Plateau, Alabama. Brought to America from West Coast Africa, 1859.

IT was famine time an’ T’ appin had six chillun. Eagle hide behin’ cloud an’ he went crossed de ocean an’ go gittin’ de palm oil; got de seed to feed his chillun wid it. T’appin see it, say “hol’ on, it har’ time. Where you git all dat to feed your t’ree chillun? I got six chillun, can’t you show me wha’ you git all dat food?” Eagle say, “No, I had to fly ’cross de ocean to git dat.” T’appin say, “Well, gimme some o’ you wings an’ I’ll go wid you.” Eagle say, “A’ right. When shall we go?” T’appin say, “ ’Morrow morning’ by de firs’ cock crow.” So ’morrow came but T’appin didn’ wait till mornin’. T’ree ’clock in de mornin’ T’appin come in fron’ Eagle’s house say, “Cuckoo—cuckoo—coo.” Eagle say, “Oh, you go home. Lay down. ’Tain’t day yit.” But he kep’ on, “Cuckoo, cuckoo, coo,” an’ bless de Lor’, Eagle got out, say, “Wha’ you do now?” T’appin say, “You put t’ree wings on this side an’ t’ree on udda side.” Eagle pull out six feathers an’ put t’ree on one side an’ t’ree on de udda. Say, “Fly, le’s see.” So T’appin commence to fly. One o’ de wings fall out. But T’appin said, “Da’s all right, I got de udda wings. Le’s go.” So dey flew an’ flew; but when dey got over de ocean all de eagle wings fell out. T’appin about to fall in de water. Eagle went out an’ ketch him. Put him under his wings. T’appin say, “I don’ like dis.” Eagle say, “Why so?” T’appin say, “Gee it stink here.” Eagle let him drop in ocean. So he went down, down, down to de underworl’. De king o’ de underworl’ meet him. He say, “Why you come here? Wha’ you doin’ here?” T’appin say, “King, we in te’bul condition on de earth. We can’t git nothin’ to eat. I got six chillun an’ I can’t git nothin’ to eat for dem. Eagle he on’y got t’ree an5 he go ’cross de ocean an’ git all de food he need. Please gimme sumpin’ so I kin feed my chillun.” King say, “A’ right, a’ right, so he go an’ give T’appin a dipper. He say to T’appin, “Take dis dipper. When you want food for your chillun say:

Bakon coleh Bakon cawbey Bakon cawhubo lebe lebe.

So T’appin carry it home an’ go to de chillun. He say to dem, “Come here.” When dey all come he say:

Bakon coleh Bakon cawbey Bakon cawhubo lebe lebe.

Gravy, meat, biscuit, ever’ting in de dipper. Chillun got plenty now. So one time he say to de chillun, “Come here. Dis will make my fortune. I’ll sell dis to de King.” So he showed de dipper to de King. He say:

Bakon coleh Bakon cawbey Bakon cawhubo lebe lebe.

Dey got somet’ing. He feed ev’ryone. So de King went off, he call ev’ryboda. Pretty soon ev’ryboda eatin’. So dey ate an’ ate, ev’ryt’ing, meats, fruits, and all like dat. So he took his dipper an’ went back home. He say, “Come, chillun.” He try to feed his chillun; nothin’ came. (You got a pencil dere, ain’t you?) When it’s out it’s out. So T’appin say, “Aw right, I’m going back to de King an’ git him to fixa dis up.” So he went down to de underworl’ an’ say to de King, “King, wha’ de matter? I can’t feeda my chillun no mora.” So de King say to him, “You take dis cow hide an’ when you want somepin’ you say:

Sheet n oun n-jacko nou o quaako.

So T’appin went off an’ he came to cross roads. Den he said de magic:

Sheet n oun n-jacko nou o quaako.

De cowhide commence to beat um. It beat, beat. Cowhide said, “Drop, drop.” So T’appin drop an’ de cowhide stop beatin’. So he went home. He called his chillun in. He gim um de cowhide an’ tell dem what to say, den he went out. De chillun say:

Sheet n oun n-jacko nou o quaako.

De cowhide beat de chillun. It say, “Drop, drop.” Two chillun dead an’ de others sick. So T’appin say, “I will go to de King.” He calls de King, he call all de people. All de people came. So before he have de cowhide beat, he has a mortar made an’ gets in dere an’ gets all covered up. Den de King say:

Sheet n oun n-jacko nou o quaako.

So de cowhide beat, beat. It beat everyboda, beat de King too. Dat cowhide beat, beat, beat right t’roo de mortar wha’ was T’appin an’ beat marks on his back, an’ da’s why you never fin’ T’appin in a clean place, on’y under leaves or a log.



B’RER RABBIT FOOLS BUZZARD

ONCE upon a time B’rer Rabbit an’ B’rer Buzzard. Buzzard say gonna shut up Rabbit five days until he starve to death. So he put him in a hole an’ cover him up. Every day he come to him an’ sing:

Diddledum-diddledum-day-day Young man, I’m here.

B’rer Rabbit he sing it after him. Did that five days. Every day Rabbit gittin’ lower an’ lower. B’rer Buzzard come ’round an’ sing louder an’ louder:

Diddledum-diddledum-day-day Young man, I’m here.

De las’ day Buzzard sing louder still; but B’rer Rabbit he very faint. He kin jes’ barely say:

Didd—le—dum—didd—le—dum d—a—a d—a—a

So Buzzard decide it is time to take Rabbit home to his little ones. As he was carryin’ Rabbit to his little ones he said:

Diddledum-diddledum-day-day Young man, here he.

All come ’round de table. Dey meant to eat him. Had knives an’ everything, an’ were jes’ gonna cut him up when de father said:

Diddledum-diddledum-day-day Young man, let’s eat.

But jes’ den ol’ B’rer Rabbit jumped up from de table an’ said:

Diddledum-diddledum-day-day Young man, I’m gone.

Stepped on a pin Hit bent That’s the way he went.