Li prend ein grand panier gateaux qui té poisonnin et pi li mette yé en haut ein pont ou Jean Sotte té gagnin pou passé. — La, quand li va mangé gateaux la yé la mouri et ma vini prend so choal.
Bouki té connin Jean Sotte té gourmand et li té mangé pou sire dans gateaux yé, mais Compair Lapin te laimin Jean Sotte, pasqué ein fois li té trouvé li même dans grand nembarras, li té trouvé dans prison dans ein la trappe et Jeaa Sotte té lâché li fou ça Compair
pened, and the old woman began to cry, and could not be consoled, because, however foolish her boy was, she loved him, as he was her only child. She forbade him to go to the king, and threatened to tie him in her cabin, or to have the sheriff throw him in prison. Jean Sotte paid no attention to his mother, and started before day* break, with his axe on his shoulder. He soon arrived at the house of the king, and he climbed into a big oak-tree which was before the door. He began, " caou, caou, caou," to cut down the branches with his axe, and he woke up everybody in the house. One of the servants of the king came out to see what was the matter ; and when he saw Jean Sotte on the top of the tree, he said : " But what is your business there? Fool that you are, you are disturbing every* body."
" It is not your business, — do you hear ? " said Jean Sotte. " Are you the watch-dog to be barking thus in the yard ? When your master, King Bangon, comes, I will tell him what I am doing here/*
The king came out, and asked Jean Sotte what he was doing there. He replied that he was cutting the bark to make some tea for his father, who had been delivered the day before of two twins.
"What ! " said the king, "for whom do you take me, Jean Sotte. Where did you ever hear of a man in childbirth ? I think you mean to make fun of me."
" How is it that yesterday you asked a bottle of bull's milk ? If you were right, I am also."
The king replied : " I believe that you are not so foolish as you want to make people believe. Go to the kitchen, and they will give you your breakfast. Don't forget to come on the first of April, that we may see which of us will be the April fool/'
On the first of April Jean Sotte mounted his horse and went out without his mother seeing him. Compair Bouki, who is deceitful and evil-minded, said: "I shall prevent Jean Sotte from going, because I know he is so foolish that they will cut his neck and keep his horse. It is better that I should profit by it, and take his horse. Don't you say anything ; you will see what I shall do."
He took a large basket full of poisoned cakes, and put it on a bridge where Jean Sotte was to pass. " If he eats those cakes, he will die, and I shall take the horse."
Bouki knew that Jean Sotte was greedy and that he would surely eat the cakes. Compair Lapin liked Jean Sotte, because one day, when he was caught in a snare, Jean Sotte had freed him. He did not forget that, and said : " I want to protect the poor fellow," and
Lapin dit li même : -— Mo va protégé pove ninnocent la. Li tende Jean Sotte longtemps dans chimin anvant jou et quand li rivé li dit :
— Jean Sotte, mo vini pou rende toi service, coûté moin ben, pas mangé ni bois arien dans chimin pendant to voyage, quand même tapé mouri faim et soit Coûté moin, to tende, ye gagnin pou poisonné toi si to boi ou mangé. Quand lé roi a mandé toi pou dévinin ta reponde li jisse ça mo va dit toi dans to zoreille ; vancé, mo pas oulé personne tende.
Alors Compair Lapin dit li tout doucement ça pou réponde.
— An, an, oui, oui, dit Jean Sotte, mo comprende, et pi li rit Oui, oui, c'est ça même.
— Asteur, dit Compair Lapin, pas blié moîn quand ta marié avec fille lé roi, voyé chercher moin et na fait bon zaffaire.
— Oui, dit Jean Sotte, mo va pas blié vous.
— Eh ben, bon voyage, fait ben tention tout ça to oua, gardé partout, coûté ben et ça va profité toi.
Alors Jean Sotte mette li en route et ein piti moment après li rivé coté pont en haut la rivière. Premier quichoge li oua, c'était panier bel gateaux Compair Bouki. Yé té senti bon, ça té donnin envie mangé. Jean Sotte gardé yé, li taté yé, li té proche envie morde ladans, mais li rappelé ça Compair Lapin dit li, ça fait li rété ein ti moment Laissé moin oua si ya fait mo choal mal. Li prend ein demi douzaine gateaux et donne so choal. Pove béte la mouri ein ti moment après, li tombé raide en haut pont la, c'était fini dans ein ti moment. — Gardé si mo té pas prend précaution. Ah, Compair Lapin té raison ; ein pé plis mo té fouti.
Anvant li parti li culbité so choal dans la rivière et quand pove béte té apé dérivé dans courant trois carencros vini posé en haut li et commencé mangé so pove choal. Jean Sotte gardé li longtemps jisqua li disparaite derrière la pointe. — Compair Lapin dit moin gardé, coûté et pas dit arien, c'est bon, moin aussite mo va gagnin pou mandé lé roi dévinin quichoge.
Quand Jean Sotte rivé coté lé roi yé navait déjà plein moune qui té sayé dévinin ça lé roi té proposé yé, et après yé té sayé trois fois so bourreau té coupé yé cou. Yavait cinquante qui té déjà mouri. Alors tout moune dit : — Ala Jean Sotte, li va sayé dévinin aussite, li si sotte vous zotes a oua comme ya coupé so cou, laissé li fait, dabord li si béte.
Lé roi prend ri quand li oua Jean Sotte et li dit li comme ça. — Qui ça qui bon matin marché en haut quatre pattes, a midi en haut dé pattes, et lé soir en haut trois pattes ?
before daybreak he waited on the road for Jean Sotte. When he saw him, he said : " Jean Sotte, I am coming to render you a service, listen to me : don't eat or drink anything on your way, even if you are dying of hunger and of thirst ; and when the king will ask you to guess, you will reply what I am going to tell you. Come near; I don't want anybody to hear.'*
Compair Lapin then told him what to say. " Yes, yes, I understand," said Jean Sotte, and he began to laugh.
" Now," said Compair Lapin, " don't forget me when you marry the king's daughter ; we can have good business together."
" Yes," said Jean Sotte, " I shall not forget you."
" Well, good luck, pay attention to all you see, look on all sides, and listen well."
Then Jean Sotte started, and a little while afterwards he arrived at a bridge on the river. The first thing he saw was the basket full of cakes which Compair Bouki had placed there. They smelled good and they were very tempting. Jean Sotte touched them and felt like biting one, but he remembered what Compair Lapin had told him. He stopped a moment and said : " Let me see if they will do harm to my horse." He took half a dozen cakes and gave them to his horse» The poor beast died almost immediately and fell on the bridge. " See, if I had not been prudent, it is I who would be dead instead of my horse. Ah ! Compair Lapin was right ; a little more and I should have been lost. Now I shall have to go on foot."
Before he started he threw his horse into the river ; and as the poor beast was being carried away by the current, three buzzards alighted on the horse and began to eat him. Jean Sotte looked at him a long time, until he disappeared behind the point in the river. "Compair Lapin told me: 'listen, look, and don't say anything;' all right, I shall have something to ask the king to guess."
"When Jean Sotte came to the king nobody was trying to guess, for all those who had tried three times had been put to death by the king's executioner. Fifty men already had been killed, and every one said, on seeing Jean Sotte : " There is Jean Sotte who is going to try, they will surely cut off his head, for he is so foolish. But so much the worse for him if he is such a fool."
When he saw Jean Sotte the king began to laugh and told him to come nearer. " What is it," said he, " that early in the morning walks on four legs, at noon on two, and in the evening on three legs?"
— Si mo dévinin, vous va donnin moin vous fille ?
— Oui, dit lé roi.
— Oh, c'est pas arien pou dévinin.
— Eh ben, hourrah, fait vite si to pas oulé mo coupé to cou.
— C'est ein piti moune qui marché en haut quatre pattes. Quand li vini grand li marché en haut dé, et quand H vini vie li bligé prend ein baton pou apiyer li, ça fait trois pattes.
Tout moune resté la bouche ouvri a force yé té étonné.
— To dévinin jiste, dit lé roi, mo fille pou toi. Asteur nimporte qui dans vous zotes mandé moin ein quichoge et si mo pas trouvé, pasqué mo connin tout ça yé na dans moune, alors mo va donnin li mo place avec mo fortine.
Alors Jean Sotte dit lé roi : — Mo oua eîn mort qui té apé porté trois vivants et apé nourri yé. Mort la té pas touché la terre ni li té pas dans ciel, dis moin qui c'est ou ben mo va prend vous place avec vous fortine.
Roi Bangon sayé dévinin, li dit c'est ça et tout plein quichoge, li pas fouti dévinin et li té bligé bandonné la partie. Alors Jean Sotte dit li comme ça : — Mo choal mouri en haut ein pont, mo jeté li dans la rivière et quand li té apé dérivé carencros posé en haut li et mangé li dans dolo. Li té pas touché la terre ni li té pas dans ciel.
Alors tout moune oua que Jean Sotte té boucou plis malin que yé tous ensembe. Li marié avee fille lé roi, li prend so place et c'est li qui té gouverné pays la après. Li prend Compair Lapin pou so premier colombe, et pi après ça yé pende Compair Bouki pou so coquinerie. Après ça yé changé nom Jean Sotte et pelé li Jean l'Esprit.
XIX.
MARIAZE DJABE.
Ein jou yé té gagnin ein joli jeine fille mais li té fière. A chaque fois des michiés té vini fé li lamour, li té toujougagnin prétexes. Ein té tro piti, lote té tro grand, ci la, so chivé té trop rouge. Enfin li té jamin oulé marié yé. In jou, so moman dit li : — Mo fille, to oua gros nabe, haut, haut, milié fléve, malé mette giromon ça to oua on nabe la au boutte branche plis fèbe la, et cila qua capabe trappe giromon la, ta marié avec li.
Ça fait fille la dit ouï. Yé mette ça en haut tous la gazette, La
" If I guess, you will give me your daughter ? "
" Yes/' said the king.
" Oh ! that is nothing to guess."
" Well, hurrah ! hurry on if you don't want me to cut your neck."
Jean Sotte told him, it was a child who walked on four legs; when he grew up he walked on two, and when he grew old he had to take a stick, and that made three legs.
All remained with their mouths wide open, they were so astonished.
"You have guessed right; my daughter is for you. Now, let anybody ask me something, as I know everything in the world ; if I do not guess right I will give him my kingdom and my fortune."
Jean Sotte said to the king : " I saw a dead being that was carrying three living beings and was nourishing them. The dead did not touch the land and was not in the sky ; tell me what it is, or I shall take your kingdom and your fortune."
King Bangon tried to guess ; he said this and that and a thousand things, but he had to give it up. Jean Sotte said then : " My horse died- on a bridge, I threw him into the river, and three buzzards alighted on him and were eating him up in the river. They did not touch the land and they were not in the sky."
Everybody saw thafjean Sotte was smarter than all of them together. He married the king's daughter, took his place, and governed the kingdom. He took Compair Lapin as his first overseer, and hanged Compair Bouki for his rascality. After that they changed Jean Sotte's name and called him Jean X Esprit
XIX. THE DEVIL'S MARRIAGE.
One day there was a pretty young girl, but she was very proud, and every time the young men came to court her, she found a pretext to send them away. One was too small, another was too tall, another had red hair ; in short, she refused all her suitors. One day her mother said to her : " My daughter, you see that tall, tall tree in the middle of the river ? I am going to put this pumpkin on the smallest branch at the top of the tree, and that young man who will be able to climb up and catch the pumpkin will be your husband."
