WITH THE SPIRITS OF THE WOOD
When one morning, not long after the story of Mr. Spider's successful
courting, Sobah felt the hunter instinct strong upon him, he left the
work of the little rice farm to Mammy Mamenah and some pickaninnies,
took his trusted hunting-spear and sought the forest depths. He was a
knowing hunter, artful and sure, and as familiar with the ways of the
denizens of the woods as with the habits of his village neighbors.
But through all the morning hours his skill and cunning proved of
no avail. He sought the well-known haunts of the desired prey, and
lay patiently in wait, or followed a fresh trail, with every faculty
alert. All in vain, for the spirits of the forest seemed in league
against him. Always some unseen presence would give warning of his
approach, or bewitch his aim. Tired out at last, and full of nameless
dread, he threw himself down at the foot of a monkey-apple tree to
think out the mystery. The cough of a deer from a neighboring thicket
seemed to taunt his ill-success. A monkey swung down from a limb over
his head, and chattered threateningly. A heavy body seemed to fall
through the branches of a tree just behind him, and yet, as he turned,
no object falling was visible. Starting up with the cry, "Now debble
dat!" Sobah reached instinctively for the charm he always wore on his
person as a safeguard against danger and an assurance of success. To
his consternation he discovered that it was not in its accustomed
place. The cause of his former ill-luck was now explained. This charm
contained a potent medicine brought from afar, and had been consecrated
as his personal guardian and helper. Greatly wrought up now at finding
himself in this devil-haunted region without a charm so powerful,
he made his way from the woods and to his hut with eager haste. To
his great relief he found the precious little article hanging where
he had carelessly left it. Much reassured when this object of his
superstitious trust was again dangling from his neck, he started out
once more, and in a new direction, bent on retrieving his lost prestige
as a hunter. Sustained by that feeling of confidence which is half
of success in any undertaking, he, keen-eyed and alert, followed the
path along the river. Sagaciously hiding in a covert that overlooked a
little path leading down to the water's edge, he awaited developments.
A little later his quick ear detected the lightest possible step
approaching along the path; then a pair of intelligent eyes peeped
around a tuft of rushes, and soon there appeared the most graceful
little body Nature ever made, incased in a glossy coat of softest
satin, and supported by the daintiest of feet. Even in repose the
little creature suggested the very poetry of motion, and looked as if
the working of a slight spell would transform it wholly into spirit and
let it fly away.
Sobah's heart had been nurtured in savagery, yet it almost stayed the
hand from striking.
"Cunnie Rabbit," he muttered to himself, for so the natives call this
deerlet, "I go get yo' now."
Surely the charm was working, for there the shy creature stood, and
moved not until the well-directed spear from the hunter's hand laid it
low.
While Sobah was gloating over his prize, a company of men from the
village came along. After effusive congratulations, they tied Cunnie
Rabbit upon a pole, covered the body with a white cloth, and eight men
took up the burden and staggered along toward the village with it, as
if the load were all they could possibly carry. "Eight man tote um,"
Mamenah explained later to the inquisitive Konah, "dem duh make as ef
he heaby. Dey say he nar (is) king of de beas' fo' wise oh; not fo'
stout, but fo' sense."
The stew that accompanied the usual boiled rice at that evening meal,
was delicious enough to please a more fastidious palate.
With appetite richly satisfied for once, and in great good humor with
himself and the world, Sobah was in a more genial mood than usual,
when, later, a company of neighbors gathered around him. They had just
come in from their little farms, and, remembering similar occasions,
and knowing that if the hunter had been successful in the chase, his
tongue would be "sweet" for story-telling, each man carried on his
back a bundle of wood. Throwing it in a heap suggestive of a fire, they
remarked: "Lookee de wood fo' de fiah," thus making a covert request
for a story, and paying the story-teller a delicate compliment. Sobah
felt the beauty of this indirect appeal, and was much pleased by it,
but there was no need for haste, so he allowed the talk to run on
various topics before he made a formal response to the desire of his
friends.
All chatted freely of the experiences of the day. A bit of war news
from "up country" had drifted in, and was heard with relish. Most of
all the behavior of the various animals Sobah had met that day, and the
supposed connection between the little charm and that behavior, held
awed attention. Out of this talk concerning the human-like actions of
certain animals, grew, naturally, references to the animals that appear
with human attributes in the many fireside tales so dear to the hearts
of the people.
