The Fifer

Richard Roe, Maroon Town, Cock-pit country.

There’s a boy once, mother got only the one boy an’ ’he love him so much that ’he give him a flute. So one day they go to far groun’ an’ coming back the boy leave the flute at the groun’. When he catch half-way, he remember it an’ he tell him papa. Papa say to go back for it, but he mus’ be careful not to blow it coming back because he got a lot of wil’ beasts to pass. So as he come home he begin to blow, [63]

Minnie, Minnie, wa-yo da Lim-ba, Minnie, Minnie, wa-yo da Lim-ba. Minnie, Minnie, wa-yo da Lim-ba, Minnie, Minnie, wa-yo da Lim-ba.

Wild beast rush out, say, “Who’s dat blowing de pipe, sah?”—“Oh, no, not me blowing!” An’ go ’way, blow again. Wil’ beast rush out. “Ha! you?”—“No, grandpapa, not me blowing!”—“Den who blowing?”—“He gone on befo’, massa; not me blowing!”—“Blow, let me see.”—“Flee flitty flee, flee flitty flee.”

Wil’ beast go away. He commence the right tune now,

“Minnie Minnie, wa-yo da lim-ba, Minnie Minnie, wa-yo da lim-ba, Minnie Minnie, wa-yo da lim-ba.”

(Wild beast rush out, catch him, compel him to play.)

“Ah, I catch you now, sah! Play de tune now, sah! blow, sah!”

Then he began to blow the right tune, both dance. Different wil’ beasts—Tiger, Asoonah, all the wil’ beasts come out an’ dance. An’ the father get frightened, come shoot all the wild beasts, all drop save him boy. An’ flog the boy.