After Brer Rabbit had tied Brer Fox to the hitching post, he visited with Miss Meadows and the gals for a while. They talked, and they sang, and they played the piano, until, by and by, it became time for Brer Rabbit to leave. He bade them all good-bye, and strutted out to the horse rack as if he were the king of the castle, mounted Brer fox, and rode off.
Brer Fox said nothing at all. He just trotted off and kept his mouth shut, but Brer Rabbit knew there was something cooking, and he felt monstrous skittish. Brer Fox ambled on until he got out of sight of Miss Meadow's house, and then he turned loose! He ripped and he reared, and he cussed and he swore, he snorted and he cavorted.
He was trying to fling Brer Rabbit off of his back, but he might just as well have wrestled with his own shadow. Every time he bucked, Brer Rabbit slapped the spurs to him, and so on they went, up and down. Brer Fox fairly tore up the ground, jumping so high and so quick that he mighty near took his tail off. They kept on going this way until, b and by, Brer Fox had the clever idea to lie down and roll over, and this finally unsettled Brer Rabbit. By the time Brer Fox got back on his feet again, Brer Rabbit was whipping through the underbrush like a racehorse. Brer Fox lit out after him and got so close that it was all Brer Rabbit could do to dart into a hollow tree. Fortunately for Brer Rabbit, the hole was too little for Brer Fox, so he lay down to rest and gather his thoughts together.
While he was lying there, Mr. Buzzard came flapping along, and seeing Brer Fox stretched out on the ground, he lit nearby. Mr. Buzzard shook his wings, put his head on one side, and murmured to himself, "Brer Fox is dead, and I'm so sorry."
"No, I'm not dead, either, " said Brer Fox. "I got old man Rabbit penned up in this tree and I'm going to get him this time if it takes twelve Christmases."
After some more talk, Brer Fox made a bargain with Mr. Buzzard to watch the hole and keep Brer Rabbit there while Brer Fox went for his axe. Brer Fox loped off and Mr. Buzzard took up his stand at the hole in the tree. By and by, when all got quiet, Brer Rabbit scrambled down close to the hole and hollered out, "Brer Fox! Oh Brer Fox!
Brer Fox, of course, was gone, and Brer Buzzard stayed quiet. Then Brer Rabbit yelled as if he was mad, " you needn't talk unless you want to. I know you're there, and I don't care. I just want to tell you that I wish mighty bad that Brer Turkey Buzzard was here," he said.
Then Mr. Buzzard tried to talk like Brer Fox "what you want with Mr. Buzzard?" he asked.
Oh, nothing in particular, except there's the fattest gray squirrel in here that ever I've seen," replied Brer Rabbit, "and if that Brer Turkey Buzzard was around, he'd be mighty glad to get him. "How is Mr. Buzzard going to get him?" asked the Buzzard.
"Well, there's a little hole round on the other side of the tree," said Brer Rabbit, "and if that Brer Turkey Buzzard was here, he could take up his stand there, and I'd drive that squirrel out."
"Drive him out, then," shouted Mr. Buzzard, "and I'll see that that Brer Turkey Buzzard gets him."
Then Brer Rabbit kicked up a racket, pretending to drive something out, Mr. Buzzard rushed around to catch the squirrel, and Brer Rabbit dashed out and ran for home.