Sobah was recognized as the story-teller of the village, and so when
mention was made of the deer that coughed, Oleemah proposed that Sobah
should tell them the story of how the deer acquired such a habit,
adding diplomatically, "Yo' pass we all fo' pull story good fashion."
The story-teller was already in a gracious frame of mind, and, pleased
with this last tribute to his art, lost no time in responding with a
legend of Creation's early dawn.
GORO, THE WONDERFUL WRESTLER.
"One tem all dem beef (animals) dey gadder to one place, all dem beef
dis wuld, but de head of dem all, dat now one ooman en he pickin
(pickaninny). De pickin name Goro. One net big rain fa' down, he out
all de fiah. Now de mawnin' cole, all dem beef dey trimble, dey cole
too much. No fiah no deh fo' make demse'f wa'm. Dey see one leelee
place deh wey smoke duh come out. Dey sen' Deer, dem say:
"'Go bring fiah fo' we, over yandah to dat place.'
"Deer go, he meet de ooman en he pickin wey duh sit down close de fiah.
Dey try wa'm demse'f by de fiah. W'en Deer reach he tell de ooman
'Mawnin'; he say: "I come beg fiah."
"De ooman say, 'I nebber greedy (begrudge) pusson fiah, but I get one
law heah. Pusson wey wan' fiah mus' fet (fight) wid me pickin, mus'
beat um. Yo' see de leelee girl? One place outside dah do', he nar (is)
de fet place, he rub, he smooth. Go fet me pickin; ef yo' beat um yo'
take de fiah.'
"De Deer he look de pickin foolish nah heen[7] yi, he say:
"'Mammy, yo' wan' make I kill yo' pickin?'
[7] "Heen" refers to Deer. The proposal to wrestle with the little
child appeared foolish in the Deer's estimation.
"De ooman say: 'Nebber min', kill um, de fault not yo' yown.'
"Deer say: 'All ret.'
"De pickin come, dey two grip, dey begin fo' fet, de ooman begin fo'
sing; he duh sing fo' he pickin, he no duh sing fo' de Deer. He sing:
"'Goro, Goro,
Fet like how yo' bin fet ebery day,
Tay (until) all de groun' duh shake.'"
As if in sympathy with the rhythm of the song, Sobah's whole body began
to sway back and forth, his voice rose and fell in musical cadences,
and his hands began to clap in time to the movement of the song.
All the listeners took up the rhythmic swaying of the body and the
measured clapping of the hands, and as soon as they caught the words,
joined heartily in the chant. Not satisfied with the first result,
Sobah led off with a repetition. This time there was no occasion for
dissatisfaction, and the story proceeded with increasing animation.
[Illustration: The Deer after fighting with Goro.
[_See p. 56._]
]
"Goro fet, he fet. He hase (raised) de Deer up; de Deer go take one
yeah up befo' he come down. W'en he fa' down he get cough. Some tem ef
yo' deh nah (in) bush en Deer cough, yo' go say, 'Nar (is) pusson.'"
"Dat nar true," broke in Dogbah eagerly, a spark of understanding
falling on his dull mind. "Mese'f bin hearee um cough to-day nah bush.
Dah fa' wey he bin fa' long tem make he cough so," and he shook with
laughter, as if Mr. Deer's hard fall were highly amusing.
Sobah, taking up the interrupted thread of the narrative, said: "Well,
Deer go home widout no fiah."
"Elephan' he say: 'I go go, I jus' wrap me mout' 'pon dis girl I twis'
um, I hase (raise) um up, I wop um down, I take de fiah.' Well he begin
root dem big, big 'tick wid he teet' fo' show how he 'trong; he say:
'Nar _so_ I go meet de girl.'
"Well, w'en Elephan' go, he tell de ooman how do, he meet de fiah, he
wan' take um. De ooman say: 'All ret,' he say: 'Look me pickin. Go
fet.' De pickin begin, de ooman sing de same sing w'en dey grip fo' fet.
"'Goro, Goro,
Fet lek how yo' bin fet ebery day,
Tay all de groun' duh shake.'"
This time the apt imitators caught up the refrain at once, and gave
it with great zest. "Soon," continued Sobah, after a momentary pause,
"de girl he hase de Elephan' up, he sen' um up; but since de Elephan'
stout he no able, he jus' sen' um up as far as one week. De one week
finish, de Elephan' come down. W'en he fa' down 'pon de groun' he hurt
he teet', en he teet' swell. Dat make Elephan' he teeth big."
