uncle remus-第2节

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and　where？　when　did　the　negro　or　the　North　American　Indian　ever　come　in　contact　with　the　tribes　of　South　America？　Upon　this　point　the　author　of　Brazil　and　the　Amazons；　who　is　engaged　in　making　a　critical　and　comparative　study　of　these　myth…stories；　writes：

〃I　am　not　prepared　to　form　a　theory　about　these　stories。　There　can　be　no　doubt　that　some　of　them；　found　among　the　negroes　and　the　Indians；　had　a　common　origin。　The　most　natural　solution　would　be　to　suppose　that　they　originated　in　Africa；　and　were　carried　to　South　America　by　the　negro　slaves。　They　are　certainly　found　among　the　Red　Negroes；　but；　unfortunately　for　the　African　theory；　it　is　equally　certain　that　they　are　told　by　savage　Indians　of　the　Amazons　Valley；　away　up　on　the　Tapajos；　Red　Negro；　and　Tapura。　These　Indians　hardly　ever　see　a　negro；　and　their　languages　are　very　distinct　from　the　broken　Portuguese　spoken　by　the　slaves。　The　form　of　the　stories；　as　recounted　in　the　Tupi　and　Mundurucu'　languages；　seems　to　show　that　they　were　originally　formed　in　those　languages　or　have　long　been　adopted　in　them。

is　interesting　to　find　a　story　from　Upper　Egypt　（that　of　the　fox　who　pretended　to　be　dead）　identical　with　an　Amazonian　story；　and　strongly　resembling　one　found　by　you　among　the　negroes。　Vambagen；　the　Brazilian　historian　（now　Visconde　de　Rio　Branco）；　tried　to　prove　a　relationship　between　the　ancient　Egyptians；　or　other　Turanian　stock；　and　the　Tupi　Indians。　His　theory　rested　on　rather　a　slender　basis；　yet　it　must　be　confessed　that　he　had　one　or　two　strong　points。　Do　the　resemblances　between　old　and　New　World　stories　point　to　a　similar　conclusion？　It　would　be　hard　to　say　with　the　material　that　we　now　have。

〃One　thing　is　certain。　The　animal　stories　told　by　the　negroes　in　our　Southern　States　and　in　Brazil　were　brought　by　them　from　Africa。　Whether　they　originated　there；　or　with　the　Arabs；　or　Egyptians；　or　with　yet　more　ancient　nations；　must　still　be　an　open　question。　Whether　the　Indians　got　them　from　the　negroes　or　from　some　earlier　source　is　equally　uncertain。　We　have　seen　enough　to　know　that　a　very　interesting　line　of　investigation　has　been　opened。〃

Professor　Hartt；　in　his　Amazonian　Tortoise　Myths；　quotes　a　story　from　the　Riverside　Magazine　of　November；　1868；　which　will　be　recognized　as　a　variant　of　one　given　by　Uncle　Remus。　I　venture　to　append　it　here；　with　some　necessary　verbal　and　phonetic　alterations；　in　order　to　give　the　reader　an　idea　of　the　difference　between　the　dialect　of　the　cofton　plantations；　as　used　by　Uncle　Remus；　and　the　lingo　in　vogue　on　the　rice　plantations　and　Sea　Islands　of　the　South　Atlantic　States：

〃One　time　B'er　Deer　an'　B'er　Cooter　（Terrapin）　was　courtin'；　and　de　lady　did　bin　lub　B'er　Deer　mo'　so　dan　B'er　Cooter。　She　did　bin　lub　B'er　Cooter；　but　she　lub　B'er　Deer　de　morest。　So　de　noung　lady　say　to　B'er　Deer　and　B'er　Cooter　bofe　dat　dey　mus'　hab　a　ten…mile　race；　an　de　one　dat　beats；　she　will　go　marry　him。

〃So　B'er　Cooter　say　to　B'er　Deer：　'You　has　got　mo　longer　legs　dan　I　has；　but　I　will　run　you。　You　run　ten　mile　on　land；　and　I　will　run　ten　mile　on　de　water！'

