The Moon in the Pond

Brer Rabbit went to see Brer Turtle one evening. Brer Turtle could tell by his sweet smile that he had some trick in mind, and if anybody was born to be a partner in trickery, Brer Turtle was the man. He was a man among men!

“I got an idea, Brer Turtle.”

“Tell me something I don’t know.”

Brer Rabbit grinned. “I’m going to tell Brer Fox, Brer Wolf, and Brer Bear that I’m having a fishing party down at the pond tomorrow night. I need you to back me up no matter what I say. You understand?”

Brer Turtle said he sho’ did. “And if I ain’t there tomorrow night, then you know the grasshopper flew away with me,” and he laughed.

Brer Rabbit and Brer Turtle shook hands and Brer Rabbit went home and went to bed. Brer Turtle knew that if he was going to be at the pond by tomorrow night he best get started now.

Next day Brer Rabbit sent word to all the animals about the fishing frolic. Brer Fox invited Miz Meadows and Miz Motts as his guests.

That night Brer Bear brought a hook and line. Brer Wolf brought a hook and line too. Brer Fox brought a dip net, and Brer Turtle brought the bait. Miz Meadows and Miz Motts brought themselves dressed up all pretty.

Brer Bear said he was going to fish for mud-cats. Brer Wolf said he was going to fish for horneyheads. Brer Fox wanted to catch some perch for the ladies. Brer Turtle said he’d fish for minnows, and Brer Rabbit looked at Brer Turtle and said he was going to fish for suckers.

They got their fishing poles and what-all ready and Brer Rabbit went to the edge of the pond to cast first. He drew back his arm to throw his fishing line in the water and suddenly stopped. He stared. The pole dropped from his hand. He leaned forward. He stared. He scratched his head and stared some more. “I don’t believe it,” he said finally, in a hushed voice.

Miz Meadows thought he might have seen a snake and she hollered out, “Brer Rabbit, what in the name of goodness is the matter?”

Brer Rabbit didn’t say nothing, and scratched his head some more. Then he turned around and said, “Ladies and gentlemen, we might as well pack up our gear and go on down to the fish store and buy some fish. Ain’t gon’ be no fishing at the pond this night.”

Brer Turtle said, “That’s the truth! That’s sho’ nuf the truth.”

“Now, ladies, don’t be scared. All us brave gentlemen here will take care of all. Accidents do happen, but I don’t have any idea how this one took place.”

“What’s the matter?” Miz Meadows asked, exasperated now.

“Why, look for yourselves. The Moon done fell in the water.”

Brer Fox looked in and said, “Well, well, well!”

Brer Bear looked in. “Mighty bad, mighty bad!”

Miz Meadows stared at it and squalled out, “Ain’t that too much?”

Brer Rabbit shrugged his shoulders. “You can say what you want. But unless we get that Moon out of the water, ain’t gon’ be no fishing party tonight. You can ask Brer Turtle. He know more about water than anybody here. He’ll tell you.”

“That’s the truth,” piped up Brer Turtle.

“How we gon’ get the Moon out?” Miz Motts asked Brer Turtle.

“We best leave that to Brer Rabbit.”

Brer Rabbit stared up in the sky like he was thinking hard. After a while he said, “Well, if we could borrow Brer Mud Turtle’s seine net, we could drag the Moon out.”

“Brer Mud Turtle’s my first cousin,” Brer Turtle said. “I calls him Unk Mud, we so close. He wouldn’t mind your borrowing his net.”

Brer Rabbit went to borrow the net. While he was gone, Brer Turtle said his grandparents had told him that whoever took the Moon out of the water would find a great pot of money underneath. Brer Fox, Brer Wolf, and Brer Bear got real interested. They said they wouldn’t be gentlemen if they let Brer Rabbit do all the work of getting the Moon out of the pond after he done all the work to get the seine net.

When Brer Rabbit got back, they told him they’d take the net and get the Moon out. Brer Turtle winked at Brer Rabbit, and after an appropriate number of protests, Brer Rabbit turned the net over to them.

Brer Fox grabbed hold of one end, Brer Wolf grabbed the other, and Brer Bear came along behind to unsnag the net if it got caught on any logs or debris.

They made one haul – no Moon. They hauled again – no Moon. They went farther out in the pond. The water was getting in their ears. Brer Fox and Brer Wolf and Brer Bear shook their heads to get it out and while they were shaking their heads they got to where the bottom of the pond dropped away, and that’s just what they did – dropped off the edge of the shelf right into the deep water. Have mercy! They kicked and sputtered, went under and came up coughing and snorting and went under and came up again.

Finally they dragged themselves out, dripping water like waterfalls.

Brer Rabbit looked at them. “I guess you gentlemen best go home and get into some dry clothes. Next time we’ll have better luck. I heard that the Moon will always bite at a hook if you use fools for bait.”

Brer Fox, Brer Bear, and Brer Wolf sloshed away, and Brer Rabbit and Brer Turtle went home with Miz Meadows and Miz Motts.

Why Brer Bear Has No Tail

After the trick Brer Rabbit and Brer Turtle played at the pond, they decided to go into business together.

Brer Rabbit went to see Brer Turtle one morning. Miz Turtle said Brer Turtle had gone to visit Brer Mud Turtle. Brer Rabbit went over there and the three of them had a good time sitting around talking and telling jokes.

Way up in the heat of the day they decided to go to the pond and cool off. There was a big slippery rock there that Brer Turtle and Brer Mud Turtle loved to slide down and into the water.

Brer Rabbit sat off to one side and got a kick out of all the fun Brer Turtle and Brer Mud Turtle were having. After a while Brer Bear came along.

