Jamaican Song and Story - novelonlinefull.com
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So the race begin.
Donkey was so glad in a him heart that he was going to beat Toad that he say to himself:--"Tche! That little bit a fellah Toad can't manage me, so I must have plenty of time to eat some gra.s.s."
So him stand by the way, eat gra.s.s and poke him head through the fence where he see some potato-slip, an' try a taste of Gungo peas. An' he take more than an hour fe catch up the first mile-post, an' as him get him bawl:--
[Music:
Ha! Ha! Ha! me more than Toad.]
An' there comes the first picny call out:--
[Music:
Jinkororo, Jinkokkokkok.]
An' Donkey quite surprise, an' say:--"Tche! How him manage to be before me?"
An' he think:--"Me delay too long with that gra.s.s, I must quicker next mile."
An' him set off with a better speed an' only stop a minute for a drink of water. An' as him get to the next post him bawl:--
[Music:
Ha! Ha! Ha! me more than Toad.]
An' there come the second picny call out:--
[Music:
Jinkororo, Jinkokkokkok.]
An' Donkey say:--"Lah! Toad travel fe true. Never mind, we will chance it again."
So him 'tart, an' when him reach the third mile-post him bawl:--
[Music:
Ha! Ha! Ha! me more than Toad.]
An' the third picny behind the post say:--
[Music:
Jinkororo, Jinkokkokkok.]
Jacka.s.s get vex when he hear Toad answer him, an' he go fe 'mash Toad, an' Toad being a little man hide himself in a gra.s.s.
Then Donkey say:--"Hi! fellah gone ahead; make I see if I can catch up the next mile-post before him." An' he take him tail an' touch it like a horsewhip an' begin fe gallop.
An' him get to the fourth mile-post an' bawl:--
[Music:
Ha! Ha! Ha! me more than Toad.]
An' there comes the fourth picny answer him:--
[Music:
Jinkororo, Jinkokkokkok.]
When him yerry, him 'tand up same place an' trimble, say:--"My goodness King! a wh me a go do? Make me gallop so I knock off all me hoof self upon the hard hard dirty because I must beat the race."
An' he gallop so fast than he ever do before, until when he get to the fifth mile-post he was really tired an' out of breath.
But he just have enough to bawl:--
[Music:
Ha! Ha! Ha! me more than Toad.]
When he hear:--
[Music:
Jinkororo, Jinkokkokkok.]
This time he really mad, an' race on harder than ever. But always the same story. Each mile-post he catch him bawl:--"Ha! Ha! Ha! me more than Toad." An' always come answer:--"Jinkororo, Jinkokkokkok."
An' Donkey begin to get sad in his mind for he see that he lost the race. So through Toad smartness Donkey can never be racer again.
_Jack Mantora me no choose any._
NOTES.
=tall foot=, long leg. A tall bridge is a long one, not one that stands high above the river.
=wasn't agree=, didn't agree. Auxiliaries are a snare.
=picny.= This is the almost universal form of picaninny in Jamaica, varied occasionally by picany.
=Tche!= the Pshaw! of books and the Tush! of the Psalms. There is a world of contempt in this e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.i.o.n, which is accompanied by an upward jerk of the chin. The vowel is that of French =le=.
=potato-slip.= The sweet potato (_Ipomoea Batatas_) is cultivated by slips or cuttings. Our kind of potato is called "Irish potato."
=Jinkororo, etc.= This is a capital imitation of the Toad's croaking chuckle. The second bar should be made as out of tune as possible and the =kok= is on the lowest note of the voice. It is the repeated k's that make the croak so life-like.
