Simeon Falconer, Santa Cruz Mountains.
A man owe another one five pounds, and the other called in and asked
the son who was at home, “Where is your father?”—“Me father gone to
break a new fence to mend a rotten one.”—“Where is your mother?”—“Me
mother gone to the market to sell sweet to buy sweet.”—“Where is your
older brother?”—“Gone to sea to catch what in catching will kill and
what him don’ catch will carry home alive.”—“Where is your sister?”—“Me
sister in the house weeping over what she was rejoicing about last
year.”—“What are you doing?”—“Taking hot bricks out of oven.”—“Now, me
good boy, you give me some hard puzzle. If you tell me the meaning I’ll
give you five pounds.”—“When I tell you me father gone to break a new
fence to mend an old one, mean to say me father owe you five pound and
gone to borrow five pound to pay you. When I tell you me mother gone to
the market to sell sweet to buy sweet, gone to sell honey to buy sugar.
When I said me brother gone to the sea to catch what in catching he
kill and what him don’ catch him bring home alive, I mean to say he
goes to bed and he will catch the lice from his head and kill them;
what he don’ catch he mus’ carry back in the head. When I said me
sister was in the house weeping over what she was rejoicing over last
year, she was rejoicing last year in getting her baby; she is weeping
over it now because it is dying. When I tell you I’m taking hot bricks
out of oven, I am pulling chiggers out of me feet.”—“Now all your
puzzles are put through, you are worthy of the five pounds.”—“Please
settle me father’s debt, then.” So he make a receipt and give his
father five pounds.