favorable the conditions might have been, the appearance of a note-book and pencil would have dissipated them as utterly as if they had never existed. Moreover, it was comparatively an easy matter for the writer to take the stories away in his memory, since many of them gave point to a large collection of notes and unrelated fragments already in his possession.

Theal, in the preface to his collection of Kaffir Tales,[i_4] lays great stress upon the fact that the tales he gives "have all undergone a thorough revision by a circle of natives. They were not only told by natives, but were copied down by natives." It is more than likely that his carefulness in this respect has led him to overlook a body of folk-lore among the Kaffirs precisely similar to that which exists among the negroes of the Southern States. If comparative evidence is worth anything,--and it may be worthless in this instance,--the educated natives have "cooked" the stories to suit themselves. In the "Story of the Bird that Made Milk," the children of Masilo tell other children that their father has a bird which makes milk.[i_5] The others asked to see the bird, whereupon Masilo's children took it from the place where their father had concealed it, and ordered it to make milk. Of this milk the other children drank greedily, and then asked to see the bird dance. The bird was untied, but it said the house was too small, and the children carried it outside. While they were laughing and enjoying themselves the bird flew away, to their great dismay. Compare this with the story of how the little girl catches Brother Rabbit in the garden (of which several variants are given), and afterwards unties him in order to see him dance.[i_6] There is still another version of this story, where Mr. Man puts a bridle on Brother Rabbit and ties him to the fence. Mr. Man leaves the throat-latch of the bridle unfastened, and so Brother Rabbit slips his head out, and afterwards induces Brother Fox to have the bridle put on, taking care to fasten the throat-latch.

The Brother Rabbit of the negroes is the hare, and what is "The Story of Hlakanyana"[i_7] but the story of the hare and other animals curiously tangled, and changed, and inverted? Hlakanyana, after some highly suggestive adventures, kills two cows and smears the blood upon a sleeping boy.[i_8] The men find the cows dead, and ask who did it. They then see the blood upon the boy, and kill him, under the impression that he is the robber. Compare this with the story in the first volume of Uncle Remus, where Brother Rabbit eats the butter, and then greases Brother Possum's feet and mouth, thus proving the latter to be the rogue. Hlakanyana also eats all the meat in the pot, and smears fat on the mouth of a sleeping old man. Hlakanyana's feat of pretending to cure an old woman, by cooking her in a pot of boiling water, is identical with the negro story of how Brother Rabbit disposes of Grinny-Granny Wolf. The new story of Brother Terrapin and Brother Mink, relating how they had a diving-match, in order to see who should become the possessor of a string of fish, is a variant of the Kaffir story of Hlakanyana's diving-match with the boy for some birds. Hlakanyana eats the birds while the boy is under water, and Brother Terrapin disposes of the fish in the same way; but there is this curious difference: while Hlakanyana has aided the boy to catch the birds, Brother Terrapin has no sort of interest in the fish. The negro story of how Brother Rabbit nailed Brother Fox's tail to the roof of the house, and thus succeeded in getting the Fox's dinner, is identical with Hlakanyana's feat of sewing the Hyena's tail to the thatch. When this had been accomplished, Hlakanyana ate all the meat in the pot, and threw the bones at the Hyena.