At this point Sobah struck an attitude suggestive of the Elephant's
state of general dilapidation. His face took on a look of mingled
pain and disgust, and this in turn was succeeded by a smile of
self-approbation, and ended in a peculiar chuckling laugh that carried
infectious mirth to all the circle of listeners.
[Illustration: The Elephant after the fight with the Goro.
[_See p. 59._]
]
Settling back once more to his usual air of serious dignity, Sobah
continued his recital.
"Elephan' he go back, he no kare any fiah.
"Well, Lepped come, he tell de ooman say: 'I come fo' fiah.'
"De ooman say, 'All ret,' he say, 'Look me pickin, he go fet yo.'
"Dey begin fo' fet, Goro en Lepped. Dey fet en fet. De girl he hase
(raise) de Lepped up; he sen' um, he go, he take t'ree mont'; he come
down, he fa' down 'pon 'tone, he cut hese'f, de blood sprinkle all 'pon
um. Dat make de Lepped he spot, spot."
This explanation of the Leopard's spots, seemed reasonable enough to
these simple-minded people, who ask only that some cause out of the
ordinary should account for ordinary things. Dogbah was about to offer
a comment again, but before his slow wits could formulate his words,
the story-teller had plunged into the next sentence.
"De Lepped he go widout no fiah. De beef, w'en dey see um, dey say:
"'Eh! We no get no fiah to-day.'
"Now Puss he get up, he say: 'I go go.'
"Dem beef dey laugh um, dey say: 'All ret.' Dey say: 'Yo' see all dem
big beef? Dey go, dey no able fo' bring fiah. Yo' say yo' duh go? All
ret, go try.'
"De Cat he go, he say: 'Mammy, I come fo' fiah.'
"De ooman say: 'All ret, go try wid me pickin.'
"De Cat go, de ooman begin fo' sing. De girl he jus' take de Cat wid
one han', he hebe (raise) um up, he go take one yeah en ha'f befo' he
come down. He fa' hard, he begin fo' cry 'Meouw! meouw!' Dat make Puss
duh cry anytem, net or day tem he duh cry. He go home widout no fiah.
"Now Spider go, he say, 'Mammy, I come fo' fiah.'
"De ooman say: 'All ret, oonah (you) go fet wid me pickin.' De ooman he
no even se'f sing. Dah girl take Spider wid one fingah, he hebe (raise)
um up fo' two yeah."
A murmur of dissent caused the story-teller to pause and cast a look
of inquiry around the company. It was evident that the ardent admirers
of crafty little Mr. Spider could not bear to have him disposed of so
easily. But Sobah checked the rising protest by a commanding gesture,
and a look that seemed to say: "I am sorry, but I must tell the story
just as it is." When the silence assured him of a hearing, he continued.
"W'en Spider come he fa' down, he broke he foot. Dat make Spider duh
crawl now; dat make he walker wid four foot, sometem six. Long tem[8]
he walker wid two foot 'traight lek pusson. Spider go home widout no
fiah.
[8] "Long tem" is usually, as in this case, the equivalent of a long
time ago. The remote past, rather than duration, is intended.
"Cunnie Rabbit he go, he say: 'Mammy, I come fo' fiah.'
"De ooman say: 'All ret, go to dah pickin, fet wid um.'
"W'en dey fet, de girl come hebe (raise) um up, he take six mont.' De
t'ing wey make he no go far, he get too much sense."
This was uttered with peculiar emphasis, and was answered by a
prolonged "Y-a-h-oh; y-a-h-oh!" of assent that indicated a keen
appreciation of Cunnie Rabbit's superior mental qualities. The next
sentence was almost equally satisfactory, and regained for the story
what favor it had lost by the humiliation of Mr. Spider.
"W'en Cunnie Rabbit come down he fa' down, he get up one tem (at once),
he begin fo' run, he _run_. Dat make tay (until) to-day he hard fo'
ketch. He kin run fas' pass all dem beef.
"All de odder beef duh go, dey no able fo' beat de pickin. Conk (snail)
he get up, he go, he walker 'bout slow, slow. W'en he tell dem beef: 'I
go go fo' fiah,' Cunnie Rabbit take um en hebe (threw) um nah (out) de
do'. He fa' down, he hurt hese'f, he get blood 'pon um. De blood mark,
mark um, but he say: 'Nebber min', I go go.'
[Illustration: De Conk.]
