Day-time Trouble

a. Rabbit and Anansi.

Susan Watkins, Claremont, St. Ann.

Brar Nansi and Brar Rabbit went for a walk one day. Brar Rabbit ask Brar Anansi to show him ‘daytime trouble’. An’ while dey go on, Brar Anansi saw Tiger den wid a lot of young Tiger in it. Brar Anansi took out one an’ kill it an’ give Rabbit a basket wid a piece of de Tiger’s meat to carry for de Tiger’s fader, an’ took Rabbit along wid him to Tiger’s house an’ tol’ Brar Rabbit to han’ Tiger de basket. Anansi run, an’ Tiger catch at Rabbit to kill him, but he get away. Brar Anansi run up a tree an’ say, “Run, Brar Rabbit, run! run fe stone-hole!” Took a razor an’ give it to Rabbit. An’ Tiger got up a lot of men to get Rabbit out de hole an’ Tiger sent for Reindeer to dig him out, as he had a long neck to put down his head an’ dig him out; but Anansi tol’ Rabbit when Reindeer put down his head in de hole, he mus’ tak de razor an’ cut it off. A lot of people gadder to see Reindeer tak Rabbit out of de hole, but instead, Reindeer head was taken off an’ he drop an’ was dead an’ de whole crowd run away wid fright. After Rabbit come out, Brar Nansi say to him, “Brar Rabbit, so ’daytime trouble’ stay. So, as long as you live, never ask anybody to show it to you again!”

b. Rat and Anansi.

Moses Hendricks, Mandeville.

Rat and Anansi went out one day. They came across Tiger’s four children,—Anansi knew exactly where they was. He had a handbasket, Rat had one. So Anansi said, “Brer, two fe me, two fe you!” Anansi tak up one, mak the attempt as if he going to kill it but he didn’t do so, put it in his basket alive. Rat t’ot Anansi kill it, an’ he tak up his now an’ kill it an’ put it in his basket. Anansi did the same with the second one,—didn’t kill it, put it in his basket. Rat took up the other one an’ him kill it. So Rat had two dead ones an’ Anansi had his alive.

Anansi knew exactly which way Tiger would walk coming home. They met Tiger. Said, “Brer Tiger, I see yo’ baby them crying hungry, I tak them up come meet you. I carry two, Brer Rat two.” Tiger lay down now to nurse them. Anansi took out one alive. Rat took out one dead, got frightened. Tiger looks cross. Anansi took out the other one alive. Rat took out his dead. Tiger got into a temper an’ made a spring at Rat to catch him. Rat was running. The track was along the side of a wall. Anansi call, “Brer Rat, ’member stone-hole!” Tiger say, “What you say, Brer Nansi?” Anansi say, “Tell you mus’ min’, him go into dat stone-hole now!” Rat hear now, get into de stone-hole. Tiger wheel roun’ to revenge himself on Anansi. Anansi get under de dry trash. That is the reason why rat so fond of stone-hole, an’ Anansi, always find him under dry trash an’ rubbish.

Jack man dory!

c. Goat and Anansi.

Ethel Watson, Santa Cruz Mountains.

Anansi and Goat was walking one day. Dey met on Tiger nest. Dey saw seven pic’ny in de nes’. Hanansi said, “Goat, you know what we do? Mak we wring de neck t’row ’way in de bag!” Dey wring de pickney neck t’row it in de bag.

Dey met wid Bredder Tiger. Hanansi said, “Bredder Tiger, we get at’ yo’ nes’ an’ we tak yo’ pic’ny an wring dem neck t’row ’em in de bag.” Tiger say, “You mus’ be kill me pic’ny!” Anansi say, “No-o-o-o-o!” Tiger say, “T’row ’em out let me see dem!” Hanansi t’row out; dey didn’t dead. “Goat, t’row out yours now let me see!” Goat t’row dem out; de Goat’s was dead.

Tiger start after Goat. Hanansi say, “Run, Brer Tiger! run, Brer Goat!” Goat slip into a hole, Tiger begin to dig de hole. De stick get broke. Hanansi say, “Bredder Tiger, go look better stick.” Bredder Tiger went. Hanansi give de Goat some salt, say, “When Tiger come, blow dis in a eye!” Tiger come back, begin to dig. Hanansi say, “Bredder Tiger, dig an peep down in a hole!” Tiger begin dig an’ peep. Goat blow de salt in de Tiger eye. Tiger say, “Brer Hanansi, blow in dis fe me!” Hanansi blow, say, “Bredder Tiger, after eye-water sweet so, what t’ink upon de meat?” Hanansi an’ Goat come out an’ kill Tiger, den dey put Tiger in de bag wid de pic’ny, an’ bot’ of dem went home.