“De man, he wuz down dar waitin’ fer de bed ter drap. He had a big
long knife in he han’, en time de bed drapped, he lit on it, he did,
en stobbed it scan’lous. He des natchully ripped de tick up, en w’en
he look, bless gracious, dey ain’t no Simon dar. I lay dat man wuz
mad den. He snorted ’roun’ dar twel blue smoke come out’n his nose,
en his eye look red like varmint eye in de dark. Den he run upsta’rs
en dey ain’t no Simon dar, en nudder wuz dey any Susanna.
“Gentermens! den he git madder. He rush out, he did, en look ’roun’,
en ’way off yander he see Simon en Susanna des a-runnin’, en
a-holdin’ one nudder’s han’.”
“Why, Uncle Remus,” said the little boy, “I thought you said it was
night?”
“Dat w’at I said, honey, en I’ll stan’ by it. Yit, how many times
dis blessed night is I got ter tell you dat de man wuz a witch? En
bein’ a witch, co’se he kin see in de dark.
“Well, dish yer witch-man, he look off en he see Simon en Susanna
runnin’ ez hard ez dey kin. He put out atter um, he did, wid his
knife in his han’, an’ he kep’ on a gainin’ on um. Bimeby, he got so
close dat Susanna say ter Simon:
“‘Fling down yo’ coat.’
“Time de coat tech de groun’, a big thick woods sprung up whar it
fell. But de man, he cut his way thoo it wid de knife, en kep’ on
a-pursuin’ atter um.
“Bimeby, he got so close dat Susanna drap de egg on de groun’, en
time it fell a big fog riz up fum de groun’, en a little mo’ en de
man would a got los’. But atter so long a time fog got blowed away
by de win’, en de man kep’ on a-pursuin’ atter um.
“Bimeby, he got so close dat Susanna drap de meal-sack, en a great
big pon’ er water kivered de groun’ whar it fell. De man wuz in sech
a big hurry dat he tried ter drink it dry, but he ain’t kin do dis,
so he sot on de bank en blow’d on de water wid he hot breff, en
atter so long a time de water made hits disappearance, en den he
kep’ on atter um.
“Simon en Susanna wuz des a-runnin’, but run ez dey would, de man
kep’ a-gainin’ on um, en he got so close dat Susanna drapped de
skillet. Den a big bank er darkness fell down, en de man ain’t know
which away ter go. But atter so long a time de darkness lif’ up, en
de man kep’ on a-pursuin’ atter um. Mon, he made up fer los’ time,
en he got so close dat Susanna say ter Simon:
“‘Drap a pebble.’
“Time Simon do dis a high hill riz up, but de man clum it en kep’ on
atter um. Den Susanna say ter Simon:
“‘Drap nudder pebble.’
“Time Simon drap de pebble, a high mountain growed up, but de man
crawled up it en kep’ on atter um. Den Susanna say:
“‘Drap de bigges’ pebble.’
“No sooner is he drap it dan a big rock wall riz up, en hit wuz so
high dat de witch-man can’t git over. He run up en down, but he
can’t find no end, en den, atter so long a time, he turn ’roun’ en
go home.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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