Julia Gentle, Santa Cruz Mountains.
The time hard. Anansi said to Tacoomah, “How going to manage wid de
hard time?” So Tacoomah said, “You know we do? I will get me machete
[14] an’ I go half shut de door, den I will say, ‘Police, I sick!’”
Den, when people come, Tacoomah take de machete an’ chop dem, put dem
in de barrel for de hungry time. Anansi say, “Brar Tacoomah, barrel
nearly full?”—“No, Brar.” He cry out again how Tacoomah poorly; an’ de
people come an’ as dey come, he kill dem put in barrel to serve in
hungry time.
Den Goat up on de hill-side say he see everybody goin’ in, nobody come
out; de house so little, how is it gwine to hold all doze people? So
Goat come down now off de hill-side to see how Tacoomah. He peep in.
Tacoomah say, “Come in!” an’ Goat run right back up hill-side. An’ from
dat day, Goat stay up on hill-side.