Page:Folk-lore - A Quarterly Review. Volume 10, 1899.djvu/329

 Rh gather "de la glu noire." There are several kinds of trees which yield large quantities of gum, especially (in the Shire Highlands, at least) that called myombo (Brachystegia longifolia), which also supplies bark-cloth. They made a Tar-Baby, in this instance, "un mannequin de femme." (It is to be noticed that "Tar-Baby she ain't sayin' nuthin'" is in strict accordance with the original tradition, though Brer Rabbit's injunction to "take off dat hat en tell me howdy," seems to imply that the feminine pronoun is a mere façon de parler— as in the case of ships and engines. For Uncle Remus certainly knew what good manners demand in the case of gentlemen and ladies respectively.) The image having been set up in the gardens, the Ronga Brer Rabbit once more gives the alarm: "Nte! nte! nte!" (he is supposed to be sounding his horn—the nefarious acquisition whereof forms an earlier episode in the story)—"the enemy is coming!" The women all ran away; but, seeing the Tar-Baby still there, the Rabbit called out "Va-t-en, femme!" The sequel is exactly as in the version already given (except that Brer Rabbit did not sit down on the "mannequin"), so that "il resta suspendu, se balançant de-ci, de-là." The people then came up, extricated him from the Tar-Baby's embraces, and informed him that they were going to kill him. "Very well," said he, "but don't kill me on the ground, kill me on the chief's back!" They returned to the village and spread a mat on the ground, on which the chief obligingly lay down, and the Rabbit squatted on his back. A strong warrior then prepared to spear the Rabbit and, as might be expected, killed the chief. Brer Rabbit having leaped into the air at the critical moment, made his