Moses Hendricks, Mandeville.
A gentleman had a cowitch [24] property. He wanted to have it cut down,
but whoever cut it must not scratch their skin. Anyone who cut it down
without scratching, he would give the pick of the best cow on his
property. Many tried, but failed. Anansi says that he will cut it down.
So the gentleman sent his son to watch and see that he cut the tree
without scratching his skin at all. Anansi began cutting and the juice
of the tree began to eat him. He wanted to scratch. He said to the boy,
“Young massa, de cow yo’ papa goin’ to gi’ me, white here (scratches
one side), black here (scratches the other), had a red here, had
anodder black here, blue jus’ down at his feet.” He went on that way
until he cut down the tree.
He got the cow, but he couldn’t manage the removal of the cow alone,
and he didn’t want to get any intelligent person to assist him, he
wanted a fool; so he got a man by the name of Foolman. Foolman wasn’t
such a fool as he thought. They removed the cow to a place to butcher
it near to Foolman’s yard, but Anansi did not know that. So he said to
Foolman, “Brer Foolman, we mus’ get fire, roast plenty of meat.”
Foolman said he didn’t know where to go to get fire. Anansi pointed out
a little smoke a long distance off. Foolman refused to go. He got vexed
and started to go for the fire himself. He was no sooner gone than
Foolman called up his family, butchered the cow, and removed all the
parts, leaving the tail. He dug a hole in the earth and drove the root
of the tail down as tight as he could. When he thought it time for
Anansi to come back, he held on to the hair of the cow-tail and called
out, “Brer Nansi, run! Brer Nansi, run!” Anansi come and he say, “Brer
Nansi, de whole cow gone, only tail!” He held on to the tail and both
of them thought to pull up the cow. While pulling, the tail broke in
two. So Anansi had to give Foolman a piece of the tail that popped off.
So with all his cunning, he got but a very small piece.