brier-patch!' en wid dat he skip out des ez lively ez a cricket
in de embers."


V. THE STORY OF THE DELUGE AND HOW IT CAME ABOUT

"ONE time," said Uncle Remus--adjusting his spectacles so as to
be able to see how to thread a large darning-needle with which he
was patching his coat--"one time, way back yander, 'fo' you wuz
bomed, honey, en 'fo' Mars John er Miss Sally wuz bomed--way back
yander 'fo' enny un us wuz bomed, de animils en de creeturs
sorter 'lecshuneer roun' 'mong deyselves, twel at las' dey 'greed
fer ter have a 'sembly. In dem days," continued the old man,
observing a look of incredulity on the little boy's face, "in dem
days creeturs had lots mo' sense dan dey got now; let 'lone dat,
dey had sense same like folks. Hit was tech en go wid um, too,
mon, en w'en dey make up der mines w'at hatter be done, 'twant
mo'n menshun'd 'fo, hit wuz done. Well, dey 'lected dat dey
hatter hol' er 'sembly fer ter sorter straighten out marters en
hear de complaints, en w'en de day come dey wuz on han'. De Lion,
he wuz dar, kase he wuz de king, en he hatter be der. De
Rhynossyhoss, he wuz dar, en de Elephant, he wuz dar, en de
Cammils, en de Cows, en plum' down ter de Crawfishes, dey wuz
dar. Dey wuz all dar. En w'en de Lion shuck his mane, en tuck his
seat in de big cheer, den de sesshun begun fer ter commence.

"What did they do, Uncle Remus?" asked the little boy.

"I can't skacely call to mine 'zackly w'at dey did do, but dey
spoke speeches, en hollered, en cusst, en flung der langwidge