Story: Gives Himself Away
Book: Folklore of the Sea Islands, South Carolina
Author(s): Elsie Clews Parsons
Storyteller: Henry Bryan
Published: 1923
Internet Archive link.

Notes: Eye dialect removed, light editing for punctuation and paragraphs. The swearing makes it clear that these animal stories were not for children back in the day!

Alligator the Ferryman and Rabbit

Here was Ber Rabbit and Ber Alligator. They had a river to cross. Ber Alligator was the ferry-boat. Ferry-time! Ber Rabbit wanted to go across, he had a tune for Ber Alligator; Ber Alligator come down to Ber Rabbit. “Tung gulun, tum gelung!” Alligator would rise — he puffed — and make for shore.

And Alligator was Wolf ferryman too. And Ber Rabbit told Ber Alligator that Wolf going to fix a plan to kill him. But Alligator said, “Me and Wolf is too good a friend, because Wolf is never such man as what you is, ’cause I will trust Ber Wolf when I won’t trust you.”

Then Ber Rabbit said to Alligator that, “I must be a pretty low man.”

Ber Alligator said to him, “Yes, you is a dirty man.”

Trouble coming now! Ber Rabbit ask Ber Alligator, “Did I ever done you anything?”

Alligator said, “No, you didn’t done me nothing, but you have done so many lowness of other people, for that reason you will do the same to me.”

Ber Rabbit didn’t like it. Then he take a stick the next morning when he was to go across the river, and he sung his tune for Ber Alligator to come ashore. When Ber Alligator got ashore, he took the stick and he struck Ber Alligator across his back.

Ber Rabbit said, “God damn it! I mean to kill you.” Alligator flew out in the river.

Next morning Rabbit went and borrow Ber Wolf clothes. And he come to the water and call Ber Alligator to come down to him. “Tung gulun, tum gelung!” And when Ber Alligator come ashore, he said, “Ber Wolf, you know Ber Rabbit tried to kill me yesterday?”

He say, “Do what?”

“Yes, he lay to kill me yesterday.” Then Alligator was telling what Rabbit done him. He said, “Ber Rabbit hit me across me back with a stick yesterday morning.” He said, “He did mean to kill me, but he didn’t hit me the right place.” He said, “If he had hit me between my eye and my nose on this knot, I’d’ve been a dead man.”

Then Ber Rabbit in Ber Wolf clothes, he said, “Well, Ber Alligator, I’m go play a fine tune, and let us have a little dance.” Oh, he’s a sharp feller, Ber Rabbit! He said, “Because a friend of mine is to come down and bring me a bundle to take across the river.” And he commence to sing this song, and Alligator commence to dance. “Tung gulun, tum gelung!” And he say, “When I tell you to swing, just what side I said swing, you must swing.” And he struck Ber Alligator right between his eye and his nose. And he was dead. Ber Rabbit was the cause of his death!

Photo of alligator by Bernard Spragg at Flickr, https://www.flickr.com/photos/volvob12b/48824198611