A HARVEST HOME IN TEMNE-LAND
The rice is now ripe for the harvest. Sobah has engaged the services
of a half dozen sturdy men to aid in gathering the crop. Neighbors and
friends, many of them women, have assembled to take part in celebrating
the occasion, for rice harvest is a time of much ceremony and rejoicing.
The work is about to begin. The men are lined up at the end of the
field, each with a sharp knife in his hand. Behind them stand two
large boys with drums, and along the side of the field are gathered
the neighbors, ready to do their part. The drums begin to beat, and
the knives of the men to fly rapidly, cutting off the heads of the
rice, while a peculiar swinging of the body keeps time to the music.
Across the field the procession moves, the drums following close after
the harvesters, and keeping up a continual beating, often rapid and
work-inspiring. The men are dressed in special harvest garb for the
occasion. On their heads are bright colored caps trimmed up in gorgeous
style, while one is of coarse black hair in tiniest braids deftly
joined. Around the loins a small piece of cloth is wound. Fastened to
arms, legs, and bodies are strings, from which dangle ornaments that
quiver in the air, as the bodies sway in time to the music. The men
continually keep up a harvest song, while the women join in, clapping
their hands in unison with the movement.
Thus the harvest is gathered to the sound of music and the song of
rejoicing.
About five o'clock the work of the day is ended. The men retire to the
farm-house to a bountiful feast of boiled rice and fowl-stew prepared
by Mamenah, with the aid of other women. After their appetites were
fully satisfied, the men gathered in a group at the foot of a great
tree, to await the rising of the moon before returning to the village.
All were in the best of spirits, and there was much good-natured
chaffing and jesting. Sobah, who was well pleased with the day's
results, knowing the fondness of the men for the stories he could tell
so delightfully, said finally:
"Yo' do well, to-day; I go tell yo' story, now."
It was a generous offer, and the men were not slow in accepting it.
WATCH-POT AND GREEDY.
It was his desire to please the men, that led Sobah to choose this
particular story. They could appreciate to the full every new move
in the contest of wits, and expressed this appreciation by peals of
laughter and boisterous exclamations. Sobah himself preserved a show of
decorum, only giving way now and then to a pleased chuckle over some
particularly clever trick. The story, minus the tone, facial expression
and gestures was as follows:
"Well, one man bin east, one bin wes'. De one wey bin east he greedy,
de one wey bin wes' he duh Watch-pot.[64] Now de greedy one he hear
'bout de one wey duh Watch-pot, en he say: 'No matter how dis man kin
Watch-pot, he no go yeat me yown yeat.' Now Watch-pot he hear 'bout
how dis man greedy, no 'tranger ever yeat to um, nobody ever yeat heen
yeat. Now he say: 'I mus' yeat he ress.' So one day he say he go go to
de east to de greedy man. Well, w'en he wan' go he buy clo'es,[65] all
kind of clo'es; he get box, he put de clo'es in de box. He take all
t'ing wey de carpenter need, en sawyer all; nail, tool, en all t'ing.
Den he get up, he start off, he go. He go far to de east wey de greedy
man bin nah heen fa'm-ho'se. De day w'en he go reach, de greedy man
done hear say he come, he no far 'way 'pon de road. De same day now,
dis greedy man heah, he kill big bush-hog, he' jus' shabe (divide) de
meat middle part, he wef cook plenty, nearly all, he cook half wid de
ress. Well, jus' he cook so, dey see dis Watch-pot man he tell 'How
do', he say, 'Brudder, how do?'
[64] Watch-pot is the usual expression for a protracted call, the chief
aim of which is to remain until the next meal is prepared and served.
Such a stay has an air of deliberation about it, something like taking
one's knitting and remaining for tea.
[65] The "clo'es" were pieces of cloth for the customary present, which
the stranger offers as indirect payment for the hospitality he expects
to receive.
[Illustration: Watch-Pot and Greedy.
[_See p. 300._]
]
"Dis heah man he say: 'How do, sit down, now.'
"So de 'tranger sit down, he open he box, he pull one piece clo'es, he
tell dis man heah, 'How do', wid de clo'es. He ax, he say: 'Wey yo'
name?'
"He answer um, say: 'Me name Greedy; wey yo' yown name?'
"Dat one answer: 'Me name Watch-pot, I come tell yo' How do.' Because I
bin heah 'bout yo', I come tell yo' How do.'
"De greedy man say: 'All ret, go nah town now, I go meet yo' deh
bimeby.'
"De Watch-pot say: 'How I go do? I no know anybody nah de town 'cept
yo'. Make I wait evenin' tem, make we two go togedder.'
