a. The Bull turned Courter.
George Barret, Maroon Town, Cock-pit country.
Deh is an ol’ man live into a big large city an’ ev’ry day he go out
an’ shoot some cow. Ev’ry time he go out an’ see dem come to de pond
drink water, he shoot one. An’ when de rest mek a’ter him to come an’
kill him, he say “Chee!” an’ he tu’n a stone; an’ dey come an’ couldn’t
see him an’ dey have to leave him. An’ he tek up dat one, cut it up an’
carry to his house. When dat done, he come again, an’ dey come drink
water until de las’ one come out, an’ he shoot him. An’ ev’ry day
continually de one t’ing.
So he leave one bull, an’ go a’ter de bull many days an’ couldn’t
overtake him. An’ dat ol’ man get dead an’ leave his wife an’ one
daughter, big woman now. Den de bull change himself into a man. He go
to de tailor an’ mek him a suit of clo’es an’ a pair o’ boot to put on,
an’ was comin’ soon in de mo’nin’ about ten o’clock. An’ de daughter
say, “Well, since I live here, deh is not a man come here yet an’ dat
is me husban’!” An’ on de day he come, say, don’ eat beef, anyt’ing
else gi’ it to him he wi’ eat. Den ’he begin to tell him say, “When me
fader go to de pond-side an’ shoot a cow, he say ‘Chee!’ an’ tu’n a
stone.” De mudder in a dif’rent room say, “De firs’ time you get a
husban’ you tell him all yo’ belly-word? Save somet’ing!”
Nex’ day dem gwine away. Den de young woman walk wid him t’ru de common
till him ketch de place whe’ him hide him skin; den he say, “You sit
down an’ wait a while.” Den, she sit down dis way, an’ hear a stick
broke, an’ when she tu’n round so, see de bull was comin’ on upon him.
Den him buck him, an’ say “Chee!” an’ tu’n dry trash. He ’crape up all
de trash an’ mash dem up to lint. Dat time de girl say “Chee!” an’ she
tu’n a tree. He buck de tree, ’crape off all de bark. Girl say “Chee!”
an’ tu’n a needle fasten at de tail; when him going away swinging tail,
him drop ’pon a leaf. When see him gone to a distance, him say “Chee!”
an’ tu’n de same somebody again. An’ run to him house, holla “Mamma,
open do’!” De ma say, “Wha’ I tell you? Save somet’ing! De firs’ day
you get a husban’, you tell all yo’ belly-word.”
b. The Cow turned Woman.
Elizabeth Hilton, Harmony Hall, Cock-pit country.
One time a woman have one single child,—a boy. An’ choose out a hunter.
Mother fret an’ cry a good deal an’ say not a good trade, he might get
dead in the bush. Sometime, go ’way for two or three months an’ don’
return, and where he shooting, only wild cow is there. The cow is so
cross he has to turn stick an’ stone to live amongst the cow.
One day when he go shooting, he see a beautiful young lady—one of the
cow turn a beautiful young lady. An’ he married her an’ carried her
home. When he go a-bed a’ night his wife say, “How you live among those
wil’ cow an’ they never kill you, an’ no other hunter ever could return
home?” Said, “Me love, when the cow come to buck me, I turn a piece of
stick, an’ they buck me all the same, I turn a rock,—I turn all
different things.” An’ the mother call to him an’ say, “Hi, me son! you
jus’ married to a ’trange woman, you tell him all you secrets? Tell
some, lef’ some!” Only one thing that he didn’t tell,—that when he turn
something, he fasten at the cow tail an’ the cow couldn’t buck him. An’
the girl turn a cow, go back in cow country; an’ the nex’ time he go
back in bush, all the cow buck him no matter what he turn an’ the only
way he escape, he fasten at the cow tail.