Story: The Rabbit, the Wolf, and the Tar Baby
Book: Afro-American Folk Lore: Told Round Cabin Fires on the Sea Islands of South Carolina
Author(s): Abigail M. H. Christensen
Published: 1892
Internet Archive link.

Notes: I have removed the eye-dialect, but I have left the Gullah dialect as rendered by Abigail Christensen. The story referst to the peanuts as “ground nuts,” but the author provides a footnote identifying them as peanuts, so that’s the word I’ve used.

Brer Rabbit and Brer Wolf’s Peanut Patch

Now the Wolf, he very wise man, but not so wise as the Rabbit. The Rabbit, he most cunning man that go on four leg. He live in the brier-bush.

Now the Wolf, he done plant corn on year, but Rabbit, he ain’t plant nothing at all. He live on Wolf corn all winter.

Next year, Wolf ain’t plant corn, he think corn crop too poor, so he plant peanut. Rabbit, he do just the same as before.

Well, Wolf, he beginning for think something wrong. He gone out in the morning, look at he peanut patch, look very hard at Rabbit track, say, “I suspicion somebody been a thieve my peanut.”

Next morning he go again, meet more peanut gone, say same thing. Then he say, “I gonna make one scarecrow for set up in this here peanut patch, for scare the thief.” So he make one old scarecrow and set him in the middle of the peanut patch.

That night when Rabit come with he bag for get peanut, he see the scarecrow stand very white in the moonshine, and he say, “What that?” Nobody ain’t say anything. “What that?” he say again. Then nobody ain’t say nothing, and he ain’t see nothing move, so he gone up little closer, and little closer, till he git close up to him, and then he put out he paw and touch the scarecrow. Then he say, “You ain’t nothing but one old bundle of rag! Wolf think I gonna afraid you? Must be fool!” So he kick over the scarecrow and fill he bag with peanut, and gone back hom to the brier-bush.

Next morning Wolf gone out for look at he peanut patch, and when hem eet more peanut gone and the scarecrow knock down, he very mad. He say, “Never you mind, I fix old Rabbit that done thieve all my peanut. Just let me show you!” So he make one baby out of tar, and set up in he peanut patch, and say, “Just let old Rabbit try for knock over this here Tar Baby and he’ll see! I just want him for try!”

That night, when Rabbit come again with he bag in he hand and see the Tar Baby stand very black in the moonshine, he say, “What that? Old Wolf done gone set up another scarecrow? Must be.” So he move little nearer and say, “This here ain’t no scarecrow. This here must be one gal; I must study upon this.”

So he turn round and spread out he bag and sit down on him in the middle of the peanut patch and look hard at the Tar Baby. by and by he say, “Gal, what you name? Gal ain’t say anything. “Gal, why don’t you speak me? What you do do there?” Then he listen long time, ain’t hear anything except whippoorwill in the swamp.

So he gone close to him and say, “Gal, you speak to me, you mind! Gal, if you ain’t speak to me I knock you! I knock you with my right paw, then you think it thunder!” Tar Baby ain’t say nothing, so he knock him with he right paw and he paw stick!

Then he begin for holler. “Gal, let go me! I tell you, let go me! What for you do hold me? If you ain’t let go me I knock you with my left paw; then you think he thunder and lightning too!” So he knock him again with he left paw, and he left paw stick!

Then he say, “Gal, let me loose! Let me loose, I tell you! If you don’t I kick you with my right foot; then you think colt kick you!” So he kick him with he right foot, and he right foot stick.

Then he say, “Now, gal, if you ain’t turn me loose mighty quick I gonna kick you with my left foot; then you think horse kick you!” So he kick him with he left foot, and he left foot stick.

Then he say, “Mind now, gal, I ain’t done nothing to you. What for you hold me? Turn me loose and I ain’t gonna meddle you again sure. Maybe you think I can’t do nothing to you? Ain’t you know I can bite you do? If you ain’t turn me loose I gonna bite you sure. Ain’t you know my bite worse than snake bite?” So he bite him, and he nose stick.

Next morning, before sun-up, Wolf gone up to the peanut patch for see what he can find, and there he meet poor Rabbit with he paw and he foot and he nose all fasten on Tar Baby, and he say, “Ain’t I done told you so? Look a-yonder! I reckon Tar Baby done catch old Rabbit this time.” So he took Rabbit off and say, “You done thieve half my peanut; now what I gonna do with you?”

Then Rabbit begin for beg. “Oh, Massa Wolf, do let me go, and I never thieve peanut no more.”

Wolf say, “No, Brother Rabbit, you been a-thieve my corn last year and you been a-thieve peanut this year, and now I gonna eat you up.”

Then Rabbit say, “Oh, Massa Wolf, do don’t do me so, but let me beg you. You may roast me, you may toast me, you may cut me up, you may eat me, but do, Massa Wolf, whatever you do, don’t throw me in the brier-bush! If you throw me in the brier-bush I gonna dead.”

So Wolf say, “You ain’t want me for throw you in the brier-bush, ain’t you? That the very thing I going to do with you then.” So he fling him in the birer-bush, and then Rabbit laugh and say, “Hi! Massa Wolf, ain’t you know I live in the brier-bush? Ain’t you know all my family born and bred in the brier-bush? That what make I told you for throw me here. How you is gonna get me again?”

The Wolf very mad, ’cause he see Rabbit too wise man for him. He gone home, tell he wife, “No Rabbit soup for dinner today,” and they begin for contrive and they make plan for get Rabbit for come to their house.

So, one day, Wolf wife call Neighbor Dog and tell him, “Neighbor Dog, I want for get on you horse and ride fast as you can to Rabbit door and tell Brother Rabbit Brother Wolf dead, and before he die he leave solemn word he don’t want nobody else for lay him out but Brother Rabbit. And do, Neighbor Dog, beg him for come over quick as he can possible, so we call can have the funeral, for Wolf say he won’t have noboy for lay him out but Brother Rabbit.”

So Neighbor Dog, he get on he horse and ride rast as he can to Rabbit door, then he knock and say, “Brother Rabbit, Brother Wolf dead, and he leave solemn word he won’t have nobody for lay him out but Brother Rabbit.”

Rabbit say, “How! Brother Wolf dead?”

“Yes, he die last night, and he say he don’t want nobody else for lay him out, and Sister Wolf beg you for come over and lay him out quick as you can possible, so they all can have the setting-up.”

So Rabbit get on he horse and ride to Wolf door; then he knock and say, “How! I heard Brother Wolf dead.”

Wolf wife say, “Yes, he dead for true, and before he die he leave solmen word he don’t want nobody else for lay him out but Brother Rabbit.”

So then Rabbit say, “Can I see?” So Wolf wife took him in the bedroom and show him Wolf been a-lie on the bed, cover up with sheet.

Rabbit lift up the corner of the sheet and peep at Wolf. Wolf never wink! So Rabbit took out he snuff-box and drop one little grain of snuff on Wolf nose, and Wolf sneeze!

Then Rabbit say, “Hi! How can dead man sneeze?”

So he gone out, jump on he horse and ride hom fast as he can. And Wolf see Rabbit too wise man for him, and never try for catch him no more.

Southeastern red wolf at Wikimedia, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Red_Wolf_(1980).png