—A horse named Honey.
214. Twelve pear hanging high,
Twelve men passing by;
Each pick a pear,
How many pear remain? [136]
—Eleven; the man’s name is Each.
215. A man without eyes
Went out to view the skies;
He saw a tree with apples on,
He neither took apples off nor left apples on. [137]
—A one-eyed man; two apples on the tree.
216. I was going up Hampton lane, I met a man have seven wives; the
seven wives have seven sacks, the seven sacks have seven kits, how many
were there going to Hampton? [138]
—Only one—I.
217. A duck before a duck, a duck after a duck, a duck in the midst of
two ducks. How many ducks was going along?
—Three.
218. I was travelling and six ducks flying, one before the five; and I
took up my gun and I shoot one of the ducks and drop on the ground.
Guess how many ducks remain? [139]
—None; the rest fly away.
219. A parson and his daughter, a doctor and his wife; and there is
three apples to share among them. How will they share it? [140]
—Each takes one; the parson’s daughter is the doctor’s wife.
220. Run, Ricky, run; run up the Ahe river, run; run with a long trail,
run up the Ahe river, run; run, Ricky, run? How many r’s in that?
—No r’s in ‘that’.
221. Mr. Parott was sitting on a tree; some pigeons were flying by. The
pigeon say, “Good morning, Mr. Parrot.” The parrot say, “Good morning,
Mr. Hundred.” The pigeon say, “I’m not ‘hundred’; want twice as much,
half as much, quarter as much, and you, Mr. Parrot, to make a hundred.”
Tell me how many pigeons were flying. [141]
—Thirty-six.
222. I hire laborers for a shilling a day; I get twelve laborers. I
give a man two pence, a woman ha’ penny, a pickney one farthing. How
many of each do I hire?
—Five men, one woman, six pickney.
223. My father gave me a horse to go sell for ten pounds and to eat my
breakfast out of the money and bring home the same ten pounds. How
could I do that?
—Take the shoes off the horse and sell them separately.
224. In a rainy season the Cabrietta overflows a path where a poor
coolie-man and his family had to cross. He then made a dray for
conveying them to and from their work. Dray cannot carry more than 150
lbs. at a time. Coolie-man weighs 150 lbs., wife 150 lbs. and two sons
together 150 lbs. How must they get over.
—Two sons go over; one remains, the other returns. The mother goes
over; boy returns, takes over brother returns. Father goes over;
boy brings over brother. [142]
a) The same story with a fox, goose and bag of corn.
225. My fader got six sheep. He send his son to de pen. ‘My son, go an’
count me six sheep, but you musn’ count me “one, two, t’ree, four,
five, six”. You musn’t count “four an’ two, six”. You musn’t count
“t’ree an’ t’ree, six”. You musn’ count “five an’ one, six”, but count
me my six sheep!
—Dis, dat, de other,
De ewe, de ram, de wether.
226. I gwine to make a dance; I want you there. You mus’n’t come a day,
you mus’n’t come a night, you mus’n’t ride a horse, you mus’n’t ride a
mule, you mus’n’t ride a jackass. An’ if you come, you mus’n’t come
into me house an’ you mus’n’t stay outside. [143]
—You must come riding a cow, between day and night; and when you
come, stand on the threshold, neither in nor out.
227. Under the earth I stand,
Silver and gold was my tread.
I rode a t’ing that never was born,
And a bit of the dam I hold in me han’. [144]
a) On green grass I stand
On gravel I stand,
I ride a colt that was never in foal,
And I beat up the mother old dum-skin in me hand.
b) Under de eart’ I go,
Plant trash I stan’;
I ride a t’ing that never was born
Wid an ole be damn in me han’.
228. Little Miss Netticoat with her white petticoat,
She has neither feet nor hands;
The longer she grows the shorter she stands. [145]
—Candle.
a) Miss Nancy sits around de door;
The longer him stan’ deh, de shorter him grow.
229. Hoddie Doddie with a round black body
Three legs and a wooden hat—What’s that? [146]
—Cooking-pot.
230. Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall,
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall;
And all the king’s horses and all the king’s men
Couldn’t put Humpty Dumpty together again. [147]
—Egg.
231. Round as a marble, deep as a cup;
Ten men from Jericho can’t lift it up. [148]
—Sink-hole.
232. Handsome protector dressed in green,
Handsome protector sent to the queen. [149]
—Parrot.
233. Under gravel, top o’ gravel;
Tell the devil I’ll travel.
—Water.
234. Tires a horse, worries a man;
Tell me this riddle if you can. [150]
—Saddle.
235. Hitchity, hitchity on the king’s kitchen door;
All the king’s horses and all the king’s men
Could never move Hitchity, hitchity off the king’s kitchen door.
[151]
—Sunshine.
236. Flour from England, fruits from Spain,
All met together in a shower of rain;
Had on a napkin tied with a string,—
If you tell me this riddle, I’ll give you a ring.
—Duckanoo (pudding boiled in a cloth).
237. I was going through a field of wheat,
I picked up something nice to eat;
It was neither feather, flesh nor bone,
But I kept it till it walk alone. [152]
—Egg.
238. In a garden was laden a beautiful maiden
As ever was seen in the morn.
She was made a wife the first day of her life,
And she died before she was born. [153]
—Eve.
239. There was a man of Adam’s race,
He had a certain dwelling-place;
He wasn’t in earth, heaven or hell,—
Tell me where that man did dwell. [154]
—Jonah in the whale’s belly.
240. Formed long ago, yet made to-day,
Employed while others sleep;
What few would like to give away,
Or any like to keep. [155]
—Bed.
241. Legs have I but seldom walk,
I backbite all, but never speak.
—Flea.
242. There was a man of Adam’s race
Who had no legs, no body but waist.
—Ring.
243. When first I appear I seem mysterious,
But when I am explained I am nothing serious.
—Riddle.
244. A curtain drawn as fine as silk,
A marble stone as white as milk;
A thief appear and break them all,
Out start the golden ball. [156]
—Egg.
245. I came from beyond the ocean,
I drink water out of the sea,
I lighten a many a nation,
And give myself to thee.
—Sun.
246. My first is a circle, my second a cross;
If you meet my whole, lock out for a toss. [157]
—O-X.
247. My father send me to market to carry home three-fourths of a
cross, a circle complete, a right angle with two semi-circles meet, a
triangle with a cross, two semi-circles, and circle complete. [158]
—T-O-B-A-C-C-O.
248. Five letters in an invitation spell my name,
Backward and forward it answer the same;
Take away the first letter and the first of humanity race,
Take away the second and the thing that make the water-wheel turn.
Take away the third, and the first of the alphabetical verb.
—Madam, Adam, dam, am.
249. Give a number that isn’t even: cut off the head, you get it even;
cut off the tail, your mother’s name you shall find. [159]
—Seven, even, Eve.
250. What word of one syllable, take away two letters and leave two
syllables? [160]
—Plague, ague.