〃So　B'er　Cooter　went　an'　git　nine　er　his　fam'ly；　an'　put　one　at　ebery　mile…pos'；　and　he　hisse'f；　what　was　to　run　wid　B'er　Deer；　he　was　right　in　front　of　de　young　lady's　do'；　in　de　broom…grass。

〃Dat　mornin'　at　nine　o'clock；　B'er　Deer　he　did　met　B'er　Cooter　at　de　fus　mile…pos'；　wey　dey　was　to　start　fum。　So　he　call：　〃Well；　B'er　Cooter；　is　you　ready？　Co　long！'　As　he　git　on　to　de　nex'　mile…pos'；　he　say：　'B'er　Cooter！'　B'er　Cooter　say：　'Hullo！'　B'er　Deer　say：　'You　dere？'　B'er　Cooter　say：　'Yes；　B'er　Deer；　I　dere　too。'

〃Nex'　mile…pos'　he　jump；　B'er　Deer　say：　'Hullo；　B'er　Cooter！'　B'er　Cooter　say：　'Hullo；　B'er　Deer！　you　dere　too？'　B'er　Deer　say：　'Ki！　it　look　like　you　gwine　fer　tie　me；　it　look　like　we　gwine　fer　de　gal　tie！'

〃W'en　he　git　to　de　nine…mile　pos'　he　tought　he　git　dere　fus；　'cause　he　mek　two　jump；　so　he　holler：　'B'er　Cooter！'　B'er　Cooter　answer：　'You　dere　too？'　B'er　Deer　say：　'It　look　like　you　gwine　tie　me。'　B'er　Cooter　say：　'Go　long；　B'er　Deer。　I　git　dere　in　due　season　time；'　which　he　does；　and　wins　de　race。〃

The　story　of　the　Rabbit　and　the　Fox；　as　told　by　the　Southern　negroes；　is　artistically　dramatic　in　this：　it　progresses　in　an　orderly　way　from　a　beginning　to　a　well…defined　conclusion；　and　is　full　of　striking　episodes　that　suggest　the　culmination。　It　seems　to　me　to　be　to　a　certain　extent　allegorical；　albeit　such　an　interpretation　may　be　unreasonable。　At　least　it　is　a　fable　thoroughly　characteristic　of　the　negro；　and　it　needs　no　scientific　investigation　to　show　why　he　selects　as　his　hero　the　weakest　and　most　harmless　of　all　animals；　and　brings　him　out　victorious　in　contests　with　the　bear；　the　wolf；　and　the　fox。　It　is　not　virtue　that　triumphs；　but　helplessness；　it　is　not　malice；　but　mischievousness。　It　would　be　presumptious　in　me　to　offer　an　opinion　as　to　the　origin　of　these　curious　myth…stories；　but）　if　ethnologists　should　discover　that　they　did　not　originate　with　the　African；　the　proof　to　that　effect　should　be　accompanied　with　a　good　deal　of　persuasive　eloquence。

Curiously　enough；　I　have　found　few　negroes　who　will　acknowledge　to　a　stranger　that　they　know　anything　of　these　legends；　and　yet　to　relate　one　of　the　stories　is　the　surest　road　to　their　confidence　and　esteem。　In　this　way；　and　in　this　way　only；　I　have　been　enabled　to　collect　and　verify　the　folklore　included　in　this　volume。　There　is　an　anecdote　about　the　Irishman　and　the　rabbit　which　a　number　of　negroes　have　told　to　me　with　great　unction；　and　which　is　both　funny　and　characteristic；　though　I　will　not　undertake　to　say　that　it　has　its　origin　with　the　black's。　One　day　an　Irishman　who　had　heard　people　talking　about　〃mares'　nests〃　was　going　along　the　big　road…it　is　always　the　big　road　in　contradistinction　to　neighborhood　paths　and　by…paths；　called　in　the　vernacular　〃nigh…cuts〃…when　he　came　to　a　pumpkin…patch。　The　Irishman　had　never　seen　any　of　this　fruit　before；　and　he　at　once　concluded　that　he　had　discovered　a　veritable　mare's　nest。　Making　the　most　of　his　opportunity；　he　gathered　one　of　the　pumpkins　in　his　arms　and　went　on　his　way。　A　pumpkin　is　an　exceedingly　awkward　thing　to　carry；　and　the　Irishman　had　not　gone　far　before　he　made　a　misstep；　and　stumbled。　The　pumpkin　fell　to　the　ground；　rolled　down　the　hill　into　a　〃brush…heap；〃　and；　striking　against　a　stump；　was　broken。　The　story　continues　in　the　dialect：　〃W'en　de　punkin　roll　in　de　bresh…heap；　out　jump　a　rabbit；　en　soon's　de　I'shmuns　see　dat；　he　take　atter　de　rabbit　en　holler：　'Kworp；　colty！　kworp；　colty！'　but　de　rabbit；　he　des　flew。〃　The　point　of　this　is　obvious。

