a. Brother Dead’s Wife.
Grace Doran, Whitehall, Cock-pit country.
One day Anansi was walking an’ walk till he go into a wood and see a
man have a barbecue [23]—plenty of meat. An’ him go an’ say, “Hi, Brar!
how you do?” Man no ’peak. “Brar, you have plenty of meat an’ you want
some one fe ’top wid you?” Man no ’peak. Say, “Brar, gi’ me little
breakfas’ now?” Man no ’peak. Say, “Oh, Brar, you no talk, but me going
to tak litt’e fe me breakfas’.” Man no ’peak. Nansi go up on barbecue
say, “Brar say me mus’ tak meat.” No ’peak to him yet. Tak de meat an’
say, “Brar, gi’ me you pot?” Man no ’peak to him. Say, “Brar, mus’ put
on yo’ pot go get meat.” Man no ’peak. Put on de pot an’ go on de
barbecue fetch meat. When he cook done, tak him bag, load up, say,
“Brar, me gwine now.” Man no ’peak. “To-morrow I come back see you, an’
I see you need servant an’ I going to bring one of me daughter.” No
’peak.
De nex’ day say, “Wife, I go in Dead country an’ buck up Brar Dead.
Have plenty of meat. Gwine a carry me daughter down to country to work
for him an’ cook for him.” Daughter name Sindy. When he go again, Dead
sit down got him comb combing hair, long hair cover him face. Say,
“Brar Dead, I promise bring a servant for you, but him hungry so me
going to tak me eat.” Dead no ’peak. An’ tak de jug, put on pot, tak
water, an’ go up on barbecue tak meat an’ him cook, say, “Brar Dead, I
gwine, but I coming back to-morrow.” An’ go back say, “Enough meat dar,
an’ Brar say come back to-morrow.” Nex’ day come back. Dead no say one
word, got long bow an’ arrow in hand. Don’t see him daughter. Go up on
barbecue an’ see him daughter finger have a ring. Say, “I mak you ’peak
t’-day!” An’ tak Dead hair and tak one long pla’t tie heah, and tak one
long pla’t tie deah, and tak two pla’t behind tie up on tree. An’ as
him gwine away, pile up dry trash an’ light up de head wid fire. Dead
shake head when de plat’ burn off; and shake again, de odder pla’t pop
off; an’ tak up him bow an’ arrow an’ run after Anansi.
Run up to house an’ say, “Wife an’ pickney, go up alof’, Brar Dead dah
come!” Brar Dead come in sit down so in de house wait ’pon dem. Pickney
cry out, “Pupa, me hungry!” Say, “Brar Dead, open you han’, pickney a
come!” Six pickney now, de las one come, say can’t do any more. Now
Mrs. Anansi cry out, “Brar Dead, open yo’ han’, me a come!” Anansi drop
now, drop in de dirt. From dat time you see Anansi live in de dirt.
b. Goat and Plantain.
Rennie Macfarlane, Mandeville.
Goat plant his plantain tree an’ when it begun to bear he go an’ look
at it, an’ when he look at it he say it will soon fit. The nex’ day he
go again an’ say, “It is fit; it will soon ripe!” An’ the nex’ day when
he come to cut it, Br’er Nansi cut it an’ eat it. Br’er Goat said,
“Baa-a-a, where’s me plantain?” He go to Anansi house an’ Anansi an’
his wife an’ two children run up in house-top. Br’er Goat wait down
below. Anansi daughter said she was tired, wanted to drop on the groun’
an’ she drop an’ Goat cut her up an’ put her in his tread-bag, an’ he
said, “Baa-a-a, here’s me plantain!” Anansi son say he wanted to drop
an’ he drop. An’ Br’er Goat cut him up an’ put him in his tread-bag,
an’ he said, “Baa-a-a, here’s me plantain!” An’ Anansi wife say, “I
want to drop!” an’ she drop an’ Goat cut her up an’ put her in the
tread-bag, an’ said, “Baa-a-a, here’s me plantain!”
An’ Br’er Anansi said, “As I’m so fat, sprinkle some ashes on the
groun’ an’ when I drop I won’t mash.” An’ Br’er Goat sprinkle it on the
groun’ an’ Anansi drop an’ the ashes fly up in Goat face an’ blind him.
An’ Br’er Nansi keep the plantain-tree for himself an’ when it bear, he
eat it.