WHILE THE BIRDS DID NOT COME
A few weeks later, near the close of the rainy season, Konah and her
mother were at the farm, guarding the ripening rice from the ravages
of birds and other marauders. Two look-out towers, each about six feet
high, stood on commanding elevations near each end of the field. From
the tops of these towers the women kept watch, frightening away the
birds with stones, and slings, and metal rattles. It was now early
afternoon, and the birds were taking a rest until time for their
evening repast. Konah's longing for companionship led her to abandon
her tower, and go over to the one occupied by her mother, who must have
sympathized with the child's feelings, for she did not scold, or drive
her back to the neglected duty, but allowed her to settle down and
indulge her propensity for dreaming.
Konah's natural love for the magical, marvellous and romantic, had been
intensified by the experiences of the preceding weeks and months, until
it had become a controlling passion, so, thinking this a favorable
opportunity, she teased her mother for stories, until that good-natured
soul was forced to comply.
The first story was all the more pleasing to the girl because it
related to her prime favorites, Mr. Spider and Cunning Rabbit. In her
own peculiar crooning tone, Mammy Mamenah told her tale.
MR. SPIDER SECURES A POWERFUL WITCH MEDICINE.
"Well, Spider bin to heen facki (village), he en Cunnie Rabbit. One
day dey go to Freetown. Spider buy gun en powder. Well, dah tem all
dem beef dey no know 'bout gun en powder. Dey all bin lib nah town lek
pusson; dey lib inside ho'se, all beef (animals) get heen (their) yown.
Den ho'se wey dey get, den plenty. Well, w'en Spider come nah evenin'
tem, he holler loud, he say he get witch med'cin' fo kill dem people
wey get witch. He say: 'Nobody fo' come out all dis net, because de
med'cin' go walk all 'bout dis town', he say: 'I no bizzen, oh, ef he
go kill anybody.'[60]
[60] 'It will not be my fault if anybody is killed.'
"All dem people den 'gree, den say: 'Oh, Daddy, make dat t'ing wey
yo' talk true, make de witch people finis' nah dis town, because dey
plenty, oh!'
"So Spider, w'en net come, he load he gun, he ram um. W'en all de
town silence he come out, he bootoo (crouched) nah Deer he do'-mout',
because Deer he stupid pass (beyond) all beef. Spider done ready wid
he gun. Well, Deer open de do' fo' come outside, Spider shoot he gun,
'b-o-o-m!' De noise he loud; Deer fa' down, he done die. Spider he run,
he go inside ho'se, he lock de do', he holler, he say:
"'Hay-ee, hay-ee! Oonah (you) see wey I bin tell yo' 'bout de witch wey
bin inside dis town? Mr. Deer hese'f get witch.'
"W'en de beef all hearee de big, big noise, dey t'ink say dis med'cin'
wey Spider bring duh fet wid witch. Den say: 'How Spider bin know? He
deh inside ho'se, he do' lock; dah med'cin' get power fo' true, make he
kare 'way dem witch all.'
[Illustration: Mr. Spider secures a powerful Witch Medicine.
[_See p. 282._]
]
"Spider go tote (carry) him big, big beef, wey he kill, he kare um go
nah ho'se, he cook um. De pot--de pusson wey bin lie, he say he big lek
dis town Rotifunk, but me wey nebber lie, I put leelee salt make he
sweet, I say he big lek Freetown, Temne country, Mende country. Spider
he cook all de beef. He, he wef en he pickin yeat um all de same net.
De nex' net Spider come out agin, he go to Mr. Elephan', he go watch
to de do' wid he gun; he put two-tem as much inside he gun as wey he
bin put yesterday. Aintee yo' know Elephan' big?
"So w'en Elephan' jus' peep, he wan' fo' come out, now Mr. Spider he
lay um, he shoot, gbe-gbe-e-n!! Elephan' fa' down, he done die. Spider
he run go inside ho'se, he holler agin, he say de same word lek how he
bin say 'bout Mr. Deer. He take de beef, he go cook um. Fo' two day,
to-morrow en nex' to-morrow, nobody no hear any witch, oh! because
Elephan' he big. Now dis bin hangry tem, so make Spider pull dis cunnie
'bout witch. He go nex' tem to Mr. Lepped, he say:
"'Dah fat fellay!'(Because he kin yeat plenty animal, he rich, he skin
full plenty palm-ile.[61]) 'Dah fellay deh, I go kare um to-morrow.'
