a. Go-long-go.
George Parkes, Mandeville.
One time Anansi wife have a very large pig. She value the pig for ten
pounds, say she was going to sell the pig an’ buy a piece of land.
Anansi wanted the pig to eat an’ he wanted to eat him one, [25] so he
fawn sick, very very sick; all what the wife could do for him he
wouldn’t take nothing. He then call his wife an’ tell her him gwine to
die an’ she mus’ take care of herself an’ the chil’ren.
The wife said to him she has to go nex’ day to see the doctor about
him, so the nex’ day she dress herself an’ start for the doctor,
leaving Anansi very sick at home. When the wife gone one way, Anansi
get up, dress himself an’ go short cut the other way. He change himself
into a different man. The wife say, “Good-morning, sir.” He say,
“Good-morning, ma’am.” He say, “What is the matter?” The woman said,
“My husband is sick unto death!” He said, “Well, I am the doctor. Have
you any hog at home?” Say, “Yes.” He says, “If you want your husband to
live, you better kill the hog and let him alone eat it.” The woman turn
back with a very heavy heart. Anansi run back by the short cut, reach
home, an’ be in bed sick. When the wife return home he say to her,
“Have you seen the doctor?” She says, “Yes.”—“What him say?”—“He say I
am to kill the hog an’ let you alone eat it; then you will get better.”
Anansi say, “Cho! Doctor talking nonsense! How he t’ink I eat such a
big hog like dat?” The woman said, “To get you better I got to comply
with the doctor’s order.” [26]
Anansi took away the hog an’ carry into a wood, him one alone. An’
scrape it an’ put it into a copper to cook. An’ he see a wil’ thing
called himba [27] an’ he dig it to cook with the meat. He saw Mr.
Go-long-go [28] come up. Say, “Brar Anansi, wha’ you do here?” Say, “I
boil buckra meat, sah.” Tell him mus’ tak out piece of meat gi’ him.
Say, “I kyan’ tak out fe a buckra meat, sah!” Brar Go-long-go say, “If
you don’ tak it out I ’top you mout’, I ’top you breat’!” An’ he take
it out an’ gi’ him to eat. An’ say, “Tak out de whole of it!” an’ he
tak out the whole an’ put it before Brar Go-long-go. Eat off the whole
of it!
An’ he said, “Brar Go-long-go, I no pass some plenty guinea-pea deh?”
An’ they went there, an’ carry a pint of oil an’ put him into the
middle of the plant-trash an’ t’row the oil right around it, an’ him
light an’ whole take fire. Brar Go-long-go say, “Come take me out!”
Anansi say, “Nyam meat no gimme me no!” [29]
b. Dry-head.
Ezekiel Williams, Harmony Hall.
Brar Nansi trabble away. Him was a man very fond of duckano. So while
he was going on, hear somet’ing drop “woof!” An’ say, “Makey stan’
deh!” fe him duckano. At de same time deh was Brar Dry-head drop off de
tree. Brar Dry-head say, “Ef you tak me up, you tak up trouble; an’ ef
you put me down, you put down yo’ luck!” So Brar Nansi never know what
to do. Brar Nansi say, “Brar Dry-head, have big fat barrow in a stye;
mak we go kill it!” An’ so dey do. Well, when de pot boil wid de
barrow, Brar Nansi say, “Brar Dry-head, you know what we do? Who can’t
eat wi’out spoon not to taste it.” So Brar Dry-head, he never have no
hand, so Brar Nansi eatee off clean!
c. Brother Dead.
Emanuel Johnson, Brownstown.
Anansi run till he meet up Bredder Dead ... Br’er Dead say, “If you pay
me, I will save you.”—“Br’er, me have not’ing to gi’ you, but me have
one cock a yard fe me wife, me tek him come gi’ you.” Br’er Nansi run
to de yard, get de cock, meet Br’er Dead in de corn-piece an’ gi’ it to
him. Now Br’er Dead goin’ to kill him jus’ de same. After Br’er Dead
tie de cord gone away to odder side of de corn-piece, Anansi t’ief de
cock back from Br’er Dead, get a hawk an’ put up de hawk. Hawk catch
Dead now in de corn-piece. Anansi say,
Fly along, Brudder Hawk, fly a-long. Fly a-long, Brudder Hawk,
fly a-long. Car-ry him go ’long, Car-ry him go ’long, Car-ry
him go ’long, Brud-der Hawk, Car-ry him go ’long.
An’ Br’er Hawk fly along wid him till drop him into a sea-ball. [30]
Jack man dora!