Nights With Uncle Remus: Myths and Legends of the Old Plantation

by Joel Chandler Harris

[56] Earth. Uncle Remus would say "Yeth."

[57] Gnaws the bark from the trees.

[58] Drain or ditch.

[59] Distribute.

[60] Allowance; ration.

[61] Based on a characteristic negro saying. For instance: "Where's Jim?" "You can't keep up wid dat nigger. Des let night come, en he's runnin' fum hen-roost to river-bank." In other words, stealing chickens and robbing fish baskets.

[62] Hither and yon.

[63] As if.

[64] No doubt this means that Brother Rabbit's proposition was pleasant and plausible.

[65] Wild; fierce; dangerous; courageous. The accent is on the second syllable, ser-vi-gous; or, ser-vi-gus, and the g is hard. Aunt Tempy would have said "vigrous."