“It was on a day just like this that Mr. Lion lost his wool,” Uncle Remus said to the little boy. “Mr. Man decided it was time to butcher some hogs, so he got a big barrel and filled it halfway with water from the spring. Then he piled up a lot of wood and put rocks between the logs. He lit the fire at both ends and in the middle, and soon the water in the barrel was boiling.
“After they killed the hogs, they dipped each one into the hot water. When they pulled them out, the hair was ready to fall right off. They scraped the hogs clean with sticks and chips, leaving no hair on them at all.
“Once all the hogs were killed and cleaned, and everything was quiet, old Brer Rabbit peeked out from behind a bush where he had been hiding. He looked around, and then went over to the fire to warm himself. He wasn’t there long before Brer Wolf and Brer Fox showed up, and that’s when he got an idea.
“‘Hello, friends! Howdy and welcome!’ Brer Rabbit said. ‘I’m just getting ready to take a warm bath like Mr. Man gave his hogs. Want to join me?’ They said they weren’t in a hurry, but they helped Brer Rabbit put more hot rocks in the barrel and watched the water bubble.
“Soon, who should come walking up but old Mr. Lion? He had a mane that went all the way from his head to the end of his tail, and in some places, it was so long it dragged on the ground. That’s why all the animals were afraid of him. He growled and asked what they were doing, and when Brer Rabbit told him, Mr. Lion said that’s just what he needed.
“‘How do you get in?’ Mr. Lion asked.
“‘Just back right in,’ said Brer Rabbit. So, Mr. Lion backed into the barrel, but the water was so hot that he tried to get out and slipped in all the way to his shoulders. Believe it or not, that creature was scalded so badly that he hollered and scared everybody for miles around.
“When he finally got out, all his wool had fallen off, except for the little bit around his neck and the tuft at the end of his tail—and that would’ve come off too if his tail hadn’t slipped through the hole in the barrel.”
Uncle Remus closed his eyes, but he was still watching the little boy. For a moment, the child said nothing, then he exclaimed, “I must tell that tale to mother before I forget it!” He ran out of the cabin as fast as his feet could carry him, leaving Uncle Remus shaking with laughter.