The daughter said she had no objection, so they put a notice in
semaine après yé té gagnia in tas jeine nommes la. Yé té gagnin ein qui té si bien habillé, si joli, ça té djabe et personne té pas connin ça. Li té allé bien avec mamzelle la. MamzeUe la dit so moman : — Mo sré voudré li té capabe trappe giromon la.
Tout moune seyé, et yé tout dit yé té pas capabe. Ça fait tour djabe la vini. Dans ein minite li té on nabe la avec giromon la on so la main. Li descende et li dit mamzelle la : — Vini asteur, vini dans mo la maison.
Fille la habillé li même bien, et parti avec djabe. Enho chimin ein moune oua djab et dit li : — Donne moin mo cravate, et mo. col, ça mo té prêté toi.
Djabe oté so cravate et so col, et dit : — Tchiens, tchiens, to vie cravate et to vie col. Ein pé plis loin ein lote nhomme oua djabe et dit : — Donne moin mo chimise, ça mo té prêté toi. Djabe oté so chimise et dit : — Tchiens, tchiens, to vie chimise. Ein pé plis loin li oua ein lote nhomme qui dit li : — Donne moin mo capot, ça mo té prêté toi. Djabe oté so capot et dit li : — Tchiens, tchiens, to vie capot. Ein pé plis loin li oua ein lote nhomme qui dit li : — Donne moin mo tchilottes, et mo caneçons ça mo prêté toi. Djabe oté so tchilotte et so caneçons et dit li : — Tchiens, tchiens, to vie tchilottes et to vie caneçons. Plis loin encore, ein lote mandé li pou so chapeau. Li ouété so chapeau et donné 11 Li descende 50 la voitire, et yé pas oua li pendant ein piti moment. Li révini bien faraud comme anvant.
Fille la commencé pair. Plis loin encore ein lote dit li : — Donne moin mo choal yé mo té prêté toi. Djabe descende et donne li so quatre choal yé. Lors li dit fille la : — Descende et trainin moin ; fille la descende et so caire té apé batte fort. Li trainin djabe jisqua coté so la maison.
Li couri dans so jardin, et dit fille la : — Resté avec mo moman. Quand djabe té bien parti, moman djabe dit fille la : — Ah, mo fille, to tombé mal marié. To marié djabe.
Fille la té si chagrin li té pas connin ça pou fait. Li dît vie fame la : — Tan prie, mo bon vie madame, vous pas capabe donne moin monien pou chappé. Fame la dit : — Oui, attende jouqua dinmain matin, et vini oua quichoge. Li minnin fille la dans ein ti la chambe, Li ouvert ti la chambe la. Li dit : — Vini oua quichoge, mo fille. Fille la gardé dans ti la chambe la. Ça li oua ? Ein tas fames pende en haut ein déclou. Li té si pair li té pas connin ça pou dit. Li mandé fame la, si li té pas capabe caché li même erç quéque part,
the newspapers. The next week a crowd of young men presented themselves, and among them one who was beautifully dressed and exceedingly handsome. He was the Devil, but nouody knew him. The young girl told her mother : " I wish he would catch the pumpkin."
All the young men climbed on the tree, but no one could succeed in reaching the pumpkin. When the turn of the Devil came, in one minute he was up the tree, and had the pumpkin in his hand. As soon as he was down he said to the young girl : " Come now, come with me to my house."
The girl put on her best dress and went away with the Devil. On the road they met a man, who said to the Devil : " Give me my cravat and my collar which I had lent to you."
The Devil took off his cravat and his collar, and said : " Here, take your old cravat and your old collar." A little further on, another man saw the Devil and told him : " Give me my shirt which I had lent you." The Devil took off his shirt and said : " Here, here, take your old shirt." A little further, he saw another man, who said to him : " Give me my cloak which I had lent to you." The Devil took off his cloak, and said : " Here, here, take your old cloak." A little further, another man asked for his trousers, then another one for his hat. The Devil took off the trousers and the hat, and said : " Here, here, take your old trousers and your old hat." He came down from his carriage and disappeared for a few minutes, then he returned as well dressed as before.
The young lady was beginning to be very much frightened when they met another man, who said : " Give me my hoxses which I had lent to you." The Devil gave him his four horses, and said to his wife : " Get down from the carriage and hitch yourself to it." She drew the carriage as far as the Devil's house, and was so frightened that her heart was almost in her mouth.
The Devil entered his garden, and said to his wife : " Remain here with my mother." As soon as he was gone the mother said to the young lady : " Ah ! my daughter, you have taken a bad hus* band ; you have married the Devil."
The poor girl was so sorry that she did not know what to do, and she said to the old woman : " Can you not tell me how I can run away ? " The old woman replied : " Yes, wait until to-morrow morning; but come, let me show you something." She opened the door of a little room, and said : " Look, my daughter." The girl looked in the room, and what did she see ? A number of women hanging from a nail. She was so frightened that she asked the old woman if she could not hide her somewhere until the next morning. The
jouqua dinmain matin. Fame 1ft dit oui, mais, quitté mo dit toi in monien pou chapper. Quand djabe la dit toi a soir faut donne so coq qui réveillé li tous les matins ein sac maïs, au lieu donne li ein donne li trois, pou tchombo li apé mangé plis que tous les matins, pou pas li hélé trop vite. Fame la dit aussite : — Couri dans poulailler, prend six dézefs sales. Pas prend dézefs propres, mo piti ça va porté toi maîhére.
Lendemin matin fille la donne coq la trois sacs maïs. Li prend so dézefs et li parti Quand coq la fini so trois sacs maïs li chanté. Djabe réveillé vite : — Quéquenne dans la maison parti, li dit. Djabe levé vite et parti. Fille la gardé derrière li. Ça té la fumin et di fé. Ça té djabe minme. Li prend ein dézef, li cassé dézef la. In gros barrière en dibois poussé. Djabe la té gagnin pou tournin chez li, cherché so ti la hache pou cassé barrière la. Li cassé barrière la, li tournin chez lij porter so la hache.
Fille la tende di bri, li gardé derrière li, li oua la fumin et di fé. Ça té djabe même. Li cassé ein lote dézef ein la barrière en fer poussé. Djabe tournin chez li pou chercher so ti la hache en or. Li cassé la barrière la et tournin porté so la hache.
Fille la gardé derrière, li oua la fumin et di fé, li cassé ein lote dézef, ein gros di fé limin. Djabe te gagnin pou tournin chercher ein la jarre dolo pou taingnin di fé. Li té gagnin pou couri rapporté so la jarre.
Fille la gardé encore, li oua la fumin et difé. Ça té djabe. Li cassé ein lote dézef, ein la barrière en briques poussé. Djabe té gagnin pou couri chercher so la hache en or, et li tournin rapporté li.
Fille la gardé encore, li oua la fumin et di fé, ça té djabe. Li cassé ein lote dézef, ein ti fléve poussé. Yé té gagnin ein ti pirogue, li traversé et djabe la nagé.
Fille la gardé derrière li encore. Li oua la fumin et di fé. Ça té djabe. Li cassé ein lote dézef, ein gros fléve poussé. Yé té gagnin ein gras caïman on bord apé chauffé dans soleil ; fille la chanté : — Ten prie, grandmoman, traversez moin, sauvez mo la vie, belle, belle, tonié belle. Cocodrille dit :— Monté on mo dos, ma sauvé to la vie.
Djabe oua magnière fille la té gagnin pou traverser, li dit ; coco-drille la :— Traversé moin, cocodrille, traversé moin. Cocodrille dit : — Monté on mo dos, ma traversé toi. Rendi dans milié fléve li calé, H calé en bas dolo et li neyé djabe.
woman said : " Yes, but let me tell you how you can escape from here. When the Devil tells you to give one sack of corn to his rooster which wakes him up in the morning, you will give him three sacks that he may eat more and not crow so early. Then you will go to the chicken house and take six dirty eggs. Take care not to take clean eggs ; that will bring you bad luck."
The next morning the young lady gave the rooster three sacks of corn, she took her eggs, and ran away. When the rooster had finished eating his three sacks, he crowed : "Mr. Devil, awake quickly ; some one has run away from the house ! " The Devil got up quickly and started running after his wife. The poor girl looked behind her, and saw smoke and fire — indeed, the Devil himself. She took an egg and broke it : a high wooden fence arose in the middle of the road. The Devil had to return home to get his golden axe to cut down the fence. After he had broken down the fence he took his axe to his house.
The girl looked behind her; she saw smoke and fire — the Devil himself. She broke another egg : there grew up an iron fence. The Devil went home to get his golden axe, and had to take it back after breaking the fence.
The girl looked again ; there was fire and smoke. She broke another egg : a great fire rose up in the road. The Devil went to get his jar of water to put out the fire, and then had to take the jar back.
The girl heard again a noise ; it was fire and smoke. She broke another egg : a brick wall grew up. The Devil went to get his golden axe, and carried it back after breaking the wall.
The girl looked again : she saw fire and smoke. She broke another egg : a small river appeared, in which was a small canoe. She entered the canoe and crossed the river. The Devil was obliged to swim across.
The girl looked again; she saw fire and smoke. She broke another egg : a large river appeared. There was a big crocodile on the other side of the river warming himself in the sun. The girl sang : " Grandmother, I pray you, cross me over ; grandmother, I pray you, save my life." The crocodile said : " Climb on my back, my little one, I shall save your life."
The Devil saw in what way the girl had crossed the river, so he said to the crocodile : " Cross me over, crocodile ; cross me over." The crocodile replied : " Climb on my back ; I shall cross you over." When he reached the middle of the river, he dived under the water, and the Devil was drowned.
Anvant fille la té parti chez so moman, so moman té dit H : — Eh ben, mo fille, ça tolé mo fait avec corps to vie choal blanc ? Fille la ' dit so moman : — Mo pas inquiété li, lâché li dans la savane, et laissé li mouri si li oulé. Fille la oua so vie choal dans la savane, et li dit li : — Ten prie, vie corps, sauvé mo la vie, ten prie, vie corps, sauvé mo la vie. So vie choal blanc réponne li : — Oui, c'est comme ça to traité moin ; to dit to moman quitté moin mouri, si mole, asteur tolé mo sauvé to la vie. Monté on mo dos, ma minnin toi chez to moman."
Fille la descende, li bo so choal et so moman, et resté avec so moman. Li té plis oulé marié encore, pasqué li té marié djabe.
XX.
TI DOIGT.
Anvant nous vini icite, nouzotte pove djabe, nous té libe; nous té pas bligé travaille pou ein maite. C'est blancs yé qui vini dans nous pays, l'Afrique, pou chercher nous ; ye volé quéquenne dans nous, yé acheté lézottes nous popa pou ein tignon rouge, in bouteille tafia ou in vie fisî. Quand nous couri la guère cila yé yé trapé yé vende blanc yé qui vini fait zaffaire on bord lamer. Yé té minnin nous taché dé par dé, et quand nous rivé coté lamer comme bande zanimo, nommes, fames et piti mounes, yé té changé nous pas pou largent mais pou tout sorte marchandise, et blanc yé mette nous dans bateau et minnin nous icite. C'est comme ça nouzottes vini nesclaves dans Namérique.
