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Negro myths from the Georgia coast, told in the vernacular cover

Negro myths from the Georgia coast, told in the vernacular

Chapter 115: LVI.
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About This Book

This collection assembles short folktales and tall tales drawn from the coastal rice- and swamp-region oral tradition, rendered in local vernacular speech. The pieces range from animal trickster episodes—featuring a clever rabbit, alligator, wolf, turkey, and other creatures—to human-centered anecdotes about conjuring, superstition, plantation life, and humorous misadventures. Arranged as many brief numbered stories, the volume preserves regional expressions, rhythm, and humor while alternating fables, jokes, and supernatural accounts. Recurrent themes include cunning over brute strength, community memory, survival in marshland settings, and the interplay of practical wit and folkloric belief.

LVI.

DE OLE KING AN DE NOUNG KING.

Er ole King yeddy say dem gwine pit er noung King een him place. De ting worry um an mek um bex. Eh want fuh keep eh trone: so eh gen order teh eh head man fuh mek him soldier kill all de ole people een de nation, so de noung King shant hab no wise pusson fuh help um cahr on de bidness er de kingdom. De soldier tek dem gun an dem club, an dem massacree all de ageable people een de lan.

Den de ole King sen wud teh de noung King, wuh de people bin pick out fuh rule ober dem, dat eh mus fetch um er fat hog, but eh musnt be eider er sow-hog, neider er bo-hog, but eh mus be er fat hog.

Wen de noung King git de message, eh tun dis answer: “Tell de ole King say me hab er fat barruh een de pen, an him mus come fur um; but eh musnt come een de day, ner eh musnt come fuh um een de night.” De ole King, wen eh yeddy dis message, mek up eh mine say de noung King mus hab heap er sense, er else some wise man muster help um; an eh couldnt see how dat kin be, case all de ole an de wise people een de nation done kill. Eh no bin know dat wen de order gie fuh stroy all de ole people een de kingdom, de noung King hide eh farruh een one holler tree, an so eh mek eh scape from de soldier, an bin day fuh gen eh son sense.

De noung King tun sich er smart answer, wid de help er eh farruh, dat de ole King couldnt mek out wuh time fuh gone fuh de fat hog; an so eh gib up, an de noung King, befo long, come an tun um out an tek eh office.