“Dat’s Tarrypin talk, dat is.  Bless yo’ soul, honey,” continued the old man, brightening up, “w’en you git ole ez me—­w’en you see w’at I sees, en year w’at I years—­de creeturs dat you can’t talk wid’ll be mighty skase—­dey will dat.  W’y, der’s er old gray rat w’at uses ’bout yer, en time atter time he comes out w’en you all done gone ter bed en sets up dar in de cornder en dozes, en me en him talks by de ’our; en w’at dat old rat dunno ain’t down in de spellin’ book.  Des now, w’en you run in and broke me up, I wuz fetchin’ into my mine w’at Brer Tarrypin say ter Brer Fox w’en he turn ’im loose in de branch.”

“What did he say, Uncle Remus?”

“Dat w’at he said—­I-doom-er-ker-kum-mer-ker!  Brer Tarrypin wuz at de bottom er de pon’, en he talk back, he did, in bubbles—­I-doom-er-ker-kum-mer-ker!  Brer Fox, he ain’t sayin’ nuthin’, but Brer Bull-Frog, settin’ on de bank, he hear Brer Tarrypin, he did, en he holler back: 

“Jug-er-rum-kum-dum!  Jug-er-rum-kum-dum!’

“Den Brer Frog holler out:  ‘Knee-deep!  Knee-deep!’

“Den ole Brer Bull-Frog, he holler back:  ’Don’-you-ber-lieve-’im!  Don’t-you-ber-lieve-’im!’

“Den de bubbles come up fum Brer Tarrypin:  ’I-doom-er-ker-kum-mer-ker!’

“Den Brer Frog sing out:  ‘Wade in!  Wade in!’

“Den ole Brer Bull-Frog talk thoo his ho’seness:  ’Dar-you’ll-fine-yo’-brudder!  Dar-you’ll-fine-yo’-brudder!’

“Sho nuff, Brer Fox look over de bank, he did, en dar wuz n’er Fox lookin’ at ’im outer de water.  Den he retch out fer ter shake han’s, en in he went, heels over head, en Brer Tarrypin bubble out: 

“‘I-doom-er-ker-kum-mer-ker!"’

“Was the Fox drowned, Uncle Remus?” asked the little boy.

“He weren’t zackly drowndid, honey,” replied the old man, With an air of cautious reserve.  “He did manage fer ter scramble out, but a little mo’ en de Mud Turkle would er got ’im, en den he’d er bin made hash un worl’ widout een’.”

XV.  MR. FOX GOES A-HUNTING, BUT MR. RABBIT BAGS THE GAME

“Atter Brer Fox hear ’bout how Brer Rabbit done Brer Wolf,” said Uncle Remus, scratching his head with the point of his awl, ’he ’low, he did, dat he better not be so brash, en he sorter let Brer Rabbit ‘lone.  Dey wuz all time seein’ one nudder, en ’bunnunce er times Brer Fox could er nab Brer Rabbit, but eve’y time he got de chance, his mine ’ud sorter rezume ’bout Brer Wolf, en he let Brer Rabbit ’lone.  Bimeby dey ’gun ter git kinder familious wid wunner nudder like dey useter, en it got so Brer Fox’d call on Brer Rabbit, en dey’d set up en smoke der pipes, dey would, like no ha’sh feelin’s ’d ever rested ’twixt um.