Quand Manga, mo grandmoman, rivé coté lamer, li oua ein joli piti laville, avec piti lamaisons. Yé té gagnin plein bateaux, et yé té gagnin l'airapé dansé on la mer; quéquesermes té levé et lézottes té baissé. Cété divent, vous connin, qui tapé soufflé et rémié lamer. Mo pove grandmoman, qui té zéne alors, té pair quand li oua yé tapé mette tous négue yé a bord navire. Li té cré yé té oulé neyé yé dans lamer. In nomme blanc vini coté li et acheté li avec so maite. Li minnin li chez li et li dit li dans so langage : — Mo acheté toi pou gardé mo piti garçon. Li té gagnin ein joli la maison avec ein magasin ladans, et ein joli jardin. Derrière la maison yé té gagnin plein zoranger, et nabe yé té si grand que yé té fait bon nombe. Pou montré coman pays mo grandmoman té bon mo va dit vous que
When the girl had left her mothers house with her husband, her mother had said to her : " Well, my child, what do you wish ftie to do with your old white horse ? " The girl said to her mother : " I don't care what you do; put him out in the pasture and let him die if he wants to." However, when she crossed the river on the crocodile's back, she saw her old horse in the pasture, and she said to him : " I pray you, old body, save my life ! " The horse replied : " Ah, you want me now to save your life ; did you not tell your mother to let me die, if I wanted ? Well, climb on my back, I shall carry you to your mother."
The girl soon reached her mother's house. She got down from the horse and kissed him, then she kissed her mother. She remained at home after that, and did not wish to marry again, after having had the Devil for her husband.
XX. THE LITTLE FINGER.
Before we came here, poor devils, we were all free, we were not obliged to work for any master. It is the whites who came into our country, Africa, to get us. They stole some of us ; they bought some of us from our fathers for a red handkerchief, for a bottle of tafia, or an old gun. When we went to war those who were caught were sold to the whites who came to trade on the seacoast. We were led away, tied together, tied two by two ; and when we reached the seacoast like a herd of cattle, men, women, and children, we were exchanged, not for money, but for any kind of merchandise, and the whites put us into khips and brought us here. This is how we became slaves in America.
When Manga, my grandmother, arrived at the seacoast, she saw a pretty little town with small houses. There were many ships, and they seemed to be dancing on the sea ; some were going up, others down. It was the wind, you know, that was blowing and shaking up the sea. My poor grandmother, who was young then, was afraid when she saw they were putting all the negroes on board the ships. She thought they were going to drown them in the sea. A white man came to her and bought her from her master. He took her to his house and told her in her own language : " I bought you to take care of my little boy." He had a pretty house with a store in it, and a pretty garden. Behind the house was an orange grove, and the trees were so large that there was a fine shade under-
zoranger té en flére tout Tannée ; yavé flére et piti zorange, et zo-range mire tout temps. La maison la té coté lamer et tous les matin Manga te minnin ti Florimond baignin. Ti garçon la té si joli et so popa et so moman té si bon que Manga sré pas laissé yé pou arien dans moune. Li té lainmin ti Florimond si tant ; so chivé té bouclé, so zié blé, so la peau blanc et rose. Tout moune té adoré pove ti garçon la, li té si, si joli et smart. Li té connin chanté si bien et imité tout zozo si bien que souvent yé té cré c'était Nita qui tapé chanté dans nabe. Nita c'est ein ti zozo Nafrique qui chanté la nuite quand la lune apé claire. Li perché en haut plis grand nabe, et si yé gagnin divent li chanté mié, pasqué quand branche la balancé ça idé piti zozo la chanté, comme hamac idé ein nomme chanté. Florimond té imité Nita si bien que tout moune té trompé, et ça té amisé ti garçon la boucou.
Papa Florimond té fait zaffaire avec négue qui vive loin dans bois, et ein jou li parti pou chercher la poude d'or et dent néléphant. Quand li parti li dit Manga : — Prend bien soin mo fame et mo piti garçon ; to connin mo dija donne toi ein paire soulier, mo sra donne toi quand ma revini ein joli robe et ein collier. — Premier fois Manga mette so soulier yé té fait li si tant mal li té pas capabe a peine marcher. Li oté yé, quand li rivé la maison et li assite on n'escalierapé gardé so zorteilles. — Soucouyé, soucouyé, pove quichoge, H dit — Vous té en prison tout a l'hère, vous Iibe asjeur, vous content, hein ? Oh, mo sra jamais fermin vous encore, mo pas comprende comment blanc yé capabe mette yé zorteille dans quichoge comme ça. Dépi temps la Manga jamin mette soulier.
Eh bien, maite la couri dans grand bois et trois jou après ça madame la dit Manga prend Florimond et minnin li baignin dans lamer. Pendant ti garçon la té apé joué avec coquille et di sabe yé oua ein nesquif avec plein nomme rivé. Ein blanc descende et passé coté Mange et li senti quéque choge drôle comme si malhére allé rivé, Zié nomme la té brillé comme quenne chatte dans la nouitte. Quand li passé li dit : — Bonjou, Florimond, mais piti garçon la pas réponde arien. Quand yé couri la maison madame la voyé yé joué dans la cou, et chaque fois maite la té pas la nétranger la té vini la maison. Florimond té pas oulé oua li et ein jou li dit li sré dit so popa on nétranger la. Cila la dit Manga : — Piti djabe noir, si jamin to ouvri to la bouche pou dit ça to oua icite ma coupé to la langue avec mo gros couteau, et ma porté toi dans mo bateau, coude toi dans sac et jette toi dans lamer pou posson mangé toi. Manga té si pair que li sré pas dit ein mot même si yé té taillé li tout la journin.
neath. To show you how my grandmother's country was a good one, I will tell you that the orange-trees were in bloom the whole year; there were flowers and little oranges and ripe oranges all the time. The house was near the sea, and every morning Manga took little Florimond to take a bath. The little boy was so pretty, and his father and mother were so good, that Manga would not have left them for anything in the world. She loved little Florimond so much ; his hair was curly, his eyes were blue, his skin was white and rosy. Everybody adored the poor little boy, he was so pretty and smart. He could sing so well and imitate all birds so admirably that often they thought it was the Nita that was singing in the trees. Nita is a little bird in Africa which sings at night when the moon is shining. It perches on the top of the tallest tree ; and if there is a light breeze it sings better, for the swinging of the branch helps the little bird to sing, as the rocking of the hammock helps a man's lullaby. Florimond imitated the Nita so well that everybody was mistaken, and it amused the boy very much.
Fiorimond's father used to trade with the negroes that lived far in the woods, so one day he started to get gold dust and elephants* teeth. On leaving he said to Manga: "Take good care of my wife and my little boy. You know I gave you already a pair of shoes ; I will give you, on my return, a fine dress and a necklace." The first time Manga put on her shoes they hurt her so much that she could hardly walk. She took them off on arriving at the house, and sat on the steps looking at her toes : " Wiggle, wiggle, poor things/' she said, " you were in prison just now : you are free now, you are glad, is it not ? Oh ! I shall never shut you up again. I don't understand how white folks can put their toes in such things ! " From that time Manga never put shoes on.
Well, the master went into the big woods, and three days afterwards the lady said to Manga to take Florimond to the sea and give him a bath. While the little boy was playing with the shells and the white sand, they saw a skiff with several persons come ashore. A white man disembarked, and passed by Manga, and she felt a peculiar sensation, as if some misfortune was to happen. The eyes of the man shone like those of a cat in the dark. As he passed, he said : " Good morning, Florimond/' but the little boy did not reply anything. When they arrived home the lady sent them to play in the yard, and every time the master was away the strange man would come to the house. Florimond did not want to see him, and he said one day he would tell his father about the stranger. The latter said to Manga : " You little black imp, if ever you open your mouth about what you see here, I will cut your tongue with my big knife ; then I will carry you to my ship, sew you up in a sack, and throw
Soir la Florimond crié si tant que Manga té gagnin boucou tracas fait li dromi. So litte té a coté quenne piti garçon la. Pendant la nouitte li oua pirate la entré dans lachambe la avec ein gros baton. Li frappé piti garçon la on so latéte et li dit : — Li mouri, ma mette H dans trou la mo fouillé dans jardin^ asteur ma fait zaffaire ti négresse la.
Mais Manga té déjà parti couri dans la cou, et nomme la couri on chimin pou trapé li. Moman Florimond vini dans lachambe, li prend ti garçon la et li terré li dans ein trou coté la Manga té yé. Li té pas fini so vilain nouvrage, quand li tende dibri et li galpé couri. Li rencontré nomme la qui dit : — Mo croi fille là couri dans bois, pas besoin pensé li encore, lion et tigue va mangé li bien vite. Asteur faut mo couri a bord mo bateau et quand ma révini ma prend vous avec moin.
Madame la rétournin la maison et Manga sorti. Li té si faibfe li té pas capabe resté diboute, mais anvant li parti li bo la terre ou so pove ti maite té terré. Li dit : — Adié, ti nange, et li couri dans bois. Li té laimin mié resté avec zanimo sauvage que avec mauvais moman la.
Li marché quéque temps si vite li capabe et li rété coté ein bayou dans bois ; li boi dolo et assite pou posé. Li commencé dromi, mais li tende moune apé parlé fort et li réveillé. Li oua nomme autour li et so maite qui té gagnin Tair très colère : — Qui ça tapé fait icite si loin mo la maison, mo laissé toi pou gardé mo ti garçon, mo pensé to fait quichoge mal et to chappé. Manga pas réponde arien, pasqué li rappelé ça pirate la té dit. Maite la ordonnin yé minnin li la maison et li rétournin chez li aussi vite li capabe. Li trouvé so fame apé crié et li dit li ; — Oh que malhor ! Manga quitté Florimond tombé on so latéte et nous pove ti garçon mouri. Mo té oulé tchué négresse la, mais li parti couri et mo pas connin ou li yé. Si jamin mo trappe li ma tranglé li.
Quand pove nomme la tende so cher ti garçon té mouri, li tombé par terre. Yé mette li dans so litte et li resté quinze jou dans délire. Pendant temps la madame la dit Manga li sré tchué li si li ouvri so la bouche. Li fermin fille la dans ein cabane et donnin li jisse dipain et dolo.
Popa Florimond levé mais li té vé pas consolé et li crié tout la
you into the sea for the fish to eat you." Manga was so frightened that she would not have said a word even if they had whipped her for a whole day. In the evening Florimond cried so much that it was with great difficulty that Manga succeeded in putting him to sleep. Her cot was near the bed of the little boy, and during the night she saw the pirate enter the room with a big stick. He struck the little boy on the head and said : " He is dead. I will put him in the hole which I dug in the yard. Now I must attend to the black girl."
Manga, however, had already run away into the yard ; but the man, thinking that she was in the road, ran out to catch her. Florimond's mother came into the room, took the little boy's body in her arms, and buried him in a hole near the place where Manga was. She was not quite through with her ugly work when she heard a noise and ran away. She met the man, who said : " I believe the girl has gone to the woods ; we need not trouble about her any more ; the lions and tigers will soon eat her up. Now I must go on board my ship, and when I come back I will take you with me."
The lady went into the house, and Manga came out of her hiding-place. She felt so weak that she could hardly stand, but before she left she kissed the ground where her dear little master was buried. She said : " Farewell, little angel," and ran into the woods. She preferred to stay with the wild animals than with the cruel mother.
After walking for some time as fast as she could, she stopped by a bayou in the wood, drank some water, and sat down to rest. She fell asleep, but soon she was awakened by loud talking. She saw some men standing around her, and among them was her master, who seemed to be very angry : " What are you doing here so far from my house ? I left you to take care of my little boy. I suppose you did something wrong and ran away." Manga did not reply anything, because she remembered the threats of the pirate. The master ordered his men to bring her back to his house, and he hastened to go home. He found his wife, who was weeping bitterly, and she said to him : " Oh ! what a dreadful misfortune ! Manga let Florimoad fall on his head, and our poor little boy is dead. I wanted to kill the negress, but she ran away, and I don't know where she is. If ever I catch her I will strangle her with my own hands."
