Jamaican Song and Story Part 50

=wasn' G.o.d=, if it wasn't for G.o.d.

=rarab.u.m=, nonsense word, Italian vowels.

=d da door=, is at door, is out of doors.

L. DEVIL AND THE PRINCESS.

Once a King has a daughter, an' that gal was a pet to her father.

So one day a Prince come to ask for her.

The father love the young man, but the gal say:--"Puppa, me don't like him." So the father promise her that anybody she see she like he will agree to it.

So one night a good friend of the King made a dance an' invite the young Princess to the ball.

This man who made the dance invite all cla.s.ses of people. So he invite Devil too, but they don't know that it was Devil.

When all the guests come everybody give their name. Devil give his name Mr. Winkler. So the ball commenced.

Devil see the gal. He went an' ask her if she wish to dance with him.

The gal was so glad say:--"Yes, sir, for I love you the most."

When they dance till daylight the gal don't want to lef' Devil.

She say to Devil:--"Come have a walk home with me."

Devil say:--"Yes, I would go, but I am a man have such a great business, I has to go home very soon to seek after it."

The gal say:--"Come go home with me you will get me to marry, for my father is a King."

An' as Devil hear about marry he go home with the gal.

When she get to the house she call to her father:--"Puppa, here come my lover, I have found him at last."

So the servant-boy was an old-witch, said:--"Young mistress, you know that man is Devil?"

The gal get vex, begin to cry.

She go to her father crying, tell him "the servant-boy cuss me most shameful."

The father get upstarted, come out to the boy, don't ask the boy nothing, catch the boy an' put him in prison.

They take Mr Winkler in the palace, an' the father fix up an' they get marry.

After Mr. Winkler get marry he said:--"I am ready to go."

The King say:--"No, I can't send away my one daughter. You must stay and I will make you a King too."

Mr. Winkler say "No."

During this time they don't know that it was Devil, for when the boy tell them they get vex.

Devil marry ten time an' he eat all his wife, so he was going to eat this Princess too.

So, as he was so anxious to go, the gal have to go with him.

When they ready to start the father give them a long bag full with money. Devil get a boatman an' they start.

They sail four days before they get to their home.

When the gal get there she go meet a old lady in the house. This lady was Devil cook.

As he got in he said to the cook:--"I have got a good fat meat for the party."

So Devil go an' lock up the gal in a bar, an' lef' the old lady to watch if the gal is going to get 'way. He lef' a c.o.c.k that any time the old lady say that the gal get 'way he must call, an' him lef' a bag of corn to feed the c.o.c.k that he may keep good watch.

The old lady say "Yes."

Devil ready to start, order his t'ree-foot horse saddle, for he is going to invite his friend to come an' help him eat the gal.

He start, deeble-a-bup, deeble-a-bup.

As he get about a mile the old lady go in to the gal, take her out an'

tell her that her husband is Devil an' he is going to eat you.

The gal begin to cry.

The old lady say:--"Don't cry, I love you an' I going to let you go, but the c.o.c.k is a watchman; he will see you, an' if he see you he will call for his master, but never min' I will try."

The old lady get ten quart of the corn an' a gallon of rum, soak the corn in it for about a hour, an' after give it to the c.o.c.k.

An' the c.o.c.k eat the whole evening till night, an', after him finish eat, him drop asleep.

The old lady get a boatman an' pay him an' he take the gal over the sea.

When day nearly light the c.o.c.k wake an' go to look if he see the gal through a hole. When he look the gal was gone. Him go to the cook an'

ask.

The lady said:--"Him gone, an' I was calling you an' you never wake."

Then c.o.c.k sing out:--

[Music: