a. The Rescue. (1)
Richard Morgan, Santa Cruz Mountains.
Der is a woman to court. Every man come to court her, she said she don’
want him, till one day she saw a coal-black man, pretty man. ’he said,
“O mudder, dis is my courtier!” She tek de man. Breakfas’ an’ dinner de
man don’ eat, only suck couple raw egg. So her got a brudder name of
Collin. She didn’t count de brudder. De brudder tell her, said,
“Sister, dat man you gwine to marry to, it is a snake.” She said, “Boy,
you eber hear snake kyan tu’n a man?” Collin said, “All right! De day
you are married, me wi’ be in de bush shootin’ me bird.”
So de weddin’ day when de marry ober, de man took his wife, all his
weddin’ garment, he borrow everyt’ing; so him gwine home, everywhere
him go all doze t’ing him borrow, him shed dem off one by one till de
las’ house he tek off de las’ piece an’,—de Bogie! He walk wid his wife
into de wood an’ to a cave. He put down his wife to sit down. He tu’n a
yellow snake an’ sit down in his wife lap an’ have his head p’int to
her nose to suck her blood to kill her. An de woman sing,
“Collin now, Collin now,
Fe me li’l brudder callin’ come o!”
De Snake said,
“Um hum, hum he,
A han’some man you want,
A han’some man wi’ kill you.”
De woman sing again,
“Collin now, Collin now,
Fe me li’l brudder callin’ come o!”
De Snake say,
“Um hum, hum he,
Deh han’some man,
Deh han’some man wi’ kill you.”
Collin said, “Wonder who singin’ me name in dis middle wood?” an’ he
walk fas’ wid his gun. When he come to de cave, de snake-head jus’
gwine to touch de woman nose. An’ Collin shoot him wid de gun an’ tek
out his sister. So she never count her brudder till her brudder save
her life.
a. The Rescue (2).
Matilda Hall, Harmony Hall, Cock-pit country.
A woman got one daughter that mother and father had, a very loving
daughter to them. So draw up to womanhood, a young man come for her;
she don’t like. Another young man come; she don’t like. An’ a nice
young man come one day to the yard, an’ when that one come she was well
pleased with him, say, “That is my beloved! me like him well!” An’ that
time was a Yellow Snake jes’ come fe her now.
So them well pleased of it, father an’ mother, an’ them marry, Snake
an’ daughter. An’ when the wedding-day come, everything was well finish
until getting home now at the husband house in a wil’ wood. An’ when he
got half way, begun to drop the clo’es now that he wear, drop him
trousers, drop him shirt, an’ jacket, an’ going into one hole an’ long
out his head. An’ he lay hol’ of the leg of his wife an’ he swallow to
the hip an’ he couldn’t go further. Yellow Snake begin to sing,
“Worra worra, me wi’ swallow yo’,
Worra worra, me wi’ swallow yo’,
Swallow yo’ till yo’ mamma kyan’ fin’ yo’!”
So the girl sang now,
“I’m calling fe me hunter-man brother,
Harry, Tom an’ John!
I’m calling fe me hunter-man brother,
Harry, Tom an’ John!
Yellow Snake a wi’ swallow me,
So me mamma kyan’ fin’ me!”
The brothers were hunter-men, heard her crying and run to see what it
was. And they killed the Snake and took away the sister and said,
“Well, you will have it! Pick an’ choose isn’t good. You wasn’t pick
an’ choose, you wouldn’t marry to Yellow Snake that was going to kill
you now.”
b. Snake Swallows the Bride.
William Forbes, Dry River, Cock-pit country.
A lady had one daughter. All de young men come co’tin’, she didn’t like
none. Till Snake tu’n a man, come in wid epaulette, everyt’ing, well
dress up, an’ he ax fe de girl fe marry. Say, “You is de man I want!”
An’ give up ’hem daughter to dat man de said night. Very well, middle
of de night de girl was singing in de bed,
“Me me me me!”
Snake go,
“Um um do, kom go yeng!”
Me, me, me, me, kom go yeng, me, me, me, me, me, kom go yeng,
me, me, me, me, me, kom go yeng.