When the poor man heard that his dear boy was dead, he fell in a swoon. They put him in bed, and he remained fifteen days delirious. During that time the lady said to Manga that she would kill her if she opened her mouth. She shut the girl in a cabin, and gave her nothing but bread and water.
At last Florimond's father got out of bed, but he would not be
journin pou so piti garçon. Comme Manga té dans prison so maite té pas oua H. Ein jou li tapé marché dans la cou, li gardé temps en temps la tombe so piti garçon et délarme coulé dans so zié. Nita tapé chanté on ein nabe a coté li et so chanson té si triste que pove nommé la senti plis triste que jamin. Ça té sembe li c'était Flori-mond qui tapé chanté, et li van ce coté la tombe la et gardé li longtemps. Tout d'ein coup pove popa la té croi li tapé rêvé, li oua qui-choge si drolle que plein moune va pas cré ça, mais si tant moune dit moin même nistoire la que mo cré li sire comme soleil apé claire. Quand madame la té terré ti garçon la li té pas gagnin temps couvri tout so corps et ein piti larnain té dehors, et c'était joli ti doigt la qui tapé remué comme si li tapé fait signe pou pelé quéquenne. Ti doigt la remué ein coté et lote coté et jamin fini pelé, nous capabe dit. Pove popa la enlevé la terre avec so lamain et découvri corps la. Li trouvé li fraîche comme si yé té sorti terré li, et li prend li dans so bras et porté li la maison. Li mette garçon la on litte et li frotté li si tant, que piti la réveillé. Popa la voyé cherché ein médecin qui commencé soignin li et qui dit li sré bientôt vive encore. Yé té pas gagnin danger pou so la vie, pasqué so latéte té pas cassé ; piti la té sélement dans targie et bientôt li sré bien encore. Ouéque jou après Florimond té apé galpé comme si pas arien té rivé, mais li jamin dit arien on so moman et nétranger la, et madame la laissé Manga sorti so prison. Moman Florimond té gagnin remor, li maigri tous les jou, et ein soi, maigre yé soignin li bien, li mouri. So dernier mots té : — Oh ! Bon Djié, pardonnin moin. Yé terré li dans tombe so ti garçon ; Pirate la jamin révini. Yé dit yé pende li
Après latnort so fame popa Florimond parti Nafrique et li vende pove Manga. Yé mette li a bord ein navire, et c'est comme ça li vini nesclave dans la Louisiane et li raconté moin nistoire ti doigt.
consoled, and he wept all day for his little boy. As Manga was still in her prison, her master did not see her, and did not think of her. One day as he was walking about in the yard, he looked from time to time at his dear boy's grave, and tears flowed from his eyes. In the mean time the Nita was singing on a tree near by, and its song was so sad that the poor man felt more sad than ever. It seemed to him it was his Florimond who was singing, and he came to the grave and looked at it a long time. All at once the poor father thought he was dreaming. He saw something that was so strange that many people will not believe it ; but so many people told me the same story, that I believe it is as sure as the sun is shining. When the lady had buried the little boy, she had not had time to cover the body completely, and one little hand was out of the grave, and it was the pretty little finger which was moving as if it was making a sign to call some one. The little finger moved on one side and then on the other, and never stopped beckoning, so to say. The poor father dug up the earth with his hand and uncovered the body. He found it as fresh as if it had just been buried, and he took it in his arms and carried it to the house. He put the boy on a bed and rubbed him so long that the child came back to consciousness. The father sent for a surgeon, who began to attend to the boy, and said that he would revive. There was no danger for his life, as the skull was not broken ; the child was only in a state of lethargy, and would soon be well again. Indeed, in a few days Florimond was running about as if nothing had happened, but he never said anything about his mother and the stranger, and the lady at last allowed Manga to leave her prison. Remorse had taken hold of Florimond' s mother ; she grew thinner every day, and one evening, in spite of the most tender care, she died. Her last words were, " Oh ! my God, forgive me ! " She was buried in the grave where her little boy had been ; and as to the pirate, he never came back. They say that he was hanged.
After his wife's death Florimond's father left Africa, and sold poor Manga. She was put upon a ship, and this is how she became a slave in Louisiana, and related to me the story of the little finger.
XXL STATIE ST. ANTOUÉNE.
Ein cordonnier dans ein piti la ville té gagnin ein belle fille. Ein jou li oua ein jéne nomme entré dans la maison coté so quenne et li vini amouré IL Li mandé so vie quisiniére ça li capabe fait pou fait jéne nomme lainmin IL Vie fame la conseillé li prié St. Antouène. Li fait li, mais pou arien.
— Pététe li sourd, dit quisiniére la, anon fait ein trou dans so zoreille.
Quand yé tapé seyé percé ein trou dans zoreille statie dibois la domestique nomme la jéne fille la té lainmin vini dans boutique. Li mandé dé fame yé ça yé tapé fait, Yé dit yé té oulé St. Antouène tende ein prière. Domestique la fait trou dans zoreille Statie la et li tende dehors pou tende prière jéne fille té si tant oulé mandé. Quand li tende jéne fille té apé mandé St. Antouène fait so voisin lainmin li, li couri raconté so maite nistoire la. Jéne nomme la té si flatté belle fille la té lainmin li que li vini amouré aussite et li marié fille la
XXII,
PITI GARÇONS ET GÉANTS.
En fois yavé dé ti garçons qui té vive dans ein lamaison avec fléve dréte derrière. Yé parent té défende yé couri au ras fléve, mais ein jou yé chappé et yé prend ein nesquif qui té dans fléve et yé commencé ramain, ramain, mô cré yé doite ramain des millions milles. Quand lé soi rivé yé té bien pair et yé té pas connin ou pou çouri. Yé oua ein lumière loin, loin, et en minme temps géants vini pou trappe yé. Yé monté on nabe, mais géants jisse soucouyé nabe la et pove garçon yé tombé. Géants yé porté yé dans yé la maison ou yé trouvé boucou lotte piti garçon. Yé te donnin yé mangé di-laite et digri pou yé vini gras, et tous les jou yé té tchui quéque ti garçon pou géants mangé.
Pas loin la maison géant yé yé té gagnin in vie fame qui té sorcière. Ein jou popa dé ti garçon yé qui té chappé vini coté la maison vie fame la avec so zamis et li mandé li si H pas oua so garçon.
XXL THE STATUE OF ST. ANTHONY.
A shoemaker in a small town had a beautiful daughter* One day she saw a young man enter the house next to hers, and she soon fell in love with him. She asked her old cook what she could do to be . loved by the young man. The old woman advised her to pray to St. Anthony. She did so, but without effect
" Perhaps he is deaf," said the cook; "let us make a hole in his ears."
When they were trying to bore a hole in the ears of the wooden statue, the servant of the young man whom the girl loved came into the shop. He asked the two women what they were doing. They said they wanted St. Anthony to hear a prayer. The servant made the holes in the ears of the statue and waited at the door outside to hear what was the request the young girl was so anxious to ask. As soon as he heard that the young girl was asking St. Anthony to obtain for her the love of her neighbor, he ran to his master and related the story to him. The latter felt so much flattered by the love of the beautiful girl that he fell in love with her, in his turn, and married her.
XXII. THE LITTLE BOYS AND THE GIANTS.
Once upon a time there were two little boys who lived in a house not far from a river. Their parents had forbidden them to go near the river ; but one day they ran away, and, taking a skiff which was in the river, they rowed and rowed. I believe they rowed millions of miles. When night came they were very much afraid, and did not know where to go* While they were looking at a light far away the giants came to catch them. They climbed upon a tree, but the giants merely shook the tree and the poor boys fell down. They were carried to the house of the giants, where they found many other little boys. They were all fed on milk and hominy, that they might grow fat, and every day a few of the little boys were cooked and eaten by the giants.
Not far from the house of the giants lived an old woman who was a witch. One day the father of the two little boys who had run away came to the old woman's house with his friends, and asked her
Li réponde yé té dans la maison a coté divant qui yé té gagnin ein caillou pas plis grand que ein piti canique. Nomme yé couri coté la maison la mais yé trouvé que caillou la té tournin ein lapierre grand comme ein lamontagne. Yé té gagnin boucou tracas pou oté lapierre la et ouvri la porte, mais yé entré dans la maison la, ye tchué géants yé et yé raminnin piti garçon yé.
XXIII.
NOMME QUI TOURNIN ZOZO.
Ein fois yavé ein madame qui té gagnin douze piti, onze garçon, et ein fille. Pove madame la mouri et so mari marié avec ein lotte madame qui té ein sorcière et qui té bien méchant. Dans la journin li té fait onze piti garçon yé tournin zozo et révini nomme lésoi. Fille la li fait li tournin négresse pou tout temps. So popa té pas capabe réconnaite li et li mette li dehors. Sorcière la té fait tout ça piti so mari, pasqué li té oulé li donnin so quenne piti so fortine.
Quand yé mette pove fille la dehors li couri joinde so frère yé et li dit ça yé té fait li. Yé dit lendemain matin yé sré minnin li dans lote pays. Yé fait ein litte avec feille, et lendemin, quand yé té zozo encore chaquenne prend ein boutte litte avec yé bec et yé voltigé avec yé sére loin dans lotte pays. Yé raénin li dans ein bois et bâti li ein joli ti cabane. Alors ein jou ein vie sorcière passé coté cabane la et quand li oua jéne fille la H mandé li ça li tapé fait tout séle la. Jéne fille conté ça so belle-mère té fait li, et alors vie fame la dit H comme ça li connin ein moyen pou fait so frère resté nomme tout temps. Li sré gagnin pou fait ein chimise pou chaquenne so frère yé, mais faut pas li coude chimise yé, jisse tissé yé, et faut pas li parlé anvant tous chimise yé sré prête. Ça prend li longtemps pou fait louvrage la, et quand li té gagnin jisse ein lamanche pou fini on dernier chimise la, so belle-mère vini connin ou li té et li fait rété li pasqué li dit li té sorcière. Yé tapé minnin li dans prison dans ein vie charrette, alors so ouze frère yé vini voltigé autour charrette la. Li jette tout suite chimise layé on yé et yé tournin nomme encore et fait descende yé sére. Par exemple quand li jeté chimise la qui té gagnin jisse ein lamanche fini, frère la, qui té trouvé gagnin chimise la, resté tout so lavie avec ein zélé zozo pou so bras.
if she had seen his boys. She replied that they were in the house near by, before the door of which was a pebble not larger than a small marble. The men went to the house, but found that the pebble had become a rock as big as a mountain. They had much trouble in putting aside the rock and opening the door, but at last they entered the house, killed the giants, and brought back their little boys.
XXIII. THE MEN WHO BECAME BIRDS.
Once upon a time there was a lady who had twelve children, — eleven boys and one girl. The poor lady died, and her husband married again. His second wife was a witch, who was very bad. In the daytime she changed the eleven boys into birds, and allowed them to take their human form only at night. As to the girl, she changed her into a negress. Her father did not know her any more, and put her out of his house. The witch treated her husband's children in that way because she wanted him to leave his money to her own children.
When the poor girl was put out of her father's house, she went to see her brothers and told them what had happened to her. They said that the next morning they would take her to another country* They made a bed with leaves ; and the next day, when they were birds again, each one took hold of the bed in his beak, and they carried their sister far away into another country. They placed her in a forest, and built a pretty little hut for her. One day an old witch passed by the hut, and when she saw the young girl she asked her what she was doing there. The poor girl related her story, and the witch told her she would tell her how to make her brothers remain men all the time. She must make a shirt for each one of her brothers, and not sew the shirts but weave them, and stay without speaking until the shirts were ready. It took her a long time to do the work ; and when she was nearly through, — only one sleeve was missing to one shirt, — her stepmother found out where she was and had her arrested as a witch. They were taking her in a cart to prison when her eleven brothers came flying around the cart. She immediately threw the shirts over them, and they became men again and rescued their sister. As one of the shirts had only one sleeve, the brother who had received that shirt had all his life, instead of an arm, a bird's wing.
