George Parkes, Mandeville.
Anansi an’ Tacoomah while they were frien’s they had a quarrel, so it
was an envy between both of them an’ they never speak. One day Anansi
sen’ one of his chil’ over to Tacoomah’s yard fe some fire. Tacoomah
give him the fire an’ some beef-fat. Anansi see the fat in the chil’
han’, said, “Whe’ yo’ get dat nasty t’ing from?” So the chil’ said,
“Brar Tacoomah give it to me.”—“Mak a t’row it away, nasty t’ing!” The
chil’ give it to him. He turn away from the chil’ an’ do so (like him
fling it away), an’ put it in his mouth; he then out the fire an’ send
back another chil’ fe more fire. She come with the fire an’ some more
fat that Tacoomah give to her. Anansi said, “You carry back that nasty
thing come here again? you give it to me here!” He turn his back an’
did same as he did on first occasion. He himself now go to Tacoomah
yard, said, “Mawning, Brar Tacoomah.” Tacoomah said, “Mawning, Brar
Nansi.” Anansi said, “A wha’ you get all the fat heah from, an’ yo’
won’t tell me mak me go get some too?” Tacoomah say, “I would tell you,
but yo’ so craving you will go deh an’ go mak trouble.” Anansi said,
“Oh, no, Brar! you t’ink if you tell me wha’ such good t’ings is, me
wen’ deh go mak trouble?” Tacoomah say, “All right. Tomorrow four
o’clock, when you hear cow-boy deh drive up cow a ribber-side, you come
wake me an’ you an’ me go.”
Anansi scarcely sleep fo’ the night, only listening out fo’ cow-boy.
While on the way Tacoomah said to Anansi, “When you go to de cow, you
fe say, ‘Open, sesema, open’, an’ cow will open de belly; an’ when you
go in you fe say, ‘Shet, sesema, shet’, an’ then you mus’ cut de fat
out of de belly. But you mustn’t cut de back-string, fo’ if you cut it
de cow will dead an you can’t get fe come out again. So after you done
cut de fat, you mus say, ’Open, sesema, open’, an cow will open an’ you
come out. You say, ‘Shet, sesema, shet’, an’ de cow will shet.”
So both of them go down. Anansi go to one cow, an’ Tacoomah go to one
use the same word, “Open, sesema, open!” Anansi go in, say, “Shet,
sesema, shet!” an’ the cow shet; an’ then he cut a whole basket of fat
an, after the basket fill he said, “Open, sesema, open!” an’ cow open.
He come out, say, “Shet, sesema, shet!” an’ cow shet. An’ both of them
went home.
The nex’ morning, Anansi, as he hear the cow-boy, never call to
Tacoomah at all. He run down to the river-side an’ go to a fat cow an’
said, “Open, sesema, open!” The cow open. He go in an’ said, “Shet,
sesema, shet!” The cow shet. He begun to cut. Whilst cutting he cut the
back-string. The cow now drop down dead.
The cow-boy went an’ tell the master an’ he order them to have it
cleaned up. Anansi hide in the ma. The master give his darter the belly
to go an’ wash at the river. She carry it in a bowl, dash it down in
the water. Anansi then jump out an’ say to the girl, “Look! I in the
river having a bathe an’ yo’ carry that nasty t’ing come an’ t’row on
me!” The girl begun to fret an’ cry. Anansi say, “You got to carry me
to your father mak him pay me for it!” She then tak Anansi to the
father an’ Anansi say will tak a cow in payment.
Anansi said he not going to carry the cow come home so to give any of
his family any, so he went into a t’ick wood, kill the cow, mak up a
large fire an’ put it in to roast. He then started to look for ol’ yams
in the bush. He saw two eyes in the earth. He said, “Lawd, from me bwoy
bo’n is de firs’ me know say dirtee can hab yeye!” So now he start to
dig out dese yeye, [18] dig up Bredder Dry-head. [19] He go fe put him
down back in de eart’. Dry-head say, “No, jus’ carry me go where dat
big smoke is yonder!” Anansi refuse to carry him. Dry-head said to him,
“If yo’ don’ carry me, de whole of you’ body will catch fire!” Anansi
start to run. His whole body begin to blaze, have to run back an’ tak
up Dry-head. On reaching the fire, Dry-head order Anansi to bring the
cow to him. Anansi with a sulky heart got to comply with Dry-head’,
order. Dry-head start eating the cow an’ eat off every bit,—Anansi
never taste it!