[61] "Palm-ile" is the general term meaning fat or oil of any kind.
"He go sit down close Lepped he do'-mout', he cock he gun, he ready.
W'en Lepped go come out nah net, Spider lay um, he shoot um de same, he
run go nah ho'se, he talk de same word lek befo'. So Spider do sot-a-y
(till) dem beef dey lef few, no mo'. Well, so he bin kill dem beef
ebery net, ebery net. One mawnin' he go to de fa'm. Mr. Cunnie Rabbit
come now, he see dat Spider he absen', so he go inside he ho'se, he
say: 'Make I go see de med'cin' wey Spider get fo' kill all we people;'
he _say_, 'Nar witch pusson he duh kill.' He peep, he see gun, he look
one side, he see bag hang wid powder inside, en all t'ing, he kare um
go home to he yown ho'se.
"W'en Spider come home, he look, he no see anyt'ing, he say: 'Ah,
m-o-nay! Mese'f done los'.'
"Evenin' tem Spider lay down, but he no able fo' sleep. He grap (get
up), he go open de do', he run out. Well, Cunnie Rabbit done ready
fo' shoot, but too much eagerness, he miss Spider; de gun shoot odder
way. Spider holler, he say: 'What pusson shoot deh so?' Cunnie Rabbit
answer, he say:
"'Yo' say yo' duh drive 'way witch, en behole yo' bin shoot all we
people.'
"Spider say: 'Ah, shut mout' one tem! Make we be one word, we two be
cumpin (companions).' So de Cunnie Rabbit he 'gree.
"W'en dem beef dey see de witch med'cin' wan' fo' kill dem all, dey
all scatter, go nah bush. So Spider make dem beef no duh lib nah town,
dey all duh scatter nah bush tay to-day."
This story only whetted Konah's appetite, and so she insisted on
hearing another one at once.
"Ah, yo' humbug too much," protested Mamenah, but at the same time she
began to search her memory for another story. Finally she said: "Well,
I tell yo' 'bout Spider en de ole ooman."
MR. SPIDER GETS INTO TROUBLE AGAIN.
"One ole ooman get one sheep. Because dis ooman ole, he no able fo'
walker, so he say he go gie de sheep to any pusson wey go tote (carry)
um. So de news go all 'roun de country. People come, dey look de ooman
good fashion, but de heart no gie dem fo' take de wuk. So w'en Spider
hear dat, he go to de place, he ax de ooman fo' de wuk. De ooman he
tell um all t'ing, en Spider he 'gree fo' take de job. He take de sheep
f'om de ooman, he kill um, he yeat um, he say he go tote (carry) de
ooman any way wey de ooman wan' fo' go. But Spider he no know say
dat sometem de ooman he han' long, sometem he short, same way wid he
foot. He able fo' make dem any way wey he lek. W'en he han' long good
fashion, he 'tan' lek one ole palm-tree fo' long; same way wid he foot.
So w'en Spider done kill dis sheep, w'en he done yeat um, de ooman tell
um say:
"'I wan' fo' go nah one odder town, make yo' come tote me.'
[Illustration: Mr. Spider gets into Trouble again.
[_See p. 287._]
]
"W'en Spider hase (raise) de ooman, put um 'pon he back, de ooman make
all he han' en he foot long, he wrap Spider two, t'ree tem, four tem.
Spider no know how fo' do agin, en he no able fo' run 'way; de ooman
done hole um so he no able fo' lef um. But Spider he cunnie, he nebber
lef nah (in) trouble. W'en dey done go far nah road, he ax de ooman, he
say:
"'Wey t'ing yo' 'fraid pass (beyond) all t'ing dis wuld?'
"De ooman say: 'De t'ing I 'fraid pass all, bin dem Manekky,[62] dem
cut-nose people.'
[62] The Manekky society is a secret organization for murdering the
infirm and the incurable.
"So w'en dey go nah road, w'en he tote de ooman, he hearee den woodcock
wey duh talk: 'Wah, wah, wah!', so he say:
"'Look, Mammy, dem Manekky people duh come.'
"De ooman 'fraid _bad_, he say: 'Kare me go, hide me! Make dem pass
befo' we go.'
"So Spider he lef' de road, he tote de ooman inside de bush, he kare um
bottom one big 'tick (foot of a tree). Now de ooman come down f'om he
back. Spider tell de ooman, say:
"'Make I go look ef dey done pass.'