"Dey sit down _all day_. De ress sit down close de fire side.
"De man he call he wef, he tell um, he say: 'Dis man heah no go yeat
dis ress.'
"Den leelee pickin dey duh cry, hangry ketch dem. Dey all sit down dey
tay (till) young evenin' tem. Well, de man he call he wef nah (from)
de room; dem pickin dey cry, he no know how fo' do agin. So he tell he
wef, he say: 'I go lay down, I say I sick. W'en he stay leelee bit, I
do lek I die. Den make yo' go tell de people in de town say I done die.
Bimeby so, jus' de man go', I go grap, (get up) we go yeat de ress.'
"Well, de man he lay down, he say he sick. Leelee bit, no mo', now de
daddy he die, but not to _true_ die.
"Well, now de ooman he go tell de man, he say:
"'Daddy, how we go do now? Yo' jus' come tell yo' brudder how do
to-day, en look; he done die. Go now, tell de people wey in de town say
he done die.'
"De man say: 'Ee, ee! Yo' wey bin ooman, aintee yo' nar ooman, aintee
yo' fo' come out wid holler?[66] Go nah de town, tell dem people all.
Me, wey man, make me lef close me brudder; lef me fo' mine um tay yo'
come.'
[66] As soon as a death is reported, the people gather around the
corpse, and, prone upon the ground, indulge in the wildest lamentations
and cries. This duty is especially incumbent upon the women, and their
wailing and grovelling, accompanied by writhings and contortions of the
body, must be something like the death-wail of the lost.
"Den de ooman say: 'Well, who go was' um?'
"De man say: 'I go was' um, he now me brudder, I no 'fraid um.'
"Den de man go was' um all. De ooman say: 'Go nah town, make yo' buy
white clo'es.'
"De man say: 'Wait me.' He open he box, he pull de white clo'es.
"De ooman he say: "W'en me man die, he say make me make[67] coffin fo'
um. Make yo' go buy boa'd.'
[67] Coffins are unknown to native life. The dead are wrapped in white
cloth and grass woven mamats and laid in shallow graves.
"De man say: 'Make yo' get up f'om dah 'tick wey yo' sit down 'pon.'
He put one bench heah, he put one yandah, he take de 'tick, he put um
'pon top, he open he box, he take he saw, he saw all de 'tick, he make
boa'd. Den he nail de coffin all.
"De ooman duh watch, he duh t'ink: 'Wey t'ing I go do now fo' sabe
(save) me man?' He say: 'Me man say, w'en he die, make dem make windah
to he head, fo' pull he neck, come out.'
"De man make all.
"De ooman say: 'Well, make we wait nah mawnin' now, befo' we bury de
man.'
"Dis tem dark done come, en still de ress 'tan' up close de fire side.
De ooman say: 'Well, how we go do fo' wood fo' make fiah?'
"De man say: 'Dem piece, piece boa'd, heah.'
"He come out do'-mout', he pick, pick all dem 'tick, he make big fiah
all net, make big fiah tay do' clean. W'en do' clean, de wef say:
"'Make yo' dig hole, make we go bury me man nah bush _yandah_.'
"He jus' wan' make de 'tranger go, fo' make dem lef yeat de ress.
"Den de man say: 'Ee! Me brudder wey get dis fa'm, yo' wan' go bury
um inside de bush deh?' He say: 'Now inside dis fa'm-ho'se I go bury
um.[68] W'en I done, I go fix de flo' so pusson no know se'f, eh!'
[68] The place of burial for a baby, especially if it be the first,
is usually a refuse heap, the belief being that if the child is too
deeply mourned and honored, the parents will have no more offspring.
A second child is buried nearer the house; while the most honorable
interment given an older person, is within the house. The "bush" and
the road-side, receive the majority of the dead.
"Well, de ooman say: 'Make yo' come out en go behine de ho'se, I wan'
fo' tell me man goodbye.'
"W'en he done go, de wef tell de man, he say: 'Dis yeah 'tranger go
bury yo' heah fo' yo' yown yeat. Make yo' get up, make we yeat de ress.'
"De man say: 'Lef fo' talk; me ress he no go yeat um. Make yo' hide de
hoe, make he go nah town fo' fine hoe fo' come dig me grabe.'
"De ooman say: 'All ret.'
"Now de man come inside back. De ooman go hide de hoe, but de man no
see w'en he hide um. De ooman say: 'We no get hoe, how we go manage?
Make yo' go nah town fo' get hoe, fo' come dig de grabe.'
