e some mo' cole ashes on hisse'f, en fling de hot
embers on Mr. Lion. Mr. Lion jump up, he did, en holler:--

"'Dar yo is 'g'in!'

"Brer Rabbit, he kick en squall, en 'low:--

"'You oughter be 'shame' yo'se'f, Mr. Lion, fer ter be tryin' ter bu'n
me up.'

"Mr. Lion hol' up he han's en des vow 't ain't him. Brer Rabbit, he look
sorter jubous, but he ain't say nothin'. Bimeby he holler out:--

"'Phewee! I smells rags a-bu'nin'!'

"Mr. Lion, he sorter flinch, he did, en 'low:--

"''T ain't no rags, Brer Rabbit; hit's my ha'r a-sinjin'.'

"Dey look all 'roun', dey did, but dey ain't see nothin' ner nobody.
Brer Rabbit, he say he gwine do some tall watchin' nex' time, 'kaze he
boun' ter ketch de somebody w'at bin playin' dem kinder pranks on um.
Wid dat, Mr. Lion lay down 'g'in, en 't wa'n't long 'fo' he drap ter
sleep.

"Well, den," continued Uncle Remus, taking a long breath, "de ve'y same
kinder doin's tuck'n happen. De cole ashes fall on Brer Rabbit, en de
hot embers fall on Mr. Lion. But by de time Mr. Lion jump up, Brer
Rabbit, he holler out:--

"'I seed um, Mr. Lion! I seed um! I seed de way dey come fum 'cross de
creek! Dey mos' sho'ly did!'

"Wid dat Mr. Lion, he fetch'd a beller en he jumped 'cross de creek. No
sooner is he do dis," Uncle Remus went on in a tone at once impressive
and confidential, "no sooner is he do dis dan Brer Rabbit cut de string
w'at hol' de banks togedder, en, lo en beholes, dar dey wuz!"

"What was, Uncle Remus?" the little boy asked, more amazed than he had
been in many a day.

"Bless yo' soul, honey, de banks! Co'se w'en Brer Rabbit tuck'n cut de
string, de banks er de creek, de banks, dey fall back, dey did, en Mr.
Lion can't jump back. De banks dey keep on fallin' back, en de creek
keep on gittin' wider en wider, twel bimeby Brer Rabbit en Mr. Lion
ain't in sight er one er n'er, en fum dat day to dis de big waters bin
rollin' 'twix' um."

"But, Uncle Remus, how could the banks of a creek be tied with a
string?"

"I ain't ax um dat, honey, en darfo' yo'll hatter take um ez you git um.
Nex' time de tale-teller come 'roun' I'll up'n ax 'im, en ef you ain't
too fur off, I'll whirl in en sen' you wud, en den you kin go en see fer
yo'se'f. But 't ain't skacely wuth yo' w'ile fer ter blame me, honey,
'bout de creek banks bein' tied wid a string. Who put um dar, I be bless
ef _I_ knows, but I knows who onloose um, dat w'at I knows!"

It is very doubtful if this copious expl