"So w'en Spider go, he no go to de ooman agin, he jus' laugh de ooman,
he go. He no come agin bottom de 'tick fo' look de ooman.
"W'en 'bout eight moon done pass, Spider en he fren' wey he wan' make
he wef, dey duh walker nah de same road. Spider wan' fo' do trick fo'
make dis girl laugh, he say:
"'Wait me nah road, I go come.'
"So he go to dis place wey he lef' dis ooman; de ooman done die long
tem. W'en he wan' bootoo (stoop over) fo' make he take de ooman he dry
head (skull), fo' make he go scare he fren', de dry head jus' joomp
one tem, he fashin 'pon he nose. Well, he try fo' pull dis dry head
'pon top he nose, but he no able. De girl wey lef' nah road, he call
um t-a-y, but Spider shame fo' come wey de girl kin look um. W'en he
try, try agin long tem fo' pull de dry head, he no able, so he come out
nah de road wid de dry head 'pon top he nose. W'en de ooman see um, he
'fraid bad. F'om dat tem he say he no wan' Spider agin.
"Spider try fo' pull dis t'ing 'pon top he nose, he no wan' kare um
go nah town; he shame, bimeby people go see um, but de dry head too
'trong, Spider mus' kare um go nah town. He go to de blacksmit', en de
blacksmit' go take hot iron, he pull de dry head 'pon top he nose.
"So ef yo' wan' take any wuk f'om pusson, yo' mus' look de pusson
_good_, en make yo' know de wuk wey yo' wan' do, ef yo' able fo' do um.
Bimeby ef yo' begin do de wuk, yo' lefum, yo' wan' do rascal trick, yo'
get trouble lek Spider."
As Mamenah finished the story, a flock of over zealous birds swooped
down upon the rice-field, intent upon securing an early evening meal,
but the woman, keeping a vigilant eye in that direction, started up
with the cry:
"Eh! lookee, see dem bird. Come make we dribe um."
Much shouting, shaking of rattles and hurling of stones soon frightened
away the birds. Mamenah grumbled on for some time about the troublesome
pillagers, but Konah fell to dreaming about Mr. Spider and the
difficulty resulting from the cruel trick he played on the old woman.
There was something uncanny and suggestive of spirits in the way the
skull had behaved. Suddenly, and as if the light of a new truth had
dawned upon her, the child asked:
"Mammy, yo' t'ink say nar true word dey bin talk w'en dey say die
pusson kin walker nah wuld?"
Mamenah looked thoughtfully into the little girl's face before making
any reply. Finally she said:
"Die man kin walker, kin dance, kin do all t'ing lek pusson. Some tem
he kin come, kin go, kin make noise, but no man no able fo' see um."
Konah was deeply interested in a being that could make itself visible
or invisible at pleasure, and accordingly pushed her questions further.
Mamenah, like a wise teacher, chose to answer all by relating a story
in point.
A GHOST STORY.
"One tem one country bin deh. Dem people wey get dis country, dey lek
fo' dance Wongko (Purro devil dance). Well, odder people f'om odder
country kin come dance wid um. Well, dem people wey come out f'om de
odder country fo' dance, dey all get fren' (sweethearts), so w'en dey
wan' fo' go back to den place, den fren' kin follow um leelee way, go
lef den nah road. So dey bin do all de tem. But one ooman bin deh, he
lek he fren' too much.
"One day w'en den 'tranger come dance nah de town, w'en dey go back,
all man (every one) go lef he fren' nah road. W'en dey duh go, one dog
go wid dem nah road. Dey done go leelee far, den some of dem young man,
dem tell den fren' 'Goodbye', dem say:
"'We go meet nex' moon.'
"Some of dem ooman go back, but some tell den fren', say:
"'Any way wey yo' go nah wuld, we all go _go_; ef now yo' die, we all
go die.'
"Well, w'en dey go far agin, dey reach to one big, big valley. Now all
den man dey tell den fren' wey bin say dey go die wid um, dey say:
"'Oonah go back. W'en de nex' moon kin white, we go come agin.'
"So dey all go back. But one no go, he say he mus' follow sotay he
reach dah place wey he fren' bin lib. De dog deh wid de ooman. Dah man
tell de ooman, he say: 'Go back!'
"De ooman say: 'No!'
"De man say: 'I lek yo' too much, lef nah town. W'en I come back I go
come to yo', but no follow me to dah place wey we duh go.'
