Jamaican Song and Story Part 10

But the last sister won't have it so, an' she said with a very wrath:--

[Music:

The Devil roguer than a womankind, The Devil roguer than a womankind oh, Fair an' gandelow steel.]

An' the Devil get into a great temper an' say:--

[Music:

What is roguer than a womankind?

What is roguer than a womankind oh?

Fair an' gandelow steel.]

Then the Devil fly from the step straight into h.e.l.l an' have chain round his waist until now.

_Jack Mantora me no choose none._

NOTES.

=Snake= is p.r.o.nounced with an indefinite short vowel between the =s= and =n=, senake.

=burn-pan hat=, the tall hat of civilized towns. The =pan= is the usual cylindrical tin vessel used for cooking. When blackened by fire it is a =burn-pan= or burnt pan. It is p.r.o.nounced like French _bonne_.

=Gandelow, scotran.= The meaning of these words is lost.

=roguer.= This word is doubtful. Sometimes it sounds like rowgard, at others like rowG.o.d. It may mean "more roguish." The boy who gave me this story often quotes this line from a hymn:

"To break the bonds of cantling sin."

One day I asked him to point it out in his hymnbook. It was =conquering=. He can say it perfectly well, but he still goes on with =cantling=. It is not surprising, therefore, that we cannot recover words pa.s.sed from mouth to mouth for generations.

=womankind.= Again it is doubtful whether this is a single word or two words. The article would fix it as the latter in pure English, but in negro speech it goes for nothing.

=old-witch=, though she was a young girl: see notes to No. IV. (Tomby).

VIII. WILLIAM TELL.

Once there was a man who name William Tell, an' him have a lots of cow. An' in the yard there was a tree, an' the tree no man can fall it. Any animal at all go under that tree it kill them, an' the name of the tree is Huyg.

An' William Tell wanted the tree to cut down.

An' him offer a cow to any man that kill the Huyg. They shall get the cow.

An' first of all Tacoma went to cut down the tree, an' him couldn'

bear the itch, I mean 'cratch of the tree.

An' William Tell made a law that any man come to cut the tree they must not 'cratch their 'kin or else they would lose the cow.

An' Mr. Tacoma were very sorry, an' he was to leave the cow just to save his life.

An' that great man Mr. Annancy heard about the cow an' him got a very sharp axe. An' when Mr. Annancy come, William Tell show him the cow--Annancy glad when he see the cow--an' after he show Mr. Annancy the tree.

Then Mr. Annancy say:--"Ho, me good ma.s.sa, don't you fret of the tree.

If one sing don't send 'way the tree another one must send him 'way."

An' the first sing was:--

[Music:

Big chip, fly! little chip, fly!]

He repeat the word over an' over, but the tree don't fall yet.

So him take up another sing again:--

[Music:

Me go to Rickylanjo, eye come shine, come show me your motion, eye come shine.]

An' Mr. Annancy never cease till him cut down the tree an' receive his reward.

NOTES.

=Huyg= for Hag, as they say =buyg= for bag. The spelling is awkward but it seems the only convenient one to adopt. The sound will be best understood from the second example. Say =buy= and put a hard =g= after it.

The =Huyg= seems to combine the qualities of the Upas and Cow-itch (_Mucuns pruriens_). The last, a common Jamaica weed, looks like a scarlet runner. It bears pods covered with a pretty velvet of hairs which "scratch" or irritate the skin.

=sing.= Further on there is a collection of these =sings=.

=show me your motion=, let me see you begin to topple.

IX. BROTHER ANNANCY AND BROTHER DEATH.

One day Brother Annancy sen' gal Annancy fe go a Brother Deat' yard fe go beg fire.

When the gal go, him go meet Brother Deat' dis a eat fe him breakfas'

enough eggs. Brother Deat' give gal Annancy one. Gal Annancy take the egg an', after eat done, put the sh.e.l.l 'pon him finger.

Brother Annancy wait an' wait but can't get the fire, till at last he see the gal a come.