Story: The Rabbit, the Wolf, and the Keg of Butter
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 Rabbit, the Wolf, and the Keg of Butter

One day, Rabbit say to wolf, tell him, “Brer Wolf, you and me got a heap of old grandparent ain’t no use to nobody, and I tell you what let’s do with them. Let’s catch them all, take them to town some these morning, and sell them for one keg of butter. Vittle so dry this year, appears we want something for put on him.”

Wolf agree to that, and so one morning they catch all them old granddaddy, run them down through the field till they done catch all, and tie them to the cart for carry them to town.

Now Wolf tie all he old relation to the front of the cart with strong tar rope, but Rabbit tie him own to the back of the cart with some little trifling cotton yarn. Well, they start off, and as they going along, pretty soon they hear “Cr-r-r-ack.” The old yarn pop!

Rabbit say, “Oh-oh! Brer Wolf, my old granduncle get away. What we gonna do?”

Wolf say, “He is? Well, I reckon we have for gone on leave him. I expects we is got enough without him.”

So they gone on one little piece further when “Cr-r-r-ack!” The yarn done pop again. Rabbit say, “Brer Wolf, eh-eh? I can’t see how he happen, but my old grandaunt done get away, and run in the woods.”

Wolf say, “Brer Rabbit, I gots for drive, and you must look after them. We can’t let them get away so.”

But when they gone little further the string go “Cr-r-r-ack!” Pop another time. Rabbit say, “Hi! How this? My old granddaddy gone for true!”

Wolf say, “Brer Rabbit, I don’t want none of you fool now. Must be you tie them too loose. If they all get loose how we gonna get the money for buy that butter keg!”

Rabbit say, “Well, Brer Wolf, I gonna tie them tigether. Must be you drive too fast for them.”

But instead of tighten the string he loose him, so that before long he go “Cr-r-r-ack!” yet another time. Rabbit say, “I declare for it, Brer Wolf, what you suppose ail this string? Here’s my old grandmammy done get loose, in spite of me.”

Wolf vex. He say, “Brer Rabbit, you too scheme. Now tell me what you do do? This here cart ain’t going no further unless you can explain this thing.”

Rabbit say, “Eh-eh? I can’t help it. Ain’t no use for try and catch them now; they gone too far in the swamp. I tell you, Brer Wolf, let’s we go and sell you grandparent today, and some other time we can take mine again.”

Wolf say, “Yes, that so.” So they gone on, sell all Wolf old relation and buy the keg of butter.

And they going home Rabbit say, “Brer Wolf, we ain’t gots no call for each all this butter to one time. Let’s we bury him in the earth; then we can gone for him as fast as we want him.”

So they bury the butter in one safe place and gone leave him there.

Next day when they was both working in the field Rabbit drops he hoe and say, “Oh-oh!” Wolf do ask him what the matter. Rabbit tell him, “One boy just come for tell me my sister have a baby, and I must come to him house.” So he gone, and he gone straight to the place where the butter buy, and he took out a good bit, carry him home to him house and hide him.

Then he gone back to the field, tell Wolf, “All right! My sister had a baby and he name Just-Beginning.” Another day, as they been working, Rabbit drop he hoe and say, “Eh-eh! I just got word my brother wife have a baby.” So he gone to the butter keg carry home some more. When he come back he say, “All right, Brer Wolf. My brother wife have child sure enough, and he name Two-Time.”

Well, it went on so. Whenever Rabbit and Wolf gone both together to eat the butter, Rabbit say, “Brer Wolf, appear like this butter going off mighty fast, ain’t he?” And whenever Rabbit can make chance he gone thieve the butter and carry him home, till at last he done take all and scrape out the keg.

Then next time Wolf and Rabbit gone there together, all two of them find the keg empty: clean out! Wolf astonish! But Rabbit say, “Brer Wolf, I believe you done take this butter!” Wolf say, “I ain’t, it’s your own self! Ain’t you been see how the butter going off every day.”

And Rabbit say, “Ain’t I been tell you about this same thing every time we been to that butter keg? But I is willing for prove him. Both of us must lay down in the sun, and whichever one the grease do come out, show in he face, it do him done take the butter.”

Well, Wolf agree to that, and they all two gone lie down in the sun, and presently Wolf gone to sleep. But Rabbit ain’t sleep. He have fetch some little butter with him, and when he see Wolf sleep sound he smear up all Wolf face with the butter.

Then he shake him and say, “Brer Wolf, wake up, wake up! Ain’t you see how you face all grease up? Now ain’t you thieve the butter? Tell me that!”

Wolf put he hand up to he face, and when he see he hand all grease up he feel he face all over, then he look at he hand again, then he say, “Eh-eh! Sure enough, I thieve him. Must be.”

Wolf are just that stupid.

Red wolf at Wikimedia, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Adult_Red_Wolf.jpg