what does "peert"mean?
He began to chop at the base of the dead pine. High in the air a hum-ming sounded like a den of rattlers, far distant and turbulent. The blows of the axe echoed back and forth across the sink-hole. Squirrels, quies-cent in the oaks and palm trees, began to chatter at the disturbance. Scrub jays cried shrilly. The pine shook. The humming grew into a roar.
The bees sung across their heads like small shot.
Buck called, "Light me a smudge, boy. Be peert."

Question

what does "peert"mean?
He began to chop at the base of the dead pine. High in the air a hum-ming sounded like a den of rattlers, far distant and turbulent. The blows of the axe echoed back and forth across the sink-hole. Squirrels, quies-cent in the oaks and palm trees, began to chatter at the disturbance. Scrub jays cried shrilly. The pine shook. The humming grew into a roar. 
The bees sung across their heads like small shot. 
Buck called, "Light me a smudge, boy. Be peert."

Answer

Certainly not used in modern English.   I would quickly forget that word unless you are playing scrabble.

Answer

It is a very, very uncommon word. "Be peert" means "be quick."

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