"He go, he tell de ooman, 'How do;' he say, 'Mammy I come fo' fiah, en
I mus' kare dis fiah go home.'
"De ooman say: 'All ret; look de place wey fo' fet wid me pickin.
"De Conk do lek he duh walk 'roun de place slow, slow; but he duh get
slipple (slippery) spit, he duh rub all de place. W'en he done finis'
fo' rub, he say: 'Come fet now.'
"De girl come, he duh boas', he no know de cunnie wey de Conk bin pull
fo' beat um. Den grip fo' fet, he en de Conk. De Conk he hase (raise)
de girl up, he go fo' five yeah. De ooman no see he pickin, he duh cry.
Conk take de fiah, he go home. Dey cook, dey yeat, dey gladee. Dey done
finis' fo' cook en yeat befo' de girl fa' down. W'en de ooman see how
de Conk hebe (raise) he pickin up, he begin fo' cry. Nar (It is) de
ooman bring cry nah (into) de wuld.
"Story come, story go."
This well-known form of ending was followed by a long silence. The
night was already far advanced, but the black man is a creature of the
night. Deeper than the color of his skin lies his kinship with the
darkness, however much he may dread the powers of evil that creep forth
as soon as the day is gone.
At last the silence was broken by Gondomah, a man of modest bearing,
who, though seldom essaying the rôle of a story-teller, could not yet
be reconciled to the place assigned to Spider in the last story. Half
to himself he said: "Spider nar smart man, nobody no go pass um."
Then, emboldened by the sound of his own voice, and by the encouraging
silence, he proceeded in the fewest possible words to relate how.
MR. SPIDER SOLD A VERY FINE DOG.
"One tem Spider say he go go far up country fo' buy plenty cow. Early
mawnin', fus' fowl crow, he grap (got up), he walker tay (until) de
sun middle de sky. He done tire. W'en he reach to one big, _big_
grass-fiel' he go lay down. He close to one lion, but he no know. Dey
all two, dey duh sleep. Well, soon de Foulah people dey bring plenty
cow wey dem duh kare down fo' go sell. De Foulah people dey no sabbee
lion, dey nebber see um yet. W'en dey meet dis lion heah de one man say:
"'Eh, lookee! Wey t'ing dat?'
"Odder one say: 'He big dog, aintee?'
"Den 'tan' up wid wonder. Dey no see Spider fo' long tem, because he
leelee so. W'en dey fus' meet up nah grass-fiel' Spider bin hearee um,
he come out heen sleep. He hearee how dey say dat de lion one big dog.
W'en he look de plenty cow he t'ink: 'How I go do fo' get dem cow? I
mus' get um.'
"He grap (got up), he tell dem Foulah man 'How do.' Dey answer um
'tankee.' Dey ax um say:
"'Daddy, now dis dog heah, yo' get um?'
[Illustration: Mr. Spider sells a very fine dog.
[_See p. 66._]
]
"Spider say: 'Yes, nar me yown dog dat.'
"De Foulah man wan' fo' buy um, dey talk de palaver, dey bargain fo'
gie um all de cow fo' buy dis dog. Spider say: 'All ret, but no wake
dis dog yeah, oh! because he done use me too much.[9] Bimeby w'en yo'
wake um, he go follow me, he no 'gree fo' follow oonah (you). W'en I
done go far 'way, den oonah mus' wake um.'"
[9] "Done use me too much," _i.e._ He is too accustomed to me.
By this time Gondomah was warming to his theme, and surprised even
himself with his unwonted eloquence. The listeners, ever ready to see a
rich point, had for some time been quivering with intense appreciation
of Spider's rascally shrewdness, and just here gave expression to
their delight in a fit of uncontrollable laughter, and exclamations of
approval.
Gondomah, elated beyond measure, paused long enough to regain his
composure, and then went on.
"So den people dey gie Spider all de cow. Dey wait tay (until) he done
get far 'way, dey begin fo' call de dog. Jus' de Lion wake he open he
yi, he 'tretch hese'f, he raise he tail, take um put um 'pon he back.
He jus' grip one of de Foulah people, he kill um; de odder all run go.
Spider he done get de cow.
"So ef Spider tell yo' say he go do anyt'ing, no deny.[10]
[10] "No deny," _i.e._ Do not doubt his ability.
