“‘You may be a-gwine on a long journey, Brer Buzzard; I don’t ’spute dat,’ sezee, ‘but it’ll be atter you done kyar’d me back whar we start fum.’
“Den Brer Buzzard he up en tell Brer Rabbit ’bout de bargain he done make wid Brer Fox. Dis make Brer Rabbit laugh wuss ’n befo’.
“‘Law, Brer Buzzard’, sezee, ‘w’en it come ter makin’ dat kinder bargain, you oughter make it wid me, kaze I’m a long ways a better trader dan w’at Brer Fox is.’
“Brer Buzzard he don’t ’spon’ ter dat, but he keep on flyin’ higher en higher, en furder en furder away. Bimeby Brer Rabbit ’gun ter git kinder oneasy, en he ’low:
“‘Look like ter me we done got fur ’nuff, Brer Buzzard,’ sezee, ’en I’ll be mighty much erbleege ef you kyar me back.’
“Brer Buzzard keep on flyin’ furder. Bimeby Brer Rabbit ax ’im ag’in, but Brer Buzzard keep on flyin’ furder. Den ole Brer Rabbit he ’low, sezee:
“‘Ef I got ter des nat’ally _make_ you go back, I speck I better start in right now,’ sezee.
“Wid dat Brer Rabbit retch down, he did, en bit Brer Buzzard under de wing.”
The little boy clapped his hands and laughed at this, and Uncle Remus laughed in sympathy.
“Yesser,” the old man went on, “ole Brer Rabbit retch down en bit Brer Buzzard under de wing, right spang in he most ticklish en tender-some spot. Co’se dis make Brer Buzzard shet he wing quick, en w’en he shet he wing, he bleedge ter fall some. Den w’en he open de wing out en ketch hisse’f, Brer Rabbit holler out:
“Brer Buzzard ain’t say nuthin’, en den Brer Rabbit retch down en bit ’im under de yuther wing. It keep on dis away twel it got so dat Brer Rabbit kin guide Brer Buzzard along des same ez ef he done bin broke ter harness, en dat’s de way he made ’im kyar ’im back.”
The little boy enjoyed these stories very much, and was very sorry to see that Uncle Remus was not in the humor for telling any more. Perhaps his store was exhausted. At any rate, the old man flatly refused to cudgel his memory for another legend.
“W’en you git a leetle bit older dan w’at you is, honey,” said Uncle Remus to the little boy, “you’ll know lots mo’ dan you does now.”
The old man had a pile of white oak splits by his side, and these he was weaving into a chair-bottom. He was an expert in the art of “bottoming chairs,” and he earned many a silver quarter in this way. The little boy seemed to be much interested in the process.