XXIV.
EIN BON TI DOMESTIQUE.
Ein fois yavé ein michié qui té bien riche et bien bon. So fame té tout temps dit li té malade et li té besoin tout sorte drôle réméde que so mari té gagnin pou couri chercher pou li. Fame la té fait ça pou so mari sorti so chimin et pou li capabe gaspiller so largent. Ein jou li dit faut li gagnin dolo lamer ou la mouri. Michié la té gagnin ein ti domestique yé té pelé Ti Margot et qui toujou couri voyagé avec li. Michié la parti cherché dolo lamer, mais li pas minnin Ti Margot fois cila, et ti domestique la oua ça so, maîtresse tapé fait avec largent so mari. Li té oulé donnin ein grand bal et ein grand souper. Ti Margot couri dit so maite ça li té oua et li mandé li laissé li trappe li. Yé révini sans personne connin, et Ti Margot dit domestique yé suive li et fait ça la dit yé. Li mette so maite dans grand panier et H caché dans panier la boucou fouette. Pendant bal la Ti Margot vini dans la salle la avec dé nommes qui tapé porté panier la, et lotte domestique yé. Maîtresse la et so ninvité té cré c'était quéque joli cadeau et yé vancé coté panier la pou oua. Alorse tout suite Ti Margot dit : — Ala mo maite révini, et li prend fouette yé dans panier la et li donnin yé so maite et domestique yé, et yé batte raide ninvité yé et madame la. Michié la mette so fame dihors et li dit li : — To pas besoin dolo lamer pou guéri toi.
XXV. CORBEILLE FLÈRE.
Ein fois yavé eîn ti fille yé té pelé Marie ; li té pas gagnin parents ditout, li té resté avec so vie grand-père. Li couri prend ein place pou travaille chez moune qui té bien méchant, et moune la yé té gagnin ein pie voleuse. Ein jou pie voleuse la volé ein bague qui té on la fenêtre ; alorse quand yé manqué bague la yé acquise Marie, et yé prend li et mette li dans prison. Pendant li té dans prison yé fait li plein boucou lamisère et yé batte li pou fait li dit c'était li qui té voie bague la.
So pove grand-père té crié tout la journin et li té couri la prison
XXIV,
THE GOOD LITTLE SERVANT.
There was once a gentleman who was very rich and very good. His wife always pretended to be sick and needed all kinds of extraor* dinaTy remedies, which her husband had to go and get for her. The woman did that to get her husband out of the way and to be abie to squander his money. One day she said she must have some sea water or she would die. The gentleman had a little servant called Little Margot, who always went with him on his journeys. When the gentleman went to get the sea water, Little Margot was left behind and saw what the mistress was doing with her husband's money. She was preparing to give a great ball and a great supper. Little Margot went to tell his master what he had seen, and asked him to let him act. They came back secretly to the house, and Little Margot told all the servants to follow him and do whatever he would order them. He put his master in a large basket and hid in the basket a number of whips. During the ball Little Margot came m the dancing-hall with two men carrying the basket, and followed by the other servants. The mistress and her guests thought it was some fine present and crowded around the basket. All at once Little Margot said : " Here is my master come back ; " and taking the whips from the basket, he gave them to the servants and to his master,, who whipped the giiests and the lady unmercifully. The gentleman put his wife out of his house, and said to her : " You do not need any sea water now to cure you."
XXV. THE BASKET OF FLOWERS.
There was once a little girl called Marie ; she had no parents»-but lived with her old grandfather. She went to work for some people who were very wicked, and those people had a magpie. One day the magpie stole a ring which was on the window ; and now when the ring was missed Marie was accused of the theft, and she was taken and sent to prison. While she was in prison she was treated very badly, and they beat her to make her say it was she who had stolen the ring.
Her poor grandfather used to cry all day lotog, and he went to the
oua li Dernier jou la que yé té gagnin pou jiger Marie yé dit yé sré voyé li la pénitentiaire, Li sitant prié la Sainte Vierge que jou la yé té donnin li so sentence, yé scié ein nabe dans la cou madame et dans cré nabe la yé trouvé bague la.
Quand madame la trouvé so bague li couri dans prison la et li dit li trouvé li. %o blié dit vouzote que quand Marie té sîtant prié la Sainte Vierge li té promette li, si yé té lâché li li sré couri dans bois chercher pli belle flère layé li sré capabe trouvé, Alorse, quand madame la tende connin promesse la Marie té fait la Sainte Vierge, li fait ein corbeille avec plis belle flère layé li té capabe trouvé dans so jardin, et li donnin li ein ti la maison pou li et so grand-popa resté.
XXVL JEAN DES POIS VERTS.
Ein vie négue yé té pelé Jean des Pois Verts té vive dans ein cabane coté palais lé roi Comme yé tapé volé tout ti poulet lé roi li té oulé sauvé so dézoi et li mandé Jean ou pou mette yé. Jean té bien content, et dézoi diparaite même manière que ti poulet yé. Lé roi mandé Jean ou pou caché so largent et Jean dit li pou mette so lor ou li té mette so dézoi Lor disparaite aussite. Voisin yé alorse persiadé lé roi que c'était Jean qui té volé li, et lé roi couri avec so soldat pou rété vie nomme la. Jean té connin ça yé té allé fait et li mette on so Iatabe ein dézoi avec pièce lor en bas so lézaille. Quand lé roi vini Jean montré li dézoi la et li dit li, si li jamin besoin largent dézoi la sré donnin li, si li joué violon. Roi acheté dézoi la, mais quand li oua coman Jean té trompé li, îi fait mette li dans ein sac pou yé jette li dans fléve* Nomme yé qui tapé porté sac la soulé yé même et pi quitté Jean in moment on chimin. Li tende ein berger apé vini avec so troupeau et li commencé crié li pas oulé marié fille lé roi Berger la prend place Jean dans sac la pou marié fille lé roi, et vie négue parti couri avec mouton yé. Lé roi contré Jean, et Jean dit li li té trouvé mouton yé et lor la au fond larivière.
Lé roi jeté li même dans fléve et li neyé li même. Pove roi qui té béte, li té quitté ein palais pou sauté dans fléve.
prison to see her. On the last day before she was to be tried, they said she would be sent to the penitentiary. She prayed so much to the Holy Virgin that on the very day when judgment was passed upon her, they sawed a tree in the yard of the lady, and in the hollow of the tree they found the ring.
When the lady found the ring she went to the prison and said that she had found it I forgot to tell you that when Marie prayed so much to the Holy Virgin she made a vow that if she would be freed, she would go to the woods and get the most beautiful flowers she could find. Now, when the lady heard of Mark's vow, she filled a basket with the finest flowers she could find in her garden, and she gave her a little house for herself and her grandfather.
XXVI.
JOHN GREEN PEAS.
An old negro, called John Green Peas, lived in a cabin by the king's palace. As all the chickens of the king were being stolen he wanted to save his geese, and he asked John to tell him where to put them. John was delighted, and the geese disappeared in the same way as the chickens. The king asked John to tell him where to put his money, and John told him to put his gold where he had put the geese. The gold disappeared also. The neighbors then convinced the king that John was the robber, and the king went with his guards to arrest the old man. John knew what was going on, and he placed on his table a goose with gold coin under its wings. When the king arrived John showed him the goose, and told him that whenever he needed money the goose would give him some, if he played on the fiddle. The king bought the goose ; but when he saw how John had deceived him, he had him put into a bag to be thrown into the river. The men who were carrying the bag got drunk and left John for some time in the road. He heard a shepherd coming with his flock, and he began crying that he would not marry the king's daughter. The shepherd took John's place in the bag, in order to marry the king's daughter, and the old man went away with the sheep. The king met John, and the latter told him that he had found the sheep and the gold at the bottom of the river.
^ The king threw himself into the river and was drowned. Poor simple king, to leave a palace to jump into the river*
XXVII. EIN POVE TI GARÇON.
Yé té gagnin ein fois ein fame qui té coutime dit H té pove et li té pas gagnin arien pou manger. Tous les jou so mari té couri travaille et souvent so lestomac té vide. Ein jou ein ti garçon vini frappé on laporte madame la et li mandé li si li té capabe entré pou chauffé liméme, et si li oulé donnin li mangé et couché. Fame la refusé et li dit li pas gagnin difé, pas arien pou manger et pou coucher.
Ti garçon la té bien fâché, mais li couché par terre divant cabane la et li oua dans lafente laporte tout ça yé fait dans cabane la, Li oua fame la limin ein grand difé, fait biscuit, tchui cochon, et li oua ein nomme qui té cache dans lachambe sorti et vini chauffer coté difé.
— Ah ! Ah ! dit ti garçon la, ala pouquoi li pas laissé moin entré dans la maison la. Quand so mari pas la li fait bal. Lapé laissé moin mouri faim et frette dihors, mais la payé moin ça.
Ein ti moment après ça fame la tende marcher, et comme li pensé c'était so mari, li caché cochon la dans garde manger, biscuit yé en bas ein tamis et nomme la en bas litte. Quand mari la rivé li oua ti garçon la couché par terre qui tapé gelé, et li dit li : — Qui ça tapé fait la, pouquoi to pas chez toi ? To pas mandé mo fame entrer. Nous pove, mais nous sré toujou trouvé ein ti coin pou toi.
— Mo pas chez moin pasqué mo pas gagnin popa ni lamaison, mo pas chez vous, pasqué vous fame dit moin ya pas place pou moin.
— Vini avec moin ; mo fame va changé nidée.
Li prend ti garçon la et li fait li entrer. So fame té ^tonnin oua so mari avec ti garçon la, et li té pair li té oua ça yé té fait dans cabane et li té couri conter ça so mari. Mais mari la té gagnin l'air tranquille et li dit li li té content oua li trouvé quéque morceau dibois pou fait difé, pasqué yé fait bien frette et li mandé si li gagnin souper pou li. Li dit non, alorse mari la tiré ein dipain dans so sac et ti dit li pas travaille boucou et c'était tout ça li té capabe porter. Li partagé dipain la en trois morceaux, pou li, so fame et ti garçon la.
Chaquenne mangé so dipain, et quand yé té fini mari la dit : — Anon conter conte pou passer temps anvant nous couri coucher.
XXVII. A POOR LITTLE BOY.
There was once a woman who used to say that she was poor and had nothing to eat. Every day her husband went to work, and often with an empty stomach. One day a little boy knocked at the woman's door and asked her if he could come in to warm himself, and if she would give him something to eat and a place to sleep. But the woman refused, and she said she had no fire, nothing to eat, and no place for him to sleep.
The little boy was very sorry, but he lay down on the ground in front of the cabin, and he saw through a crevice in the door all that was being done in the cabin. He saw the woman light a big fire, make biscuits, cook a pig, and he saw a man, who was hidden in the room, come out and warm himself by the fire.
" Ah ! ah ! " said the little boy ; " that is why she did not let me come into the house. When her husband is not there she has a high time. She is letting me die of hunger and cold outside, but she will pay for that."