"De man he say: 'Wait me.' He open he box, he pull dem digger wid
shovel; he _dig_, he _dig_, he _dig_; de hole he deep. He go inside
hole, de hole cover um all. De man he cunnie lek rabbit. He go inside,
he come out quick. W'en he come out he put de coffin, he say: 'Make yo'
tell um goodbye; ef yo' done, I go put um inside de coffin.'
"De ooman say: 'Go back behine de ho'se, I wan' fo' talk to um.'
"Well, de man he come out, but he no go far 'way, jus' 'roun' de ho'se.
De ooman say: 'Get up, dis man go bury yo', get up!'
"De ress duh 'tan' up, de pickin duh cry, but not fo' den daddy; dey
duh cry fo' de ress, because de hangry duh ketch dem. W'en de ooman
tell he man make he get up, ef not, de 'tranger go bury um, he say:
'Lef me, make he bury me, but he no yeat me ress.'
"De Watch-pot man come inside, he take de Greedy man, he put um inside
coffin, but he neck lef', because window bin lef' wey de head come out.
W'en he put de coffin inside de hole 'traight-way, de ooman say: 'No
put um 'traight, make he 'tan' up.'
"Now de man take de coffin, he turn um over fo' make de head down. De
ooman say: 'No, put um make de head up.'
"So de man put de head up. W'en he done put de coffin, he begin fo'
cover um wid de dirty (earth); he cover all 'roun', de neck lef', no
mo'; he cover all 'roun' to de coffin. Now de ooman tell de man, he
say: 'Come out, make me tell me man goodbye fo' de las' tem now.'
"Watch-pot come out, de ooman tell he man, say: 'Come out, dis man go
bury yo', eh!'
"He answer he wef, say: 'Lef me, make he bury me, he no go yeat me
ress.'
"Well, now de man come fo' cover de half part wey lef', no mo'; he know
say ef he jus' cover um, de man go come out de grave w'en he done go.
De las' shovel lef' now. Well he dip de dirty hard fo' make he cut de
man inside de hole, fo' make he kill um. De die man open he yi leelee
w'en he see wey t'ing he cumpin wan' fo' do. He say yo' betty pull me;
but me ress, yo' no go yeat um, ef nar fo' dat yo' do dis t'ing.'
"So de man pull um. De greedy man heen wef say: 'Take up de ress, make
we yeat um all. Den he tell de Watch-pot man, say: 'Go gie me dat
calabas' wey 'tan' up yandah.'
"De place far leelee bit, en befo' de man come back wid de calabas'
so, Greedy tell he wef fo' take de ress, hese'f take de soup, en dey
run inside de bush. Behole w'en dey run, dey fo'get de calabas' en de
'tick-'poon fo' dish up de ress. Den Watch-pot take de 'tick-'poon en
de calabas', he run aftah dem; he go, he meet dem, he see dey go behine
one big 'tick. Jus' dey done sit down deh, now de ooman say: 'Look, we
no get calabas' en 'poon fo' take up, eh!'
"Jus' now de Watch-pot come, he say: 'Aintee dis de 'tick en de
calabas' wey yo' fo'get? I done bring um.'
"De ooman say: 'Fetch um.' De man say: 'Make yo' come yeat.' He no know
how fo' do agin, but he vex when he talk so.
"De Watch-pot man come, dey yeat all de ress. W'en dey finis' fo' yeat,
de Watch-pot man say: 'Tankee, tankee de pusson wey cook de ress.'
"De man done vex, he say: 'Me no cook um.'
"Den de man say: 'Well, tankee de pusson wey soak de ress.'
"De Greedy man say: 'Me no soak um.'
"De Watch-pot man say: 'Well, tankee de man wey brush de fa'm, plant
um.'
"De Greedy man answer um: 'Yo' no get bizzen deh, I no plant um.'
"Watch-pot say: 'Well, how yo' bin do?'
"He answer um: 'I no know, no ax me not'ing.'
"Den de Watch-pot man say: 'Well, goodbye.'
"Greedy answer um, say: 'Ef yo' lek, yo' no go; ef yo' lek yo' go', I
no get bizzen deh.'
"So Watch-pot take all he t'ing, he go _pong_!
"Now dem two pusson deh, which one pass fo' cunnie?"
The delight of the men over the narrative of Watch-pot and Greedy was
so genuine and keen, that Sobah quite readily consented to tell another
story. While trying to think of something appropriate, his eye fell
upon an axe that was leaning against a post of the farm-house. The axe
itself was a novelty in that part of the country, a result of one of
Sobah's trips to the coast.
"Yo' see dah axe yandah?" he asked, pointing to the article in
question. "Yo' no know which side he come out? Well, I tell yo' 'bout
um."
