“S’pose de peacock hab de elephant’s tail, an’ de elephant de peacock tail, _now how wud dat look_? Er uh cow had uh roostuh’s tail, an’ uh roostuh uh cow tail? Da is some free niggahs fum Henracka County, Furginny, haulin’ deah sain in Miles Ribber, an’ fum what I kin heah, dey wud soon breck up de breed ub chickins, ornless de chickins all hens. Jes’ tread on de roostuh’s tail, dat’s all. “Sistus an’ brudders, I no I got yo’ condidence—I cud _swap tails_ all night, an’ you wud see all de time de wissum ub de c’rator ergin swappin’. ‘Da is mo’ things in heaben an’ yearth, Horace, dan is dremp ub in our phlos’phy.’ “Now, dis is de rash-nal part ub meh discose, ter show dat you kyant change things ’doutin’ makin’ mustakes. You kyant meck Ho Ho uh Chine any mo’ dan you kin change de animals’ tails. “Dese days people don’ meddowtate ernuff. Ef’n people wud meddowtate an’ read de Bible like I is fuh two weeks on dis subjec’, dey wud hab no doubt ’boutin de thurrybred Japne ped’gree ub Ho Ho. Hit’s plain ez daybreck, an’ I spressify ergin, you kyant change it any mo’ dan you kin change de animals’ tails. “Now, dis brings us ter de pus-nal part ub meh discose, an’ ef’n you projic wid dat fambly you kyant git erway fum de fac’ dat Noahy wuz uh man ub quare tase, an’ prob’ly had uh harf dozen wibes, which wuz de fashion in dem days. “Noahy mus’ uh bin uh man ve’y fon’ ub de differn’ shades ub color; fuh instinct, Ham’s Ma mus’ uh bin uh cullud pusson, _Sham’s_ uh white pusson an’ _Jap_heth’s uh Japne. “I am confluent dat Ho Ho wuz uh Japne, wid uh strain ub Chine blood, an’ my phlos’phy will show it. “De Bible tells us plain ez plain kin be, dat Noahy had three sons—_Sham_, Ham an’ _Jap_heth. Sham, ez befo’ mentioned, wuz uh white pusson; Ham wuz uh cullud pusson, an’ _Jap_heth mus’ uh bin uh Japne. I bleebe ef’n Noahy cud speak, he wud say so, an’ ef’n you will follow de application, hit will be ez clare ez de jewdraps on de vines, er de fros’ on de fodder. “I ain’ bin ridin’ wid Mars Pinckney fuh nuffin.” By this time the audience was fast getting “Japne,” and Rasmus anxious. So he said: “Damon, Mars Pinckney bin heppin’ you wid dis rebate!” “Well, s’pose he is; don’ I ’long ter him an’ he ’long ter me?” “Well, hit don’ pester me, fuh Mars _Arthur_ holp _me_. He ain’ no preacher, but I reckon he kin read an’ wright ter keep pace wid de bes’ ub preachers.” “Meshac wuz de son ub _Jap_heth. He wuz uh cunjerrer an’ cud walk on fire, an’ ub cose he got hit fum he Japne Pa. “In de fus’ book ub Cronicles, fus’ vus, by ’westigation, you will fine dat _Jap_heth wuz de gre’t-gre’t-gre’t uncle ter Joktan, an’ he had uh son name Jobab (you see how dey keep up de fambly names), an’ Joktan wuz kin ter Mibsam (dat’s wha de Chine cross cum in), an’ Joktan wuz also uh connection ub Ja_k_an. Well, put uh “p” wha dat “k” am, an’ you hab Ja_p_an. Mars Pinckney say hit’s plain ter his mind.