George Parkes, Mandeville.
One time Anansi start to work a groun’ at the road-side. After clearing
up his field, he dig nine yam-hills. Now no one is allowed to count up
to the nine. If he say nine, he drop down dead. So Anansi say, “I got
to eat somet’ing out of this.” So he sat down an’ begin to cry. Hog was
passing, say to him, “Br’er Anansi, wha’s the matter with you?” Anansi
said, “My dear Bredder Hog, from mawning I dig these few yam-hills an’
trying to count them, but I can’t manage to count them yet.” Hog said,
“Cho! you too wort’less! You mean say you can’t say, ‘One, two, t’ree,
four, five, six, seven, eight, nine?’” And as Hog say “nine,” Hog drop
down dead. Anansi take him up, put him in his bag an’ carry him home
an’ eat him.
The nex’ day he came back an’ eat up Goat, who share the same fate as
Hog, an’ every day he went back dig the same hills. At that time Monkey
was on a tree watching an’ seeing all that take place. He came down
from off the tree, an’ while Anansi dig the same nine hills again an’
was sitting down crying, Monkey come up an’ said, “Br’er Anansi, wha’
the matter with you?” Anansi said, “My dear Bredder Monkey, from
mawning I dig these few yam-hills, an’ I’m trying to count them but I
can’t manage!” Monkey said, “I will count them for you, but you mus’
sit down ’pon one.” Monkey then said, “One, two, t’ree, four, five,
six, seven, eight, an’ the one Br’er Anansi sit down upon.” Anansi
said, “That’s not the way to count them!” Monkey said, “I’ll count them
good for you now!” Monkey began, “One, two, t’ree, four, five, six,
seven, eight, an’ the one Br’er Nansi sit down upon deh.” Now Anansi is
a man with a very short heart. [31] He got vex an’ say, “You mean to
say that you can’t say ‘One, two, t’ree, four, five, six, seven, eight,
nine?’” An’ as the word nine come out, Anansi drop down dead. Monkey
took him up an’ said, “You can fool the others, but you can’t fool me!”