Brer Rabbit Gets Some Smarts

Things weren't going right for Brer Rabbit, not right at all. He'd been fool enough to let Brer Wolf out from under a rock and nearly got eaten for breakfast. And then there was the race. Brer Rabbit still couldn't figure how Brer Turtle won that race. It was just humilitating, that's what it was. Scandalous and humilitating.

"I done lost my smarts," Brer Rabbit moaned, "and the only body round here with smarts to spare is Mammy-Bammy Big-Money. I best go ask her to give me some more smarts before it's too late."

Now Mammy-Bammy Big-Money is a witch-rabbit. She lives way off deep in the swamp, and none of the critters dares go see her except for Brer Rabbit. Even for the rabbit, it's quite a trip, 'cause you got to ride some and slide some, then zip, skip, and slip some, till finally you can skiddle, skaddle, waddle and wade deep into the swamp where you'll find her. Assuming the gators don't find you first.

So that's what Brer Rabbit did: ride, slide, zip, skip, slip, skiddle, skaddle, waddle and wade all the way through the swamp.

Meanwhile, Mammy-Bammy could tell Brer Rabbit was coming; she could always tell when someone was coming. And she even knew what he was coming for. Smarts. But that rabbit didn't need to get any smarter. He was trouble enough already. So before Brer Rabbit arrove, Mammy-Bammy knew what she was going to do.

Mammy-Bammy Big-Money!

O Mammy-Bammy Big-Money!

I journeyed far, I journeyed fast;

I'm glad I found the place at last.

"Riley Rabbit, Wiley Rabbit," replied the witch, "what brings you here today of all days?" As if she didn't know already.

"Smarts," said Brer Rabbit. "I done lost most all of my smarts, Mammy-Bammy. Give me some smarts, please, I beg you."

"Wiley Rabbit, Riley Rabbit, seems to me you got plenty of smarts, always have had."

"My smarts done dried up, Mammy-Bammy. It's scandalous! Humilitating! You got to help me!"

"Well," said the witch-rabbit, "I suppose if you can bring me back Brer Rattlesnake, bring him back alive, that is, I might give you some smarts. Agreed?"

"Agreed!" Brer Rabbit shouted, already racing back out of the swamp to go fetch the snake. He didn't know how he was going to do it, but he'd think of something.

Or would he?

Mammy-Bammy half-hoped the snake might just bite him dead and save her a heap of trouble.

Brer Rabbit made straight for the rock pile where Brer Rattlesnake lived, carrying with him a long, stout stick. Can you guess what he's going to do?

"Howdy!" he shouted. "Brer Rabbit here. I'm looking for Brer Snake."

"That'sssssssss me," the snake hissed from inside the rock pile.

"Mighty glad to find you at home!" said Brer Rabbit. "Mighty glad indeed! That fool Brer Bear and I were arguing about just how long you are, and I said you were as long as this stick, or maybe even longer." Brer Rabbit banged the stick on the rock pile. "But Brer Bear, he said you weren't but half that long. So we made a bet, and now I'm here."

Rattlesnake said nothing.

"We bet two chickens on it."

Rattlesnake said nothing.

"And I'll split 'em with you."

Brer Rattlesnake poked his head out from the rock pile. "I like chickensssssss," he said, "very much."

"Well, come on out with you then," said Brer Rabbit as he laid the stick on the ground and fetched two pieces of twine out of his pocket. "You just slither right on over here, and I'll tie you to the stick to take to show Brer Bear."

"Tie me to the sssssstick?!" the snake hissed angrily, waving his head back and forth. "That will cost you two chickensssssss."

Brer Rabbit tapped his hind foot, pretending to hesitate.

"Okay," he said at last, "both chickens for you. But come on now; time's a-wasting."

The snake slithered up to the stake and stretched and stretched and stretched some more. "How am I doing, Brer Rabbit?" he asked.

"Doing fine, my friend," said the rabbit, tying the snake's head to the stick, and then tying down the rattles. "Mighty fine!" he added as he whacked the snake on the head with a rock. Not enough to kill him, mind you, just enough to knock him out and hush him up for the long journey back to Mammy-Bammy.

Mammy-Bammy Big-Money!

O Mammy-Bammy Big-Money!

I journeyed fast, I journeyed far;

I've come back here to where you are.

Brer Rabbit gasped as he dropped the stick and the snake on the ground. "I done fetched Brer Snake," he shouted. "And he's alive, well, more or less, just like you asked."

Silence.

"Now give me my smarts."

Silence.

"I said give me my smarts, Mammy-Bammy! You best give me my smarts NOW."

Silence.

Brer Rabbit then grabbed up the stick with the snake on it, hoisting it up over his head and doing his rabbit dance. "Give me my smarts, Mammy-Bammy," he chanted. "I said GIVE ME MY SMARTS."

Mammy-Bammy's voice then echoed throughout the clearing. "You got plenty of smarts already, Brer Rabbit. You just proved it! And if you was to get any smarter, I'd be afraid of you myself. So take your snake and go. Make yourself a nice stew for supper."

Brer Rabbit lowered the stick to the ground, scowling.

"And don't forget," Mammy-Bammy added, "rattlesnake oil is a mighty fine tonic for aches in the bones."

Seeing as how there was nothing else to be done, Brer Rabbit knocked the snake on the head again, harder this time, and dragged him on home.

The stew was right tasty, he had to admit. Plus he got himself enough snake oil to last all winter long, and then some.

You'll find the author's note below... or you can move right on to the story of the Taily-Po creature!

Author's Note. This story is based on "Brother Rabbit Submits to a Test." In that story Mammy-Bammy Big Money assigns two tasks to Brer Rabbit: trapping Brer Squirrel and trapping Brer Snake. I only had room for one task, and I liked the snake part best. As you can see in the illustration, Brer Rabbit used a rope to measure the snake. I borrowed the idea of a stick from other versions of this famous folktale.

Joel Chandler Harris actually published two versions of this story, side by side. The other version is in Gullah: Brother Rabbit's Love-Charm. In that story, the rabbit goes to "one old Africky mans" to get a love charm in exchange for an elephant tusk, an alligator tooth, and a rice-bird beak.

Illustration by Milo Winter

The elephant is a clue to the African origins of this story. As William Bascom has shown, this story was popular all over Africa. It was then told by African slaves and their descendants throughout the Caribbean and in the United States, both by African American storytellers and also by Native American storytellers among the Creek, Natchez, and Chitimacha peoples; there's even a Hitchiti version from Oklahoma: The Tasks of Rabbit. If you're curious, I have typed up my notes from Bascom's book here: Storybook Research. I've also told the stories about the wolf under the rock and the race with the turtle at my blog.

I hope you have enjoyed this first story about Mammy-Bammy Big-Money. Of course, she did not actually perform any real magic in this story, but you will see her powers at work in the next story: Taily-Po.

Bibliography.

Nights with Uncle Remus by Joel Chandler Harris, specifically, the stories "Brother Rabbit's Love-Charm" and "Brother Rabbit Submits to a Test" with illustrations by Milo Winter in the 1917 edition; the book was first published in 1883.