Once on a time Ananzi planned a scheme. He went to town and bought ever
so many firkins of fat, and ever so many sacks, and ever so many balls
of string, and a very big frying pan, then he went to the bay and blew a
shell, and called the Head-fish in the sea, "Green Eel," to him. Then he
said to the fish, "The King sends me to tell you that you must bring all
the fish on shore, for he wants to give them new life."
So "Green Eel" said he would, and went to call them. Meanwhile Ananzi
lighted a fire, and took out some of the fat, and got his frying pan
ready, and as fast as the fish came out of the water he caught them and
put them into the frying pan, and so he did with all of them until he
got to the Head-fish, who was so slippery that he couldn't hold him, and
he got back again into the water.
When Ananzi had fried all the fish, he put them into the sacks, and
took the sacks on his back, and set off to the mountains. He had not
gone very far when he met Lion, and Lion said to him:
"Well, brother Ananzi, where have you been? I have not seen you a long
time."