backerds, en den dat
'ud be de time fer ter nab 'im. But, bless yo' soul, Brer Rabbit dun see
w'at-Brer Fox atter 'fo' he clum up. W'en he pull de peaches, Brer Fox
say, sezee:--

"'Fling um down yer, Brer Rabbit--fling um right down yer so I kin
ketch um,' sezee.

"Brer Rabbit, he sorter wunk de furdest eye fum Brer Fox, en he holler
back, he did:--

"'Ef I fling um down dar whar you is, Brer Fox, en you misses um, dey'll
git squshed,' sezee, 'so I'll des sorter pitch um out yander in de grass
whar dey won't git bus',' sezee.

"Den he tuck'n flung de peaches out in de grass, en w'iles Brer Fox went
atter um, Brer Rabbit, he skint down outer de tree, en hustle hisse'f
twel he git elbow-room. Wen he git off little ways, he up 'n holler back
ter Brer Fox dat he got a riddle he want 'im ter read. Brer Fox, he ax
w'at is it. Wid dat, Brer Rabbit, he gun it out ter Brer Fox lak a man
sayin' a speech:--

"'_Big bird rob en little bird sing,
De big bee zoon en little bee sting,
De little man lead en big hoss foller--
Kin you tell w'at's good fer a head in a holler?_'

"Ole Brer Fox scratch he head en study, en study en scratch he head, but
de mo' he study de wuss he git mix up wid de riddle, en atter w'ile he
tuck'n tell Brer Rabbit dat he dunno how in de name er goodness ter
onriddle dat riddle.

"'Come en go 'longer me,' sez ole Brer Rabbit, sezee, 'en I boun' you I
show you how ter read dat same riddle. Hit's one er dem ar kinder
riddle,' sez ole man Rabbit, sezee, 'w'ich 'fo' you read 'er you got ter
eat a bait er honey, en I done got my eye sot on de place whar we kin
git de honey at,' sezee.

"Brer Fox, he ax wharbouts is it, en Brer Rabbit, he say up dar in ole
Brer B'ar cotton-patch, whar he got a whole passel er bee-gums. Brer
Fox, he 'low, he did, dat he ain't got no sweet-toof much, yit he wanter
git at de innerds er dat ar riddle, en he don't keer ef he do go 'long.

"Dey put out, dey did, en 't wa'n't long 'fo' dey come ter ole Brer B'ar
bee-gums, en ole Brer Rabbit, he up'n gun um a rap wid he walkin'-cane,
des lak folks thumps water-millions fer ter see ef dey er ripe. He tap
en he rap, en bimeby he come ter one un um w'ich she soun' like she plum
full, en den he go 'roun' behime it, ole Brer Rabbit did, en he up'n
say, sezee:--

"'I'll des sorter tilt 'er up, Brer Fox,' sezee, 'en you kin put yo'
head und' dar en git some er de drippin's,' sezee.

"Brer Rabbit, he tilt her up, e