"Dah ooman say: 'I go _go_!'
"Well, dis ooman no know say dis man nar (is) die pusson, oh! W'en dey
kin get dance nah town, den die pusson all, dey kin come out den grabe
(grave), dey come dance wid dem people, but dem people nebber know
quick fo' say dey bin die pusson. But w'en dey know, dey tell all de
ooman, dey say:
"'W'en pusson come out far country, come dance, oonah no mus' go wid
um; sometem bimeby dey die pusson, yo' no know.'
"Dis girl too, dey bin tell um, say: 'Die pusson kin come out de grabe
fo' dance, so no get fren' wey come out far 'way.'
"But de ooman he get 'tronger yase,[63] en he get dis heah die pusson
fo' fren'.
[63] "'Tronger yase" _i.e._, strong ears, obstinacy.
"W'en dey done go sotay (far) den odder die pusson done los', den gone
to de grabe, but de one man lef'. He en dis girl den go to heen town,
but de ooman no know say dis die man town. W'en dey go, dey reach nah
net, but den jus' meet one ho'se nah de place. Well, de girl see de
place white, no mo', because soso (merely) die pusson wey get white
clo'es bin deh. Well, de man done los' f'om he han', en dis ooman he
dey inside de one ho'se. Den die pusson jus' come curse um, suck teet'
'pon um, no mo', but de ooman done 'fraid, he no get nobody. He see
white clo'es, no mo'; den come suck teet', den los' agin; he hearee
um, he no see pusson. But oonah no know dog get witch yi? He duh see
den die people heah, he begin fo' holler 'pon dem fo' make dem go back.
Well, dis dog yeah he turn pusson, he ax de ooman, he say:
"'Ef I pull yo' f'om dis trouble yeah, ef yo' go home, yo' cook fo' yo'
fren', en I go tief all de ress en de fis'--ef yo' call me _dog_ yo' go
die.'
"He no wan' de girl call um dog, because he done turn pusson.
"De girl 'gree, he say: 'Come go, kare me back.'
"De dog done turn dog agin, so he able fo' holler 'pon dem die pusson.
He 'tan' up befo', w'en dem die pusson come, he holler 'pon dem, en dem
go back. Well, w'en dis girl en dis dog go far nah road, dey no know de
country, den meet one big, big wattah, den no know how fo' cross um, en
de dog say: 'Come, lay down 'pon me back.'
"So de girl lay down, en de dog cross um over dah big, big wattah.
W'en dey done cross de ooman tell de dog 'Tankee, tankee.' Long tem he
tankee um.
"Well, den de dog say: 'I 'gree fo' de tankee, but yo' no mus' call me
name dog, oh! w'en yo' go to de town, oh! but yo' fo' gie me odder
fine name lek pusson.'
"He no wan' turn pusson w'en he reach de town, because de people go ax
de girl: 'Which side de dog done go, wey bin follow yo'?'
"Well, dah dog kare de ooman sotay (till) dey done reach nah home. De
ooman tell he people all dah trouble wey he see, he say:
"'Dah t'ing wey follow we two, so, he sabe (save) me;' but he no call
he name dog. Well, dis girl people kin do dis dog good. No matter fo'
de people ef dey call um dog, but only de girl no mus' call um dog.
Well one day dah ooman cook fine sweet ress fo' he fren', not fo' de
die pusson, but odder fren' in de town. W'en he done cook um, w'en he
go call he fren' fo' come yeat dah ress, w'en he come back he meet dah
t'ing done yeat um. He no talk anyt'ing, he go cook odder ress, he gie
he fren'. Well, dah dog duh yeat de ress wey de girl cook, all de tem.
One day he done vex 'pon de dog. He cook one fine ress wid fat beef fo'
he good fren' nah de town. Well, w'en he go call he fren', he meet dah
dog done yeat dah sweet, sweet ress, en he lay down close de bowl wey
he done yeat. Dah ooman vex, he say:
"'Dah dog tief me ress all de tem, look how he come tief me ress wey I
cook fo' me fren'.'
"Wen de girl call um dog, de dog look um, en de girl fa' down, he die.
Story done."
After a brief silence, Mamenah said: "Make yo' go back, now, dem bird
go come agin."
Without a further word, the two watchers turned again to their duties,
the woman thinking of rice-pots and fish, and the child of white
shadowy forms that come and go through an invisible village.