A little while later the woman heard some one walking ; and as she thought it was her husband, she hid the pig in the cupboard, the biscuits under a sieve, and the man under the bed. When the husband arrived he saw the little boy lying on the ground freezing, and he said to him : "What are you doing there? Why are you not at home ? Did you not ask my wife to let you come in ? We are poor, but we would always find a little corner for you."
" I am not at home, because I have no father and no home. I am not-at your house, because your wife told me there was no room for me.
* Come with me ; my wife will change her mind."
He took the little boy, and made him come in ; his wife was astonished to see her husband with the little boy, and she was afraid that he had seen what had happened in the house and had told her husband. But the husband appeared very quiet, and he told lier that he was glad to see that she had found some pieces of wood to make a fire, because it was very cold, and he asked her if she had any supper for him. She said no ; then her husband drew out a loaf of bread from his sack and said he had not had much work, and that was all he was able to bring. He divided the bread into three shares, — for him, his wife, and the little boy.
Each one ate his bread, and when they were through, the husband said: "Let us relate stories as a pastime before we go to bed."
— Bon, dit fame la, pasqué li té connin conte té fait so mari dromi et li sré capabe fait nomme la chappé qui en bas so litte.
— Eh bien, dit mari la, commencé premier, ti garçon, pasqué c'est toi qui plis jéne.
— Mo pas connin conte, dit ti garçon la, Mo popa té toujou dit moin dit la vérité, mo pas connin conte, mais mo connin des vérités.
— Dis-nous vérités, alorse, dit mari la.
— Eh bien dit ti garçon la, mo connin yé na biscuit en bas tamis la, laviande cochon dans garde manger et ein nomme en bas litte,
— Ça c'est pas vrai, dit fame la, qui tapé tremblé pair. Na pas arien ditout.
— Anon gardé toujou, dit mari la, et li trouvé biscuit yé, cochon la et nomme la.
Mari la té si colère oua so fame té trompé H que li mette li dehors avec nomme la, qui té pas oulé li, pasqué si li trompé ein nomme, li capabe trompé ein lotte. Li mouri frette dans bois. Mari la prend ti garçon la pou resté avec li et li té cré li té ein zombi, pasqué li té pas dit li coman li té connin ça li té dit.
" All right/' said the woman, because she knew that stories made her husband go to sleep, and she would be able to make the man escape who was hidden under the bed.
" Well," said the husband, " commence first, little boy, because you are the youngest."
"I do not know any stories," said the little boy. "My father always told me to tell the truth. I do not know any stories, but I know some true things."
"Tell us true things, then," said the husband,
" Well," said the little boy, " I know there are biscuits under the sieve, pig's meat in the cupboard, and a man under the bed."
"That is not true," said the woman, who was trembling with fright. "There is nothing at all."
" Let us look, nevertheless," said the husband ; and he found the biscuits, the pig, and the man.
The husband was so angry to see that his wife had deceived him that he put her out with the man, who did not want her, because, if she deceived one man, she might deceive another. She died of cold in the wood. The husband took the little boy to stay with him ; and he thought he was a sorcerer, because the boy did not tell him how he found out what he had said.
NOTES.
PART I. ANIMAL TALES,
I. Thâ Elephant and the Whale. — This tale is evidently of African origin ; in ** Fables Sénégalaises, recueillies de l'ouolof et mises en vers français, par le baron Roger, Firmin Didot, 1828 " (lent me by Professor Gerber), we see in Fable IL, "Le Chacal, l'Eléphant et l'Hippopotame," nearly the same plot as in the Louisiana tale : the jackal borrows an ox from the elephant, and promises one as large as the elephant in return. He does likewise with the hippopotamus. He gives the end of a rope to each one, and says : u Your ox is at the end, pull." They pull, and not being able to move one another, go and see what it is, and meet.
In Baron Roger's Fable III., " Le lapin qui se revêt de la peau d'une gazelle," the same stratagem is used by the rabbit as at the end of the " Elephant and the Whale." In Ouolof Bouki means the hyena, and is always a dupe, as the Compair Bouki of our Louisiana tale.
Informant, Dorlis Aguillard, colored man, 157 Thalia Street, New Orleans.
IL Compair Taureau and Jean Malin. — The motives in this story are to be found in many folk-lore tales, but our Louisiana tale is, nevertheless, interesting, and is full of local color; for instance, when the boy states that " he was born when the peach-trees were in bloom, the year the snow fell ; " snow is so seldom seen in Louisiana that the date of a snowstorm is as easy to remember as the day of the battle of New Orleans, " la guerre Jackson," say the old negroes.
Jean Malin and Jean Sotte are as famous in folk-lore tales as Compair Lapin and Compair Bouki.
Informant, Dorlis Aguillard, 157 Thalia Street, New Orleans.
III. Compair Lapin and the Earthworm. — The beginning of this story is graceful and poetic, and proves that negroes observe and love nature. The poor little earthworm, helpless, while all other animals are joyous and moving about, appeals to the Devil, and tacitly sells himself to him. The elephant, carrying the trunk of the tree, and the rabbit, sitting on a branch among the leaves, and pretending to work, is a common incident in folk-lore.
Informant, Dorlis Aguillard, 157 Thalia Street, New Orleans.
IV. Çompair Lapin and Compair VOurs. — This is a variant of the well-known story of the keg of butter (see No. XI IL, "Compair Lapin's Godchild "). The incident of the boat stage and the way Rabbit escapes are curious and original. I have not seen them in any other folk-tale.
Informant, Julia, little negress, 7 Prytania Street, New Orleans.
V. The Irishman and the Frogs. — This story is much better in the original dialect than in English, and is based on a play of words. " Brum " for " rum," and "jou" for French "genou," knee.
Informant, Julia, 7 Prytania Street, New Orleans.
V. Compair Lapin and Madame Carencro. — We like to find a reason for everything which appears strange to us in nature ; and primitive people, especially,
are very ingenious in discovering what they consider to be the cause of an anomaly in animals and plants. They explain just as well how the tortoise lost his tail as how Madame Carencro became bald.
Informant, Julia, 7 Prytania Street, New Orleans.
VII. Compair Lapin and Mr. Turkey, — In this story Compair Lapin is not as cunning as usual, and we can hardly believe that he acted as foolishly as Compair Bouki would have done. The tale is genuine negro folk-lore, as is evidenced by the exact knowledge of the habit of turkeys sleeping on their perches.
Informant, Julia, 7 Prytania Street, New Orleans.
VIII. Compair Bouki and the Monkey*. — The monkey, in our Louisiana stories, is often a dupe. He is, however, more cunning than Boaki, whose stratagems always fail in the end. Here we have words supposed to indicate the language of the monkeys and of Bouki, and it is interesting to see a negro imitate an animal in his stories.
Informant, an old negro at la Vacherie, St. James Parish.
IX. Mr, Monkey, the Bridegroom. — Mr. Monkey here shares the fate of poo* Bouki, who is so often deceived by his friend, Compair Lapin. Mr. Monkey is not happier in his love affairs than Mr. Bull in No. II.
Informant, Méranthe, colored nurse, Hospital Street, New Orleans.
X. The Tortoise. — This is an amusing story, and it shows that the tortoise deserves to share with the fox and the rabbit the reputation of being the most cunning animals. Here the tortoise deceives the boy with as much ease as it deceived the deer in the celebrated race for the hand of Mamzelle Calinda.
Informant, Julia, 7 Prytania Street, New Orleans.
XI. Compair &ouki, Compair Lapin, and the Birds 1 Eggs. — The way Bouki finds out what Lapin is cooking in his kettle, and the scraping off the pieces from his teeth by his mother, are typical of the negro mind, rude, but at the same time droll and cunning. When the birds ask Bouki if he has eaten their eggs, he is proud of what he has done, and acknowledges it with blind conceit and foolish boldness.
Informant, Julia, 7 Prytania Street, New Orleans.
XII. The Dog and the Tiger. — Here we have an explanation of why dogs are not afraid of wild beasts, and the story belongs to the class of No. VI., " Compair Lapin and Madame Carencro." The killing of the deer and the reply to the lion prove that it is not only at present that the "reason of the strongest is always the. best."
Informant, old negro at la Vacherie.
XIII. Compair LapwCs Godchild. — In M. Cosquin's "Contes populaires de Lorraine," we see No. 54, " Le Loup et le Renard," in which the incident of the butter is nearly the same as in our Louisiana story. The end, however, of out No. XIII. is like that of the " Tar Baby," and not like that of the French tale from Lorraine. In his notes, M. Cosquin mentions a large number of variants in different countries, which correspond very closely with the Louisiana tale, the names of the children being nearly identical. Our No. IV., u Compair Lapin and Compair POurs," is also a variant of our No. XIII.
Informant, old negro from la Vacherie.
XIV. Miss Mockingbird, Mr. Mockingbird, and Mr. Owl. — The stratagem by which Miss Mockingbird keeps alive the lover whom she prefers is interesting, ,and we pity the poor deluded owl. To appreciate this story one must hear it recited, or rather sung.
Informant, old negro from la Vacherie.
XV. Marriage of Compair Lapin. — This story may be «aid to be a continuation of "Ti Bonhomme Godron" (" The Tar Baby "), published by me in my
gô Noies.
"Bits of Louisiana Folk-Lore" (1888), and reproduced in the appendix to this book. The number of characters introduced, and the various incidents, render the " Marriage of Compair Lapin " the most interesting in my collection. The incidem about Jupiter and the dogs, although a little coarse, is amusing and quaint, and the stratagem by which King Lion is defeated is ingenious and worthy of Compair Lapin's fertile brain. Master Fox appears in the tale, but he is no match for Compair Lapin, whom he finds to be no Isengrimus, the Wolf. Informant, Dorlis Aguillard, 157 Thalia Street, New Orleans.
PART II. MARCHEN.
XVI. King Peacock. — This story is pretty and naive. The daughter submits so gently to her fate that we are glad to hear King Peacock ask her in marriage. She accepts him on the spot, and her dream is realized. The incident of the red seeds is common to a number of tales.
Informant, old negro from la Vacherie.
XVIL The Singing Bones. — This is a variant of a story found everywhere.
Informant, old negress, 77 Esplanade Avenue.
XVIII. Jean Sotte. — This story might have been included among the animal tales, as Compair Lapin is one of the personages, and gives such good advice to Jean Sotte. The riddle is a reminiscence of classic mythology ; and Jean Sotte's reply about bull's milk, although a little coarse, is very appropriate and reminds us of a peculiar custom referred to in " Aucassin et Nicoléte."
Informant, Dorlis Aguillard, 127 Thalia Street
XIX. The DeviFs Marriage. — The incident of the obstacles thrown in the way of the pursuer are common to many stories. M. Cosquin gives " Le Sifflet Enchanté," " L'Oiseau Vert," " La Chatte Blanche," " Le Prince et son Cheval," in which are found some of the incidents of the " DeviFs marriage." The warning of the old woman to take dirty eggs and not clean ones belongs essentially to folklore, and the women hanging in the closet ^is a motive of the Blue Beard type. Climbing up the pole to catch the pumpkin has a local color peculiar to Louisiana, and the ingratitude to the old horse is another incident often found in folk-tales.
Informant, old negro at la Vacherie.
XX. The Little Finger. — This story gives the tradition of the negroes about the way they left Africa, and about life in that country. The little bird, Nita, must be their African mocking-bird, and the part it plays in the tale is graceful and poetic. The real folk-lore incident is the little finger left unburied and calling for help ; this is of the type of the singing bones. The whole story shows the lively imagination and somewhat poetic fancy of the negroes.
Informant, Dorlis Aguillard, 127 Thalia Street.