As　to　the　songs；　the　reader　is　warned　that　it　will　be　found　difficult　to　make　them　conform　to　the　ordinary　rules　of　versification；　nor　is　it　intended　that　they　should　so　conform。　They　are　written；　and　are　intended　to　be　read；　solely　with　reference　to　the　regular　and　invariable　recurrence　of　the　caesura；　as；　for　instance；　the　first　stanza　of　the　Revival　Hymn：

〃Oh；　whar　/　shill　we　go　/　w'en　de　great　/　day　comes　Wid　de　blow　/　in'　er　de　trumpits　/　en　de　bang　/　in'　er　de　　　　　　　　　　drums　/　How　man　/　y　po'　sin　/　ners'll　be　kotch'd　/　out　late　　En　fine　/　no　latch　ter　de　gold　　/　en　gate　/

In　other　words；　the　songs　depend　for　their　melody　and　rhythm　upon　the　musical　quality　of　time；　and　not　upon　long　or　short；　accented　or　unaccented　syllables。　I　am　persuaded　that　this　fact　led　Mr。　Sidney　Lanier；　who　is　thoroughly　familiar　with　the　metrical　peculiarities　of　negro　songs；　into　the　exhaustive　investigation　which　has　resulted　in　the　publication　of　his　scholarly　treatise　on　The　Science　of　English　Verse。

The　difference　between　the　dialect　of　the　legends　and　that　of　the　character…sketches；　slight　as　it　is；　marks　the　modifications　which　the　speech　of　the　negro　has　undergone　even　where　education　has　played　in　deed；　save　in　the　no　part　reforming　it。　　Indeed；　save　in　the　remote　country　districts；　the　dialect　of　the　legends　has　nearly　disappeared。　　I　am　perfectly　well　aware　that　the　character…sketches　are　without　permanent　interest；　but　they　are　embodied　here　for　the　purpose　of　presenting　a　phase　of　negro　character　wholly　distinct　from　that　which　I　have　endeavored　to　preserve　in　the　legends。　Only　in　this　shape；　and　with　all　the　local　allusions；　would　it　be　possible　to　adequately　represent　the　shrewd　observations；　the　curious　retorts；　the　homely　thrusts；　the　quaint　comments；　and　the　humorous　philosophy　of　the　race　of　which　Uncle　Remus　is　the　type。

If　the　reader　not　familiar　with　plantation　life　will　imagine　that　the　myth…stories　of　Uncle　Remus　are　told　night　after　night　to　a　little　boy　by　an　old　negro　who　appears　to　be　venerable　enough　to　have　lived　during　the　period　which　he　describes…who　has　nothing　but　pleasant　memories　of　the　discipline　of　slavery…and　who　has　all　the　prejudices　of　caste　and　pride　of　family　that　were　the　natural　results　of　the　system；　if　the　reader　can　imagine　all　this；　he　will　find　little　difficulty　in　appreciating　and　sympathizing　with　the　air　of　affectionate　superiority　which　Uncle　Remus　assumes　as　he　proceeds　to　unfold　the　mysteries　of　plantation　lore　to　a　little　child　who　is　the　product　of　that　practical　reconstruction　which　has　been　going　on　to　some　extent　since　the　war　in　spite　of　the　politicians　U