“What’s going on, folks? I see Brer Rabbit is here, and Brer Turtle and Unk Tommy Mud Turtle is here too.”

“Sit down, Brer Bear, and take a load off your feet. We just enjoying the day like there ain’t no hard times.”

“How come you ain’t joining in the fan, Brer Rabbit?” Brer Bear wanted to know.

Brer Rabbit winked at Brer Turtle and Unk Tommy Mud Turtle. “Goodness gracious, Brer Bear! I done had my fan. I was just sitting here letting my clothes dry.”

“Maybe Brer Bear might like to join us,” suggested Brer Turtle, who was floating on his back in the middle of the pond.

Brer Rabbit laughed real loud. “Who? Brer Bear? You must be joking! His feets are too big. Anyway, his tail is too long for him to be sliding down that rock.”

Back in them days Brer Bear had a long pretty tail and it swished angrily. “Who you talking about, Brer Rabbit? You think I’m scared to slide down that rock, don’t you?”

Without another word he climbed up on it, squatted, tucked his tail under him, and started down. First he went kinna slow. He was grinning, ’cause this was fun. All of a sudden he got to the slick part of that rock and ZOOM! He was flying sho’ nuf now. Brer Bear swallowed that grin and started screaming. When he hit the water it was like a mountain falling in. So much water went out of the pond, it took until the next summer for it to get filled up again.

Brer Bear walked out of the pond, a sheepish grin on his face. He went back up to where Brer Rabbit was sitting. “Told you I wasn’t scared.”

Brer Rabbit had his hand behind his back. “You forgot something.” He handed Brer Bear his tail.

Brer Bear felt his hind parts and sho’ nuf, his tail was gone. It had come off when he hit the slick part of that rock.

“I got some chicken grease at home. It’s good for sore places,” Brer Rabbit laughed.

Brer Bear was sore all right, but whether he was more sore in his hindparts or his feelings, I just don’t know.

Wiley Wolf and Riley Rabbit

There was one period when the animals were getting along so well together, things were almost boring. Brer Rabbit seemed like he’d forgotten how to play tricks. And his best friend was Brer Wolf!

Every Sunday either Brer Rabbit went over to Brer Wolf ’s or Brer Wolf went to Brer Rabbit’s. They were as friendly with each other as the fleas on a dog’s back, and they’d sit on the porch and chew tobacco or smoke cigars and talk about all the things they used to do to each other.

While they reminisced, their two oldest boys, Wiley Wolf and Riley Rabbit, played in the yard. Wiley and Riley would jump and run and hide and slide and just have a good time with each other.

“It does my heart good to see our young’uns playing together like they do,” said Brer Wolf. “That’s how we should’ve been with each other all these years. I’m just glad our young’uns got better manners than we had.”

When it came time for Brer Rabbit to go, Brer Wolf said, “Brer Rabbit, why don’t you let Riley Rabbit come over during the week and play with Wiley? I think we ought to do all we can to encourage them to get along.”

Brer Rabbit agreed.

Brer Wolf and Wiley walked part of the way home with Brer Rabbit and Riley. When they got to the crossroads, everybody shook hands and Brer Rabbit said Riley would be over to play with Wiley during the week.

Brer Wolf had done a lot of talking about what good friends him and Brer Rabbit had become. But that don’t mean his wolf nature wouldn’t come on him when he wasn’t even looking for it. As he was walking back home with Wiley, he said, “When Riley comes to play with you this week, I think y’all might have fan playing Riding in the Bag.”

“What’s that, Poppa?”

Brer Wolf was amazed. “You mean I ain’t told you about Riding in the Bag? I must not be much of a daddy if I ain’t told you about that game. You get in a bag and let Riley pull you around the yard. Then he gets in the bag and you pull him around for a while. That’s all there is to it.”

When Riley came to visit, him and Wiley played the game and had a good time. But it seemed like Riley didn’t have no more sense than to drag Wiley over big rocks and stumps and roots sticking up out of the ground. And when Wiley complained that he was getting hurt, Riley said he wasn’t going to do it no more and went right back to doing it.

When Riley went home that night he told Brer Rabbit about the fun game he’d played with Wiley. Brer Rabbit listened and looked thoughtful, but he didn’t say anything.

When Wiley told Brer Wolf about how much fun they’d had, Brer Wolf shut his eyes like he was dreaming and began licking his chops.

“There’s two parts to the game, Wiley. The second part is called Tying the Bag.” He smiled.

Next time Riley came over to play with Wiley, they played Riding in the Bag until they were wore out. Then Wiley suggested they play tying each other up in the bag.

What neither of ’em knowed was that Brer Rabbit was hiding nearby. When he heard Wiley’s suggestion, he walked in the yard and called Riley to him.

“It’s almost time for you to come home. When Wiley’s turn to get tied in the bag comes, tie it as tight as you can. Then run on home. Your momma’s got some chores for you.”

Brer Rabbit left and Riley and Wiley played tying each other up in the bag for a while. When it was Wiley’s turn to get in the bag, Riley tied it as tight as he could.

“I got to run home and do some chores,” he hollered to Wiley. “But soon as I’m done, I’ll come back and let you out.”

If Riley ever went back, I never heard about it.

That evening Brer Wolf came in from working in the field. He saw the bag tied up in the yard and grinned. He was very proud of his son. Wiley didn’t feel his father pick up the sack, ’cause he was so wore out from playing that he’d fallen asleep.

Brer Wolf carried the sack inside.

“Ole woman! Is the pot boiling?”

“Sho’ is!” she said.

And before you could blink an eye, Brer Wolf dumped the sack in the pot of boiling water.