[Illustration: The Origin of the Axe.
[_See p. 313._]
]
THE ORIGIN OF THE AXE.
"Now one boy en one girl bin deh. De boy kin stone plenty bird, he
kill one. De girl go take de bird wey de boy get, he yeat um. Den de
boy cry fo' de bird, en de girl take one corn, he giē um. De boy go
put de corn nah groun, en de bug-a-bug (ants) yeat um. Den he cry 'pon
de bug-a-bug, de bug-a-bug make one country-pot, gie um. He take de
country-pot, he go get wattah, en de wattah take de country-pot 'way
f'om he han'. So he cry 'pon de wattah, en de wattah gie um fis'. He go
put de fis' 'pon de sho', en de 'awk kare um go. He call de 'awk name,
en de 'awk take one he wing, he gie um. W'en he put de wing 'pon 'tick,
de breeze come take um, en he cry 'pon de breeze, he sing:
"'Dah breeze take me wing, eh!'"
With the first line of the song, the story-teller's voice fell into a
chanting movement, and he began beating time with hand and foot. The
movement was contagious, and soon every hand was clapping noisily.
"'Dah breeze take me wing, eh!
De wing wey de 'awk done gie me;
'Awk done yeat me fis', eh!
Dah fis' wey wattah gie me;
Wattah take me pot, eh!
Dah pot wey de bug-a-bug gie me;
Bug-a-bug yeat me corn, eh!
De corn wey dah girl bin gie me;
Girl yeat me bird, eh!
Wey _mese'f_ bin ketch um.'
"Now de breeze go pick plenty fruit fo' de boy, en de babboo (baboon)
take de fruit, yeat um. He cry 'pon de babboo, en de babboo take axe,
he gie um. De boy kare de axe go nah town; de chief take um f'om he
han'. W'en de chief take um f'om he han', he cry 'pon de chief, he say:
"'Me poor boy, I suffer! I ketch one bird, girl yeat um. W'en I tell
um, he gie me one corn. I take um, put um down en bug-a-bug yeat um.
I cry 'pon dah bug-a-bug, bug-a-bug gie me one country-pot. I go get
wattah wid um, wattah take um f'om me han'. I cry 'pon de wattah,
wattah gie me one fis'. I take de fis', I put um 'pon de sho', 'awk
take um 'way. I cry 'pon de 'awk, 'awk gie me one wing. I take de
wing, I put um down, breeze take um. I cry 'pon de breeze, breeze pick
plenty fruit fo' me. Babboo take um f'om me han'. I cry 'pon babboo,
babboo gie me axe. W'en I fetch um nah town, _yo'_ wey bin gentry, yo'
take um f'om me han'. Well, wey t'ing I go do now?'
"Well, de chief answer um back, he say:
"'Dis kind of t'ing no bin to dis town, so I go take um. I gie yo' lot
of me money, fo' make I go take dis axe.'
"He answer de chief back, he say:
"'Well, befo' yo' take um, not to leelee bit money yo' gie me, yo' gie
me _plenty_, because I bin suffer fo' de axe; I cry 'pon all dem t'ing
befo' dey gie me de axe.'
"Well, de chief answer um back, he say: 'I gie yo' money en make yo'
sit down to dis town so yo' no suffer. I gie yo' plenty slave.'
"He answer de chief, he say: 'All ret.'
"De chief take plenty money, he gie um wid slave. Well, de boy take de
axe, he gie um to de chief, en de chief tankee um. De chief take de
axe, he make de blacksmit' look de axe. Dey follow how de ax bin make,
en dey make one, but he no so good lek de fus' one. Befo' dis tem
heah, axe no bin to dis wuld.
"De chief say: 'Make de boy mus' go cry agin, make de babboo show um
how fo' do wid de axe, ef he fo' make hole in um, hang um nah he neck.'
"Den de boy say: 'Chief, ef yo' no wan' de axe, gie me back, make I no
go die agin. Ef I go back I go die, because dah place _bad_ wey I bin
suffer.'
"De chief take de axe, he say: 'All ret.' He say: 'Make yo' no go
agin.' He get one Kongah man (magician) to he town. De Kongah man show
um how fo' do wid de axe fo' 'plit wood. Well, w'en he done show um so,
he say: 'All ret.'
"So all man make axe tay dey sabbee (know) fo' make um. Now dey scatter
um all over dis wuld."
The men found but little occasion in this story for their usual
outbursts of laughter, but they were none the less charmed with the
strange chain of events by which the axe was brought into existence.
"Story done," Sobah remarked, as the narrative ended, and with that he
arose, and picking up his much prized axe, set out for the village.