XXL The Statue of St. Anthony. — This is a pretty and naïve tale. We take an interest in the faith of the young girl in St. Anthony, and we are glad to see that the statue at last granted her prayer.
Informant, Félicie, colored woman who had lived for some time in Mexico.
XXI I. The Little Boys and the Giants. — We have here a variant of the " Petit Poucet " story. The incident of the pebble changed into a rock is common to folk-tales.
Informant, old negress, 77 Esplanade Avenue.
XXII I. The Men who became Birds. — This is a variant of one of the tales in the « Seven Wise Men.j' The local color is the girl changed into a negress.
Informant, old negress, Jj Esplanade Avenue.
XXIV. The Good Little Servant This is a story of the type of the çood
servant and the bad servant. The incident of the master and the whips hidden in a basket and brought into the ballroom is amusing* Informant, Julia, 7 Prytania Street.
XXV. The Basket of Flowers. — The incident in this story common to folktales is the object stolen by a bird and found in the hollow of a tree.
Informant, old negress, 77 Esplanade Avenue.
XXVI. John Green Peas* — The incidents of the goose laying gold coin and of the shepherd taking John's place in the bag are to be found in numberless folk-tales. M. Cosquin has of this type the following stories : " René et son Seigneur," " Richedeau," " Le Roi et ses Fils," " L'Homme au Pois."
Informant, Félicie, colored woman.
XXVII. A Poor Little Boy. — This story is of the type of the deceitful wife, and has a moral end.
Informant, Julia, 7 Prytania Street
APPENDIX.
I. The Tar Baby (Piti Bonhomme Godron).
BoNNEFOii Bonnefoi; Lapin, Lapin !
I am going to relate to you something which is very funny, as you are going to see, and which happened a long time ago !
When the animals had the earth for themselves and there were yet but few people, God ordered them not to eat each other, not to destroy each other, but said that they might eat the grass with all kinds of fruits that there were on the earth. That was better, because they were all His creatures and it pained Him when they killed each other ; but as quickly as they would eat the grass and fruits, He, God, would take pleasure to make them grow again to please them. But they did not obey the Master ! Mr. Lion began by eating sheep, the dogs ate rabbits, the serpents ate the little birds, the cats ate rats, the owls ate chickens. They began to eat each other, they would have destroyed each other, if God had not put a stop to all that ! He sent a great drought to punish their cruelty. It was a thing which was funny, nevertheless, as you are going to see.
There was smoke in the air, as when they burn cotton stalks ; it looked as if there was a light mist. After sunset, the heaven remained red like fire. The sea, the rivers, the lakes, all began to fall, to fall ; all fell at the same time, until there was not a drop of water remaining. Neither did the dew fall early in the morning to moisten the grass. Ah ! I tell you, my friends, all animals found themselves in a great trouble. They were roaming about everywhere ; their tongues were hanging out ; they became thin, thin. — There was among them a doctor who was called Mr. Monkey ; he was half wizard, half voudou. They said he knew a great deal, but he was a big talker, and did very little. He said to the other animals that it was because they had made so many sins that God sent them all these misfortunes to punish them ; that if there were any among them who wanted to pay, he would pray to make the rain fall. He had already succeeded very often when he asked for sorne-
Note, — The first ten stories are reprinted from my Bits of Louisiana Folk-Lore (Transactions Modern Language Association of America, 1888).
thing ; God in heaven always listened to his prayer. There was also a famous thief there; it was Mr. Fox, who ate all the chickens there were in the neighborhood. He said to the other animals :
" Don't you listen to Dr. Monkey ; he is a d rascal ; he will
take your money without giving you anything for it I know him, he is a rascal ; you will have no rain at all ! It is better that we should dig a well ourselves. We need not count upon anything else. Lçt us go ! hurrah ! right off, if you are all like me, for I am very thirsty." Then Dr. Monkey told him: "I think indeed that you
are hungry, you d pirate; now that you have finished eating
all the chickens there were here, you are coming to play the braggart here." Mr, Fox told him : " You are a liar ; you know very well that the owls, the polecats, and the weasels are eating all the chickens, and you come and say it is I. You know that if there
is a thief here, it is you, you d prayer merchant." — All the
other animals, tigers, lions, wolves, elephants, crocodiles, serpents, were running about to look for water. They had all assembled to hear the dispute of Dr. Monkey and Mr. Fox.
I must tell you that if a hog grunts, a dog barks, a wolf howls, a cow bellows, each kind of animal has its own language. A tiger or an elephant or a lion cannot speak the language of another animal, each one speaks his own language ; but when they are together, they all understand each other—the hog which grunts understands the dog which barks. It is not like us men; if a German comes to speak with a Frenchman or an American, he will not understand, any more than if an Englishman were to speak with a Spaniard who does not understand English. We men are obliged to learn the language of other nations, if we want to converse with them. Animals are not at all like that ; they understand each other as if they spoke the same language. Well, I must tell you that Mr. Fox pretended that if there was such a drought, the rain not having fallen for a year, so that all the grass was parched up, and the trees had lost their leaves, and there were neither flowers nor fruits, it was because there were no clouds in the heaven to give water, and not a prayer could make the rain fall. "AH the water has gone into the ground ; we must dig a large well in order to have water to drink* Listen to me, my friends, and we shall find water."
Lion, who was the king, opened his mouth. He roared, the earth shook, he spoke so loud ! He beat his sides with his tail, and it made a noise like a big drum in a circus. All the other animals lay flat on the ground. He said : " By the very thunder, the first fellow who will speak to me about prayers, I shall give him something which will make him know me. I am a good fellow ; when did I ever eat another animal ? It is a lie, and I say that the little
lawyer Fox is a fine little fellow. He is right, we must: dig a well to have water immediately. Come here, Compair Bourriquet (Donkey), it is you who have the finest voice here ; when you speak, it is like a soldier's trumpet. You will go everywhere to notify all animals that I, the king, I say that they must come to dig up and scratch the earth, that we may have water. And those that don't want to work, you will report them. You will come right off that I may compel them to do their share of the work or pay some other animal to do it."
Bourriquet was so glad he was to act as a newspaper, that he began to bray so loud that it was enough to render anybody deaf. — " Depart, depart/' said the king, " or I shall strike you." Then Bourriquet reared, and thought he was doing something nice, he was so proud that the king had confidence in him, and then that gave him the opportunity to order the other animals to come, in the name of Lion, the king. On starting, he put down his head, then he kicked half a dozen times with both feet, and made a noise which was as if you were tearing up a piece of cotonnade. That is his way of saluting the company, when he is glad.
Now, all the animals which he met, he told them, that if they did not come immediately to dig up and scratch the ground to make a well, surely King Lion would eat them up. They were all so much afraid, that they all came, except Compair Lapin, who was gnawing a little piece of dry grass. — " Don't listen to what I tell you, remain there, and don't come right off, you will see what the king
will do with you." — "I don't care a d for you and the king
together ; come both of you, you will see how 111 fix you. You may go to the devil. Do I drink ? Where did I ever use water ? Surely, that is something new to me. You are a fool, donkey that you are, I never drink, a rabbit never drinks. My father and my grandfather did not know how to drink, and as I am a real rabbit, I don't use water. Never did a rabbit have little ones without ears, you hear. If any one heard you he might believe that I am a bastard. Go away, you big ears ; for if I take my whip, I shall show you your road, and make you trot faster than you ever galloped in your life. If you knew me as I know you, you would not have stopped here, surely."
Bourriquet saw that he could do nothing, so he went away ; but he was not as proud as when he started to tell all animals that the king ordered them to come to work. As soon as he arrived near the king, he said : " Master, I went on all your errands, I saw all the animals in the world, only Compair Lapin does not want to listen to reason. He says he does not need water, let those who need it look for it. Besides, if you are not satisfied, he will make you trot You
Appendix. loi
have no right to command him, he is free, free as air ; he has no master, none but God." — When the king heard that, he told Tiger, who was there, to go with the Bear to arrest Compair Lapin and bring him here. " Take care you don't eat him on the way, for if you do, I '11 give you such a beating as you never had before. You bear ? Well, go." — They started, and travelled a good while before they arrived. During this time, all the animals were working hard, each one had his share of the work, and they had even left a big piece as Compair Lapin's task and that of the two who had gone to arrest him. They looked everywhere : in the prairie, on the mountain ; at last they fell on Compair Lapin, who was eating the root of a cocklebur which was full of water. You know that rabbits know how to dig up the earth and find water below, in the roots of plants.
At the same moment when they arrived near him, Compair Lapin was singing a little song which he had made about the king. He said in it that the king was a fool, and did not know how to govern, for his wife had many husbands, and he was laughing to himself, and that perhaps, after they finished to dig that well, the king would make all the animals pay taxes to drink the water from the well they had dug with their sweat. I am not so foolish, I am not going to work for that fellow ! Let the others do it, if they are fools, I don't care any more for the king than a dog for Sunday. Tra la la, etc., . . . The tiger approached without making any noise, and then he said ; " Good morning, Compair Lapin, I ask your, pardon, if I disturb you, but I don't do it on purpose ; the king has ordered me to arrest you, I must obey him. You know that the weak must submit to the strong ; this is why I advise you not to resist, because the Bear and I will be obliged to eat you. Take my advice, come quietly, perhaps you will come out all right ! Your mouth is honeyed, you will get Mr. Fox to defend you ; he is a good little lawyer and does not charge dear ! Come, let us go."
When Compair Lapin saw that he could not do otherwise, he let the officers of the king arrest him. They put a rope around his neck, and they started. When they were near the dwelling of the king, they met Dr. Monkey on the way. He said : " Compair Lapin, I think you are a pupil of Mr. Fox, you will have to pay for it ; you are gone up, my old felloe. How are you now ? Don't you feel something getting cold within you ? That will teach you to read the newspaper and meddle in politics on Sundays, instead of going quietly to mass ! "
Compair Lapin answered briefly : " I don't care a d for anything you say, old Monkey ! And then, you know, he who must die, must submit to his fate. Just hush up, you rascal ! You are trying
to injure me, but perhaps you will be the loser ; I have not given tip all hope ; perhaps, before long, you will be in trouble. Each one his chance, that is all I have to tell you." — At last they arrived at a big tree which had been thrown down by the wind, and where the king was seated. The Tiger and the Bear, the two officers who were leading Compair Lapin, said to the king : " Here is the fellow ! " — "Haw! haw!" said the king, "we shall judge him immediately." Mr, Fox came slyly behind Compair Lapin, and told him in kis ears : " When they will ask you why you spoke badly of the king, say that it is not true, that it is Bourriquet who lied to do you harm. And then flatter the king very much, praise him and make him some presents, you will come out all right. If you do what I tell you, you will find it well for you. Otherwise, if you are foolish enough to say all there is in your heart, take care, yon will come out all wrong. I assure you that the king will make hash with you," — " You need not be afraid, Mr. Fox, I know what I have to do ; I thank you for your good advice ; I am a lawyer myself."
Compair Lapin had suspected that they would come to arrest him ; he had spoken so badly of the king and the government. It is for that he had put on his best coat, and a big gold chain around his neck. He had said to one of his neighbors with whom he was quite intimate, and also with his wife and daughter, and who was called Compair Bouki, when the latter asked him where he was going so finely dressed : " Yes, Compair Bouki, I shall soon go to see the king ; and as it is the coat that makes the man, this is why I dressed so well. It* always produces a good effect on proud and foolish people." When the king was ready to begin the case of Compair Lapin, he said to the policemen : " Bring the prisoner here to be judged."
