Jamaican Song and Story Part 12

At last Annancy get tired. Das de man, Bro'er Deat' been want. Annancy was so smart, no want fe Deat' catch him, so he say:--"Bro'er Deat', I goin' to drop, an' bein' me so fat, if you no want me fat fe waste, go and fetch somet'ing fe catch me."

"What me can take fe catch you?"

"Go in a room you will see a barrel of flour an' you fe take it so fe me drop in d."

Deat' never know that this flour was temper lime.

Deat' bring the barrel an', just as he fixing it up under where Annancy hanging, Annancy drop on Deat' head PUM, an jam him head in a the temper lime an' blind him. So he an' all him family get 'way.

_Jack Mantora me no choose any._

NOTES.

=dis a eat=, just as he had eaten.

=no mo so me no yerry=, I must have failed to hear. See page 3.

=Deat' no 'peak=, Death won't speak. The comedy is well sustained.

Annancy goes through the various stages of preparation for breakfast, pretending that he is carrying out orders from Death which he fails to hear.

=put him on=, put the pot on the fire.

=somewh d=, somewhere there. The =e='s are like French ==, and =d= is said with a strong accent and made very short.

=enough yam=, plenty of yams.

=say a come you come=, say do you come.

=me no a go etc.=, I am not going to let you go again.

=no use=, no mistake about it this time.

=bawl.= Remember to p.r.o.nounce it =bahl=.

=b'ute=, brute, p.r.o.nounced byute like the island Bute.

=a fe him yard=, to his yard.

=a dirty d, etc.=, on the ground there will eat you.

=fe de better=, all the more.

=Das=, that's.

=temper lime=, tempered lime originally no doubt, but now meaning quick lime. Temper, I am told, means cross. And in further explanation my informant adds: "You can't fingle (finger) temper lime as you have a mind; it cut up your hand."

=pum= with the shortest possible vowel represents the thud of Annancy's fall upon Death's head.

The Kitchen is outside the house, often at a considerable distance from it.

X. MR. BLUEBEARD.

There was a man named Mr. Bluebeard. He got his wife in his house an'

he general catch people an' lock up into a room, an' he never let him wife see that room.

One day he went out to a dinner an' forgot his key on the door. An'

his wife open the door an' find many dead people in the room. Those that were not dead said:--"Thanky, Missis; Thanky, Missis."

An' as soon as the live ones get away, an' she was to lock the door, the key drop in blood. She take it up an' wash it an' put it in the lock. It drop back into the blood.

An' Mr. Bluebeard was a old-witch an' know what was going on at home.

An' as he sat at dinner, he called out to get his horse ready at once.

An' they said to him:--"Do, Mr. Bluebeard, have something to eat before you go."

"No! get my horse ready."

So they bring it to him. Now, he doesn't ride a four-footed beast, he ride a t'ree-foot horse.

An' he get on his horse an' start off itty-itty-hap, itty-itty-hap, until he get home.

Now, Mrs. Bluebeard two brother was a hunter-man in the wood. One of them was old-witch, an' he said:--"Brother, brother, something home wrong with me sister."

"Get 'way you little foolish fellah," said the biggest one.

But the other say again:--"Brother, brother, something wrong at home.

Just get me a white cup and a white saucer, and fill it with water, and put it in the sun, an' you will soon see what do the water."

Directly the water turn blood.

An' the eldest said:--"Brother, it is truth, make we go."

An' Mrs. Bluebeard was afraid, because he knew Mr. Bluebeard was coming fe kill him. An' he was calling continually to the cook, Miss Anne:--

[Music:

Sister Anne, Sister Anne, Ah! you see any one is coming?

Sister Anne, Sister Anne, Ah! you see any one is coming?]

An' Sister Anne answer:--

[Music:

Oh no, I see no one is coming, But the dust that makes the gra.s.s so green.]