Story: Take My Place
Book: “Folk-Lore from Elizabeth City County, Virginia,” published in the Journal of American Folklore, volume 35
Author(s): Alice M. Bacon and Elsie Clews Parsons
Storyteller: E. E. Edwards (as recorded by Alice Bacon)
Published: 1922
Internet Archive link.

Notes: I added the explanation for why Wolf got in the box at the end; the final part of the story was told in an abbreviated way, but the idea of this type of “prosperous return” is that the animal claims they found wealth underwater, so another gullible animal goes under the water too.

Brer Rabbit Fools the Animals Three Times

One day Brer Rabbit stole some cabbage from Brer Wolf. Brer Wolf caught Brer Rabbit and put him into a hollow log, and put a block of wood into each end to prevent Brer Rabbit from getting out. He said that he was going to starve Brer Rabbit to death.

After Brer Rabbit had been in there a half a day, Brer Wolf passed by and hailed him. “Hello, Brer Rabbit!” said he. Brer Rabbit answered, “Hello!”

The next day Brer Wolf passed again. Brer Rabbit spoke so low that he could scarcely be heard. Brer Wolf said to himself, “He is ‘most dead.” About noon Brer Wolf came back again and hailed, but received no answer. Brer Wolf got an axe and pounded upon the log, but he got no answer. He then called and called, but no answer. So he said, “Brer Rabbit is dead.” Brer Wolf took the block out of the end of the log, laughed to himself, and walked away.

After he was gone, Brer Rabbit laughed too. He came out of the log greatly tickled at Brer Wolf’s foolishness.

In a few days he met Brer Wolf. Brer Wolf said, “Hello, Brer Rabbit! I thought you were dead.” Then he caught Brer Rabbit again, and decided to box him up and throw him into the river. Brer Wolf called Brer Bear, Brer Elephant, and Brer Fox to see the fun. After Brer Rabbit was put into the box, it was found that there were no nails to nail the cover down with. So they put the cover on, and all went away after nails.

As soon as they were gone, Brer Rabbit came out. He found a stone, and put it in the box and fitted the cover on, just as before. When Brer Wolf came back without looking into the box, he and his friends began to nail down the cover of the box. When they were ready, they said good-by to Brer Rabbit, but he would not speak. They laughed, and said he was mad. Then they flung the box into the river, and it sank.

In two or three days Brer Rabbit came back with cheese and butter and milk and gold and silver. He gave them all some, and thanked them for throwing him into the river. He told them that he had had a good time.

Then Brer Wolf, wanting to get cheese and butter and milk and gold and silver from the river like Brer Rabbit, asked them to put him into a box and throw him into the river. They did it, but have not seen him since.

Photo of rabbit by Tony Alter at Flickr, https://www.flickr.com/photos/78428166@N00/7586743440