Sobah, a little jealous of the attention that had been paid to this
upstart story-teller, had been searching in the vast storehouse of
his memory for a fitting tale with which to bring himself again into
favorable notice. The one which came to his mind caused a broad smile
to spread over his face, and a chuckle of satisfaction to rise in his
throat. Oleemah, noticing these signs of pleasure, and suspecting that
they foreshadowed a good story, asked encouragingly:
"Wey t'ing make yo' gladee so? Do, yah? tell we."
Not needing further urging, Sobah launched into his narrative with much
animation.
MR. TURTLE MAKES A RIDING-HORSE OF MR. LEOPARD.
"One day Trorkey (Turtle) bin walker close to Lepped he ho'se (house),
en he see de ooman lepped 'tan' up nah de do'-(door) mout'. He tell um
say:
"'How do, Mammy? How yo' kin 'tan'?'
"De Mammy answer um: 'Tankee, I well leelee bit, how yo'se'f, Daddy? I
no bin see yo' long tem.'
"Trorkey answer um: 'I no so well, Mammy; dis de hour w'en feber duh
walker all 'bout, en me skin all duh hurt. I duh go to de bush fo' pull
med'cin', fo' make leelee tea. Which side Mr. Lepped to-day?'
"He wef answer: 'He done go walker; I duh wait um jus' now. Yo' no bin
see um nah road?'
"Trorkey say: 'No, I no bin see um. I sorry he done go, because ef he
here I go ride um lek hoss.'
"Lepped he wef deny, he say:
"'No, yo' won' do um, yo' no go able ride me man lek hoss.'
"Den Trorkey go home. W'en Lepped come nah ho'se he wef tell um say:
"'Trorkey bin pass heah to-day, he say he go ride yo' lek hoss.'
"Well, den de man lepped vex, he run go to Trorkey, he go ax um ef he
bin say he go ride um lek hoss. Trorkey deny, he say:
"'I no say so.'
"Den Lepped say: 'All ret. Come, we go ax me wef.'
"Den de Trorkey say: 'I no able fo' walk. De sick too 'trong 'pon me.'
"Dat de cunnie he duh do.
"De Lepped say: 'Come, I go tote yo', I go ax me wef.'
"Den de Trorkey say: 'Gie me one leelee rope, make I tie um 'roun yo'
mout', make I hole um, so w'en I duh shake, shake, make I no fa' down.'
"En de Lepped gie um de rope.
"Well, de Trorkey say: 'Gie me one leelee 'tick, make I go flog dem
fly, make I go dribe dem w'en dey duh follow we.'
This bit of apparently artless guile on the part of Mr. Turtle,
threatened to convulse the audience, but interest in the development of
the story had become so intense as to check the rising tide of mirth
for the present, while the story-teller went on with growing enthusiasm.
"Well, de Lepped gie um de 'tick.'
"Den Trorkey he say, 'Come go now.'
"Well, w'en de Lepped done kare Trorkey go, Trorkey duh joomp, he duh
flog de Lepped, he duh make lek pusson wey duh ride hoss.'
[Illustration: Mr. Turtle makes a riding-horse of Mr. Leopard.
[_See p. 72._]
]
Sobah described this little episode with inimitable drollery in tone
and manner, and ended the 'wey duh ride hoss', with a peculiar nasal
explosion that served to emphasize the humor of the situation. The
result was instantaneous, and convulsive laughter continued many
minutes, breaking out afresh every time anyone would remark: 'Aintee he
flog um good fashion?' When the laughter had subsided sufficiently, the
story proceeded:
"W'en dey go meet Lepped he wef nah road, de ooman laugh en say:
"'Oh! Nar true wey dis Trorkey bin talk, say he go ride me man lek
hoss, so nar true.'
"W'en Lepped reach, he hebe Trorkey down, den he tell he wef, he say:
"I done bring Trorkey come, fo' de word he duh talk, say he go ride me
lek hoss.'
"He wef say: 'Wey t'ing Trorkey do so? He no ride yo' lek hoss'? en de
ooman laugh agin.
"Now Lepped see Trorkey bin make he fool; he ketch Trorkey, he tie um
'pon one big 'tick, he flog um sotay (until) he back all cut, cut. Dat
make sotay to-day de mark all lef 'pon Trorkey he back."
There was more laughter at the retribution that overtook Mr. Turtle,
and then the talk drifted to personal matters.
Finally, as if led by some common impulse, the company began to
disperse, some to the solid comfort of a hard mud bed, and some to
consort with the hideous spirits of darkness and the night.