a. Tracking Anansi.
Simeon Falconer, Santa Cruz Mountains.
Anansi live into a tree with wife and children, then go about and
robber the others and they can’t find where he live. So Tiger and
Bredder Tacoomah dog him and see when he send down the rope and swing
up whatever he provide for the family. So Bredder Tiger go to a
tin-smith to give him a fine v’ice and went to the tree and him sing,
“Mama, mama, sen’ down rope,
Sen’ down rope, Brer Nansi deh groun’ a!”
Then the mother find out it was not Bredder Nansi from the coarseness
of the v’ice. So he go to a gold-smith now, and he come back again and
sing again. Now he get a v’ice same as Bredder Nansi.
“Mama, mama, sen’ down rope,
Sen’ down rope, Brer Nansi deh groun’ a!”
Then the mother let the rope down to receive him. Brer Nansi coming
from a distance see the mother swinging him up in the tree now and say,
“Mama, cut de rope! mama, cut de rope!”
And she cut the rope and Bredder Tiger fell and broke his neck. Bredder
Nansi tak him and have him now for him dinner. They couldn’t eat
Bredder Nansi at all; him was the smartest one of all.
b. Rabbit and Children going up to Heaven.
William Saunders, Mandeville.
Once de Rabbit an’ chil’ren was going up to Heaven. Dey was singin’ dat
dey goin’ up to Heaven t’-day, an’ Brar Anansi want to go along wid dem
to have a feed. Having got in de merit dey sing,
“Mammy an’ Harry,
Pull up de merit, pull up de merit!”
An’ when Anansi quite away on de journey was goin’ up to heaven, he was
singin’,
“Pull up de merit, pull up de merit!”
an’ de Rabbits say, “What is dat? Dat is Anansi voice!” De chil’ren
say, “Yes, dat is Anansi voice.” Rabbits say,
“Mammy an’ Harry,
Cut down de merit, cut down de merit!”
an’ de merit cut down an’ from dat day poor Anansi’s waist was cut off,
leave a little bit!
c. Duppy’s House in the Air.
Harold Tulloch, Queen Anne’s Bay.
Once Brer Duppy [12] make his house in de air. So he have a sling to
sling down himself every morning, an’ as soon as he’ come down he say
to de sling, “Go up, me chin-chin, go up!” So Bredder Nansi come to
find out Duppy house, an’ he was wondering how to get up in dis house,
so he dodge one side in de evening. An’ when Bredder Duppy come he
said, “Come down, me chin-chin, come down!” an’ it came right down. He
get in an’ said, “Go up, me chin-chin, go up!” an’ it go right up. By
dis time Anansi was listening. Nex’ morning, as soon as Bredder Duppy
move off about a mile, Bredder Nansi went right up an’ said, “Come
down, me chin-chin, come down!” an’ it came down. Den Bredder Nansi get
in it and said, “Go up, me chin-chin, go up!”
After he went up, he search de house an’ eat off all what he found in
de house. He want to come down now, but he couldn’t remember de name.
So he lay off dere until de duppy come catch him in de house. Brer
Duppy said to him, “Lawd! Brer Anansi, what you doin’ up heah?” He
said, “Brer Duppy, was jus’ goin’ up a-top heah to look fe me family,
win’ ketch me on de way an I’ stop heah.” An’ Bredder Duppy tak some
boiling water an’ t’row on him an’ he was dead.
d. Carencro’s [13] House with a Key.
Richard Morgan, Santa Cruz Mountains.
Kyan-crow got a house. De libber de key to de house. When him gwine out
den ca’ out, “Libber me yum yum!” Ev’ry door shut up. Hanansi stan’
aside saw; when him gone, him go up said, “Libber me yum yum!” de door
open. An’ get inside. As him go in he say, “Libber me yum yum!” de door
shet. De fust t’ing him do, him eat de libber so den when Brar
Kyan-crow come an’ ca’ out, “Libber me yum yum!” do’ kyan’t open. An’
say, “Somet’ing de matter a me house t’-day!” When den get little
crebbice a de windah gwine in at de house, den didn’t see de key at
all. Well, Hanansi run out, an’ him ketch Hanansi.
Hanansi say, “Brar Kyan-crow, you know you do? You no lob dance? I wi’
play fe you!” Kyan-crow say all right. Hanansi say, “But me banjo kyan’
play widout hot water.” When dey goin’ along hall, when de banjo
playin’ “Ba cimba cimba,” Hanansi say, “All right, Brar Kyan-crow, turn
back-way come.” He tak de packey, he dippy up full of de hot water an’
say, “All right, Brar Kyan-crow, dance come now!” As Kyan-crow come, he
meet him wid de packey hot water. Kyan-crow tumble down. So from dat
day every Kyan-crow got peel-head.