a. The Fishes.
Rennie Macfarlane, Mandeville.
Three little fish pickney mother was sick an’ Anansi said, “If you
want, I get you’ mother better for you!” an the three little fish said,
“Yes!” An’ said, “You give me a frying-pan an’ some sweet ile, an’ you
lock up in that room an’ when she better, I let you know.” An’ he fry
the fish an’ eat it an’ tell the fish pickney that they can come out
the room now. An’ they ask, “Where is our mother? Did you get her
better?” an’ he said, “No, I eat her!” an’ the fish run after him an’
he run away.
An’ a mule ask the fish, “Do you want me to catch him for you?” an’
they said, “Yes!” And the mule said, “Give me those peas that you have
now an’ I catch him for you.” An’ the mule go out to Anansi gate an’
lie down there an’ when Anansi come out, Anansi run up into his belly
an’ the mule gallop away again. An’ Anansi cry out in the mule’s belly,
“If he go to sea-side, stop him; but if he go anywhere else, let him
go!” An’ he gallop to the sea-shore an’ give Anansi to the fish.
An’ he say, “You know what you do, fish? Put me under the trash an’
burn me!” An’ when the fish put him under de trash, Anansi run under a
stone, hide, an’ the fish t’ot he was burn.
b. The Six Children.
George Parkes, Mandeville.
An old woman had six children, three sons and three daughters. They
grew up to be big men and women. They were living near the roadside.
The old woman was sick with sore eyes, so the children came out by the
wayside and began to cry. Hog was passing by, said to them, “What’s the
matter with you, now?”—“Well, Mr. Hog, our mother became blind and we
cannot cure it!”—“I can’t do no good, I can’t cure it!” So Hog went
away. Little after that there was Goat come up. Children were still
crying. Goat said, “What’s the matter with you, now?” Children said,
“Well, Mr. Goat, our mother took in with blindness and we cannot cure
it!” Goat say, “I cannot cure it!” and he went on his way. A little
after that Cow came up. “What’s the matter with you, now?”—“Well, Mr.
Cow, our mother took in with blindness an’ we cannot cure it!” Cow say,
“I can’t do no good!” an’ he went on his way. Afterward they heard
Jack-ass galloping come along say, “Hee-haw, hee-haw! What’s the matter
with you? what’s the matter with you?” The children say, “Well, Mr.
Jack-ass, our mother took in with blindness an’ we cannot cure it!”
Jack-ass say, “I can’t do no good! I can’t do no good! I can’t do no
good!”
Little after that, Anansi come up, hear the children crying, said, “An’
w’at de mattah wid you, now?”—“Well, Mr. Anansi, our mother took in
with blindness an’ we cannot cure it!” Anansi said, “I can cure it!” He
said, “You know wha’ you all do? Put a barrel of water in the kitchen,
get two barrels of white yam put in the kitchen, a pound of butter, a
pound of lard, ’nuf meat, an’ put dem in de kitchen, an’ I’ll come back
anodder day an’ cure it!” So the day appointed he came back an’ said,
“Carry you mother now an’ put in the kitchen,” an’ said, “I am going to
shut the door an’ when you heah somet’ing say ‘fee-e-e-e’, you all mus’
say, ‘T’ank God, mama have a cure!’”
So Anansi kill the ol’ lady, cook off all the yams an’ flour an’
everyt’ing, fry up the ol’ lady with the butter an’ the lard. He go
“fee-e-e-e” an’ the children, hearing that, said, “T’ank God, mama have
a cure! t’ank God, mama have a cure!” Anansi now eat off the ol’ lady
an’ all the t’ings, take all the bones an’ pack it put at the
fire-side, an’ come out an’ fasten the door, say that they mus’ not
open the door until nine days time. That time, take himself away. On
the seventh day, the chil’ren couldn’t bear it no longer, went an’
burst the door open fin’ all their mother bones at the fire-side.
They come out, start crying again. Hog pass by, said, “What’s the
matter with you now?”—“Well, Mr. Hog, Mr. Anansi come heah an’ kill our
mother an’ we cannot catch him!” Hog said, “I can’t help you!” and went
his way. A little after, Goat came up, said, “What’ the matter
now?”—“Well, Mr. Goat, Mr. Anansi came heah an’ kill our mother eat her
off an’ we cannot catch him!”—“I can do no good, I can’t catch him!”
Goat went on his way. Cow came up. “What’s the matter with you now?
what’s the matter with you?”—“Well, Mr. Cow, Mr. Anansi come heah an’
kill our mother an’ eat her off an’ we cannot catch him!” Cow said, “I
can’t do no good! I can’t do no good!” an’ he went on his way. A little
after, Jack-ass come, say, “Hee-haw! what’s the matter with you? what’s
the matter with you? what’s the matter with you?”—“Well, Mr. Jack-ass,
Mr. Anansi come heah an’ kill our mother an’ eat her off an’ we can’t
catch him!” Jack-ass said, “I will catch de fellah! I will catch de
fellah! I will catch de fellah!”
Jackass went to Anansi gate an’ lay down fawn dead with his belly swell
up. Anansi come down an’ said, “Lawd! dat’s a lot me bwoy meet up
t’-day!” An’ said, “Me wife, bring de big pot an’ de big bowl an’ de
big yabba [37] an’ de big knife!” So when it come, Anansi cut Jack-ass
under the belly, put his han’ t’ru the cut. He full the big pot with
the fat, and the big bowl, an’ shove his han’ now to fill yabba, clear
to his shoulder. Jack-ass hol’ him. He said, “Br’er Jack-ass, me no
t’ink you dead!” [38] an’ said, “A little fun me mak wid you, no mean
i’!” Jack-ass say, “Fun or no fun, come we go!” an’ Jack-ass get up,
gallop straight to the children yard. An’ they make up a big fire an’
put Anansi in an’ bu’n him an’ bu’n him till him belly burst!