After escaping the Tar-Baby, Brer Rabbit had no intention of leaving his neighbourhood. He remained close to home until the sticky tar had finally disappeared from his fur, and before long, he was moving about as freely as ever. If anything, he seemed even more mischievous than before.
News of his encounter with the Tar-Baby eventually spread among the neighbours. Miss Meadows and her daughters heard the story, too. When Brer Rabbit next visited them, the young ladies could hardly contain their laughter. Miss Meadows teased him about his unfortunate adventure, but Brer Rabbit remained perfectly calm.
He sat quietly for a moment, crossed his legs and slowly winked.
“Ladies,” he announced, “Brer Fox has been my family’s riding horse for thirty years, perhaps longer. I know that much for certain.”
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With that, he politely took his leave, tipped his hat and walked away as proudly as a gentleman leaving a grand gathering.
The following day, Brer Fox visited Miss Meadows and her daughters. They soon told him what Brer Rabbit had said about him.
The Fox was furious. His teeth clenched, and his face darkened with anger. However, he managed to control himself long enough to make a promise.
“Ladies, I am not questioning what you have heard,” he declared, “but I shall make Brer Rabbit swallow those words and spit them out right here before you.”
He hurried away, determined to teach the boastful Rabbit a lesson.
Brer Fox went straight to Brer Rabbit’s house. When he arrived, he found the door firmly shut. He knocked once, but nobody answered. He knocked again, harder this time, and still received no response. Finally, he pounded on the door with all his strength.
From inside came a weak, miserable voice.
“Is that you, Brer Fox? Please, I need you to fetch the doctor. Something I ate this morning has made me terribly sick. You must hurry!”
Brer Fox was not interested in fetching any doctor.
“I have come to take you somewhere, Brer Rabbit,” he replied. “There is going to be a party at Miss Meadows’s house. All the young ladies will be there, and they have insisted that I bring you along. They say it will not be a proper party unless you attend.”
Brer Rabbit protested that he was too ill to go, but Brer Fox refused to believe him. Their disagreement continued for some time. The Rabbit insisted that he could not walk, so the Fox offered to carry him. When Brer Rabbit worried that he might be dropped, Brer Fox assured him that nothing of the sort would happen.
At last, Brer Rabbit appeared to give in.
“I suppose I could go if you carried me on your back,” he said.
Brer Fox agreed immediately.
But Brer Rabbit was not finished making arrangements.
He explained that he could not ride without a saddle. Brer Fox promised to find one. Then the Rabbit demanded a bridle so that he would have something to hold. The Fox agreed again.
Finally, Brer Rabbit insisted that the bridle must be a blind bridle, one that prevented Brer Fox from looking back or getting distracted by tree stumps along the road and throwing him off.
Brer Fox promised to provide that as well.
With all his conditions supposedly settled, Brer Rabbit agreed to attend the party. Brer Fox hurried away to collect the saddle and bridle, delighted that his plan appeared to be working.
But Brer Rabbit understood exactly what the Fox intended. He knew that his enemy wanted to carry him away and put an end to their quarrel once and for all. The Rabbit had no intention of allowing that to happen.
While Brer Fox was away, he combed his fur, twisted his moustache and prepared himself for the journey. He also made sure that he had everything he needed to turn the situation to his advantage.
Before long, Brer Fox returned with the saddle and bridle. He fitted them carefully and stood outside the door, pawing the ground and chomping at the bit like a well-trained horse.
Brer Rabbit climbed onto his back, and the two set off towards Miss Meadows’s house.
The blind bridle prevented Brer Fox from seeing what was happening behind him. For a while, they travelled quietly. Then the Fox felt Brer Rabbit lift one foot.
“What are you doing now, Brer Rabbit?” he asked.
“Shortening the left stirrup,” the Rabbit answered.
A little later, he raised his other foot.
“And what are you doing now?” Brer Fox asked again.
“Pulling down my trousers,” replied Brer Rabbit.
The Fox continued along the road, unaware that his passenger was preparing something far more troublesome than an ordinary journey.
All the while, Brer Rabbit was putting on his spurs.
When they finally approached Miss Meadows’s house, Brer Fox prepared to stop so that the Rabbit could climb down. But before he could settle, Brer Rabbit drove his spurs into the Fox’s sides.
Brer Fox sprang forward.
He raced past the house at full speed, unable to see where he was going or what was happening behind him. Brer Rabbit held on and kept urging him onward until they reached the hitching rack.
There, the Rabbit brought his unwilling mount to a stop and fastened him securely to the rack.
Then he climbed down, straightened himself and walked leisurely into the house.
Miss Meadows and her daughters were sitting on the veranda when Brer Rabbit arrived. They welcomed him, and he greeted them as though nothing unusual had happened. He settled comfortably among them, took out his cigar and began smoking with the air of a gentleman accustomed to fine company.
After taking a long puff, he slowly released a cloud of smoke and leaned back.
“Ladies,” he announced proudly, “didn’t I tell you that Brer Fox was my family’s riding horse? He is beginning to lose his old pace, but I believe I can get him back into shape in another month or so.”
The young ladies burst into laughter. Miss Meadows joined in the praise of the fine-looking riding horse outside.
And there, tied firmly to the hitching rack, stood Brer Fox, unable to do anything about it.
Brer Rabbit had once again turned his enemy’s plan against him.
“Is that all, Uncle Remus?” the little boy asked when the old storyteller finally paused.
Uncle Remus chuckled.
“That ain’t all, honey,” he replied, “but it won’t do to give out too much cloth to make one pair of trousers.”
And with that amusing answer, he left the little boy wondering what other adventures Brer Rabbit had yet to tell.
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Moral
Intelligence and quick thinking can overcome physical strength. Those who allow anger, pride and the desire for revenge to control their decisions may become victims of the very schemes they intend to carry out against others.
Knowledge Check
1. Why did Miss Meadows and her daughters laugh at Brer Rabbit?
They had heard about his encounter with the Tar-Baby and teased him about it.
2. Why did Brer Fox become angry?
Brer Rabbit had told the ladies that Brer Fox had served as his family’s riding horse for thirty years.
3. What excuse did Brer Rabbit give for refusing to attend the party?
He pretended to be seriously ill and claimed that he needed a doctor.
4. Why did Brer Rabbit demand a blind bridle?
He wanted Brer Fox to be unable to see what was happening behind him while carrying him.
5. How did Brer Rabbit escape Brer Fox’s plan?
He secretly put on his spurs and used them to make Brer Fox gallop to the hitching rack, where he tied him up.
6. What storytelling tradition is associated with Brer Rabbit?
African-American animal trickster storytelling, particularly the traditions of the American South.
Source
This article is an original adaptation of Chapter VI, “Mr. Rabbit Grossly Deceives Mr. Fox”, from Joel Chandler Harris’s Uncle Remus: His Songs and His Sayings (1881).
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