In the animal world of Uncle Remus, Brer Rabbit and Brer Fox were forever getting into trouble with each other. Brer Fox was always looking for an opportunity to catch Brer Rabbit, while the clever rabbit relied on his quick thinking to stay one step ahead.
One hot day, Brer Rabbit, Brer Fox, Brer Coon, Brer Bear, and several other animals were clearing a new patch of land for planting. The sun climbed higher, the work grew harder, and the heat became almost unbearable.
Brer Rabbit was tired, but he did not want the others to think he was lazy. So he kept working until he came up with an excuse. Claiming that a thorn had pricked his hand, he slipped away in search of somewhere cool to rest.
Before long, he discovered a well with a bucket hanging inside.
“Now, that looks like a fine, cool place for a nap,” he thought. “I believe I’ll settle down in there for a spell.”
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Without wasting another moment, Brer Rabbit climbed into the bucket.
But he had barely made himself comfortable when the bucket began to descend.
Down he went, deeper and deeper, until the bucket reached the water at the bottom of the well.
Brer Rabbit was terrified. He knew where he had started, but he had no idea how he would get back out. The bucket rested on the water, and he hardly dared move, afraid that one wrong movement might tip him into the well.
There he sat, shivering and wondering what would happen next.
Brer Fox Discovers a Mystery
Now, Brer Fox had never been one to leave Brer Rabbit alone for long. Suspicious of the rabbit’s sudden departure from the worksite, he had quietly followed him through the bushes.
From his hiding place, Brer Fox watched Brer Rabbit approach the well, climb into the bucket, and disappear underground.
The sight astonished him.
“What in the world is that rabbit up to?” Brer Fox wondered.
He sat among the bushes, thinking hard. Perhaps Brer Rabbit had hidden a fortune in the well. Perhaps he had discovered a gold mine. Whatever the explanation, Brer Fox was determined to find out.
He crept closer and listened.
Nothing.
He moved closer still and peered over the edge.
He could see nothing, either.
Meanwhile, Brer Rabbit remained frozen in the bucket, too frightened to move. He could hardly believe his bad luck, and his thoughts raced as he waited in the darkness.
At last, Brer Fox called down into the well.
“Hello there, Brer Rabbit! Who are you visiting down there?”
Brer Rabbit recognized the voice immediately. Although he was still in a terrible predicament, he knew that Brer Fox’s curiosity might offer him a way out.
“Who, me?” he called back cheerfully. “Oh, I’m just fishing, Brer Fox!”
Fishing for Suckers
Brer Fox was puzzled.
“Fishing? What kind of fishing are you doing down there?”
“Why, I’m catching fish for dinner,” Brer Rabbit explained. “I thought I’d surprise everybody with a fine meal. The well is full of fish, and I’m fishing for suckers!”
“Are there many of them?” Brer Fox asked eagerly.
“More than you could imagine!” Brer Rabbit replied. “The water is positively crawling with them. Come on down and help me haul them in!”
Brer Fox could hardly contain his excitement. If Brer Rabbit had found a secret fishing hole full of fish, he wanted a share of the catch.
But there was one difficulty.
“How am I supposed to get down there?” he asked.
“Easy as anything,” Brer Rabbit answered. “Just jump into the bucket. It’ll carry you down safe and sound.”
Brer Rabbit spoke with such confidence and sounded so pleased with his discovery that Brer Fox never stopped to question the arrangement. He jumped straight into the bucket.
Down Brer Fox went.
And as his weight pulled the bucket toward the bottom, the lighter Brer Rabbit was lifted toward the top.
The two animals began to pass each other halfway along the well. At last, Brer Rabbit saw his chance.
One Goes Up, the Other Goes Down
As the buckets carried them in opposite directions, Brer Rabbit called out a teasing farewell:
“Goodbye, Brer Fox! Take care of your clothes, for that’s the way the world goes. Some go up, and some go down, and you’ll reach the bottom safe and sound!”
Brer Fox could do nothing to reverse his mistake. The very trick he had hoped to investigate had carried him into the predicament from which Brer Rabbit was escaping.
Soon, Brer Rabbit reached the top and scrambled out of the bucket, free at last.
But he was not finished.
He hurried off to tell the people who owned the well that Brer Fox had gone down inside and was muddying their drinking water. Then he returned to the well and called down to his trapped rival.
“Just wait until a man comes along with a great big gun. When he pulls you up, you’d better jump and run!”
Whether Brer Fox believed every word or simply dreaded what might happen next, his comfortable plans for the day had certainly disappeared.
Back to Work
About half an hour later, both animals were back at the clearing, working as though nothing unusual had happened.
Brer Rabbit had escaped the well and avoided his pursuer once again. Brer Fox had returned, too, but the experience had left him with little reason to boast.
Every so often, Brer Rabbit would suddenly burst into laughter as he remembered how easily Brer Fox had been fooled.
And each time, Brer Fox could only manage an uncomfortable, forced smile.
The work continued under the hot sun, but the balance between the two rivals had shifted once more. Brer Fox had followed Brer Rabbit hoping to uncover a secret, only to become the victim of his own curiosity.
And Brer Rabbit? He had proved himself a fisherman after all—not because he caught a single fish, but because he had caught a sucker of a very different kind.
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Moral
Quick thinking can overcome greater strength, but greed and unchecked curiosity can lead to trouble.
Brer Fox’s mistake is not simply that he trusts Brer Rabbit. He allows the promise of an easy reward to overwhelm his judgment. Brer Rabbit survives because he recognizes this weakness and acts at the right moment.
Knowledge Check
1. Why does Brer Rabbit leave the clearing?
He is tired from working in the heat and pretends that a thorn has pricked his hand so he can find a cool place to rest.Hide answer
2. How does Brer Rabbit escape from the well?
He persuades Brer Fox to enter the bucket by claiming that the well is full of fish. Brer Fox’s weight lowers him and raises Brer Rabbit.
3. What mistake does Brer Fox make?
His curiosity and eagerness to find fish prevent him from questioning Brer Rabbit’s explanation.
4. What storytelling tradition is associated with Brer Rabbit?
African American animal storytelling, particularly the traditions represented in Southern American folklore collections.
5. What happens at the end?
Both animals return to work, but Brer Rabbit laughs about the trick while Brer Fox responds with an uncomfortable smile.
Source
Joel Chandler Harris, Uncle Remus His Songs and His Sayings, first published 1881. Project Gutenberg 2306 includes a preface to the new edition; its digital text does not give that edition’s date.
