a. The Baptism.
Margaret Brown, St. Anne’s Bay.
Anansi always has a grudge wid John-crow; he say whenever he make his
nest, de Crow fly on it an’ catch it up an’ he never can make his nest,
so he have a hatred for Crow. He say he was going to married and he was
going to invite no one but Crow. An’ he have a big dinner an’ no one
was at de table but Crow. So after de eat an’ drink done, he said he
was going to have a baptism but he don’t baptize wid not’ing but
boiling water. So after de water’s boiling, he took it off an’ order
Crow to sit round de copper an’ so he dip ev’ry one head into de water,
an’ dat why Crow have bald-head to-day.
b. The Dance.
Henry Spence, Bog, Westmoreland.
Anansi and John Crow had a ball one night, so dey fin’ dinner de night
fe all de dancer. John Crow a great ’tepper, can ’tep better’n Anansi.
So as Anansi fin’ John Crow can dance neater dan him, he get bex. So
after de dinner de pop was hot, so he said to John Crow him mus’ dance
up to de pop. So jus’ to get rid of John Crow de night, he got a ladle
an’ dash on John Crow wid de hot pop right up on de head, an’ all John
Crow head ’trip off. All de John Crow in dis worl’ never have ne feder
upon i’ head heah; Anansi bu’n ’em off wid hot pop.