Then Compair Lapin advanced, and said : " O Lion, my dear Master, you sent for me ; here I am. What do you want ? "
The Lion said : " I have to condemn you, because you are always slandering me, and besides, you don't want to work to dig the well, which we are making to drink. Everybody is working except you, and when I sent Bourriquet to get you, you said to him that I was a scoundrel, and that you would whip roe ! You will know that if your back has tasted of the whip, I have never been whipped ; even my late mother did not dare to touch me ! What do you have to say ? You rascal with the long ears hanging down. I suppose they are so long, because the hounds have chased you so often. Speak right off, or I shall mash you, like a too ripe persimmon."
Compair Lapin kept quite cool ; he knew that all that was a big wind that would bring neither rain nor thunder. He rubbed his nose with both paws, then he shook his ears, he sneezed, and then he sat down and said : " The king is justice on earth — as God is
just in his holy Paradise ! Great king, you who are more brave than all of us together, you will hear the truth. When you sent Bourriquet to get me, he who is more of a donkey than all the donkeys in the world, when he came to my house, I was sick. I told him : ' you will tell the king that I am very sorry that I cannot come now, but here is a fine gold chain, which you will present to the king for me, and you will tell him that I have forty twelve other animals to work in my place. Because that is too necessary a thing to get a well ; it is life or death for us, and we cannot do without it. Tell him also that there is but a great king like him to have such an idea, and enough brains to save us all ! ' What do you think he answered me ? He replied that he did not care about a gold chain, that he did not eat that.. If I had given him a basket of corn or some hay, he would have eaten it, but as to the chain, perhaps the king would hitch him up to the plough with that same chain, and he would be sorry to have brought it. When he went away, he said to me : ' Go on, papa, I shall arrive before you, you will know that the ox which is ahead always drinks clear water ! ' I suppose he mea&t that he would speak before I should have the chance to be heard ! As I want the king to believe that I am not telling stories, I have a witness who was there, who heard all our conversation. If the king will have the kindness to listen to his testimony, he will hear the same thing I have just told him." Compair Lapin bowed to the king, and put the gold chain around Lion's peck, and then he sat down on one side smiling, he was so sure that his gift would produce a good effect and help him to come out all right from his trouble. Now, Lion said to Mr. Fox to speak quickly. " I know all that business, and if you come here to lie, I '11 break your neck You need not wag your tail and make such grimaces, as if you were eating ants. Come on, hurry ! . I have no time." " Dear Master Lion/' said the Fox, " I shall tell you how all that happened : Compair Lapin, whom you see here, is the best friend you have. The proof of it is that he brought a big chain to make you a present. You will never see a Bourriquet do that ; that is sure, because there is not in the world a greater clewn than those donkeys. Dan Rice took twenty-one years to train a donkey ! He says that for $100,000 he would not undertake again such a job. He would prefer to train fifty twelve thousand Lions, because they would eat him up, or he would do something good with them. Well, I must tell you, Mr. Lion, you, who are the king of all animals, that same Bourriquet, whom you sent to represent you, came to lie on you, and as to Compair Lapin, he is as white as snow ! Although Dr. Monkey has your confidence, it is he who is governing secretly and advising all your people, and putting them in rebellion against you, the king, to establish another government, where that
same Dr. Monkey and Bourriquet will govern in your place, when they will succeed in putting you out. That is what they have been trying to do for a long time, and that is what Compair Lapin and I wanted to tell you."
When the king heard that, he said : " That is all right ; I am glad you told me so. You can go with Compair Lapin, I acquit him." But while they were hearing the case, Dr. Monkey and Bourriquet thought that it was not healthy for them to remain there, so they escaped when they saw that the wrong side was being warmed up ; they vanished, and no one knew where they had gone, so well were they hidden. After that Compair Lapin and Mr. Fox both remained in the same parish where the king resided. Mr. Fox was his deputy or chief clerk, and the other was mate ; that is to say, he commanded the others and made them work to finish digging the well with their paws. At last the well was completed ! All the animals drank, and they became strong again. The lioness recovered her health also, and some time after that she gave birth to twelve little cubs as yellow as gold, and all as pretty as could be. The king was so glad that he pardoned all that were in the penitentiary, and he allowed the exiles to return. When he granted their pardon, he told them all to go and drink the water of the well. Then you may imagine that Dr. Monkey with his accomplice Bourriquet came out of their hole to mingle with the others. But they began to spy and to watch all that was being done or said. One day they met Mr. Fox who was speaking of the government affairs in order to increase the tax. He and Compair Lapin found that there was not enough money in the treasury for them to become rich quickly. When Dr. Monkey saw them both together, he began to smile. He came near them, he bowed and said : " Let us forget what has passed, we must not be looking for those old papers. Let us be friends and live quietly like good neighbors." You might have thought they were the best friends when they parted/ Dr. Monkey said to his partner Bourriquet : " You see these two fellows Compair Lapin and Mr. Fox,
they are d scoundrels. I must get the best of them, or they will
beat me ; that is all I know ! " As Compair Lapin had said, when they judged him, that he never drank water, the king had told him : " Take care that you never try to drink water from this well ; I want to see if you say the truth, and I order every one to watch you."
You will not believe me when I tell you that it is true that rabbits never drink water, there is always enough water for them in the grass which they eat. But expressly because they had forbidden Compair Lapin to drink from that well, he wished to do it. All the other animals praised that water so highly : it was so clear, so good. That gave him such a thirst, that he felt at every moment as if he
had eaten well-peppered salt meat. He said to himself : " I don't
care a d I shall drink, and I shall see who is going to prevent me.
Besides, if they catch me, I shall always have the daughter of the king to protect me. She will find some way of preventing them from troubling me, for she has much influence with her father/' He did as he said ; every evening he drank his fill. But at last he wanted to drink in the daytime also. It was a strange well ; its water was not like any other water ; it made people drunk like whiskey, only, instead of making you sick after you were drunk, it made you much stronger than before, and they were beginning to perceive that all those who were old were growing young again. Even the vegetables which you watered with it, if you cut them, the next day they would grow as fine as the day before.
When Compair Lapin began to see the effect of that water, he said : " I must have some for the day also, it does me a great deal of good ; and as I am much older than the daughter of the king, I must become as young as she. iJet me be, I shall arrange it. Don't you say anything.'' Well, when it was dark, he took his little calabash, which contained about two bottles of water, he went to the well, and filled it up. But he was so careful that the guard, which they put every evening near the well, saw nothing.
Dr. Monkey and Bourriquet watched all the time, because they could not forget how Compair Lapin had treated them whilst he was being judged. Therefore, they had sworn that they would catch him. But in spite of all their efforts, they lost their trouble and their time. At last, one day, Dr. Monkey went to see Bourriquet, his comrade, and told him : " Come to my house, I have something to show to you." He showed him Ti Bonhomme Godron (a man made of tar), and said : " It is with that I want to catch the fellow ; as this time I shall be able to prove that he is guilty, we shall have all his money, which the king will confiscate to give us for discovering all his rascalities."
They took Ti Bonhomme Godron ; they put him in a little path, where Compair Lapin was obliged to pass, very near the water, and then they started ; they knew it was not necessary to watch ; Ti Bonhomme Godron would attend to him without needing anybody's help. I know not if Compair Lapin suspected something, but he came quite late that evening. He never came at the same hour, but he managed things so well that he always got his water, and no one could catch him. When he arrived the evening they had placed Bonhomme Godron there, he saw something black. He looked at it for a long time, he had never seen anything like that before ! He went back immediately, and went to bed. The next evening he came again, advanced a little closer, looked for a long time, and shook his
head. At that moment, a frog jumped in the water : tchoappe. Com-pair Lapin flattened on the ground, as if crushed, and in two jumps he reached his house. He remained three days without returning, and Dr. Monkey and Bourriquet were beginning to despair, and to believe that it was true that Compair Lapin did not drink at all. But it was enough for this one that it was forbidden for him to be still more anxious to drink. " Oh ! well/' said he ; " I don't care ! I have some money here, but the remainder is hidden in the briars. If they catch me, I shall pay the police, and they will let me go. Besides, I have the protection of the daughter of the king ; every night, she comes to see me. It would be very strange if she did nothing for me. Besides, I have always instructed the police to let go a man who had money, and I suppose that they will make no exception for me, for they would lose the money which I would give them."
This reassured him. He started in the evening ; it was a beautiful moonlight night, and every one was out late promenading. It was the end of spring : the honeysuckle perfumed the air, the mocking-bird was singing in the pecan-tree, there was a light breeze, which caused the leaves of the trees to dance, and the rustle prevented any one to hear him walk. Everybody was in bed ; only the dogs, from time to time, were barking at the big clouds, which were fleeing before the wind. " It is my turn now ; I, Compair Lapin, I am going to drink, but a drink that will count." He took his calabash. When he arrived at the place where Bonhomme Godron was, the old fellow was still there. It had been warm during the day, and the tar was soft. When Compair Lapin arrived there, he said : "Hum, hum, you have been long enough in my way. I do-not come to drink ; that is a thing which I never do ; I want to take a bath to-night ; get away from here." " You don't want to answer ? I tell you that I want to take a bath, you black scoundrel." Bonhomme Godron did not reply ; that made Compair Lapin angry. He gave him a slap, his hand remained glued. " Let me go, or I shall strike you with the other hand." Bonhomme Godron did not reply. He struck him cam with the other hand ; it remained stuck
also ! €t I '11 kick you, d rascal, if you don't let me go." One
foot remained stuck, and then the other one.
Then he said ; " You are holding me that they might injure me, you want to try to rob me, but stop, you will see what I am going to do to you. Let me go, or I shall strike you with my head and break your mouth f " As he said that, he struck, and a mule could not hit harder, he was so mad. His head, however, my dear friends, remained stuck also. He was caught, well caught At daybreak, Dr. Monkey and Bourriquet arrived. When they saw Compair Lapin there, they laughed, they cursed him. They took a cart to bring
him to prison, and all along the way they told the people how they had put a trap to catch the most famous rascal there was in the universe. It was the famous Compair Lapin who had so sullied the reputation of the king's daughter, that there was not a great prince who wanted to marry Miss Léonine, as Compair Lapin had spoken so much about his being her lover, Mr. Fox, who was passing, heard ail the bad things which Dr. Monkey and Bourriquet were saying about Compair Lapin, and he replied : " Yes, it is true, there is nothing like a thief to catch another thief."
When they were taking Compair Lapin to prison, all who passed on the road threw bricks at him, and they made a true clown of him. When he arrived in the presence of the king, the latter said to him : " Now, I would like to hear what you can say to. get out of this scrape." Compair Lapin replied : " When the tree falls, the goat climbs on it ! I know I can die but once, I don't care. If it is my money they want, I assure you that they will never see it. When I was free, never Bourriquet and Dr. Monkey tried to quarrel with me ; the wild hog knows on what tree he must rub himself. I assure you that they are famous rascals." — " You must not speak in that way before the king, but the king will try your case in a few minutes."— " What I say is well said ; I am ready to hear the judgment." — After the king and his friends had consulted together, they found Compair Lapin guilty and they condemned him to death. They ordered that he be put in prison until they could find an executioner willing to execute him. The king thought that he would get rid of a fellow who was too cunning for him, and then he would take vengeance on Compair Lapin, because he had injured Miss Léonine'» character in such a manner that it was a scandal.
While Compair Lapin was in prison, he was thinking how he would manage to escape forever. He thought that he was in a worse plight than he had ever been before. He said to himself : " By Jove ! that is no child's play ; I think that I am gone up. Well, as I am tired, let me sleep a little : it will do me good." He lay down on the floor, and, soon after, he was snoring. He began to dream that the beautiful Léonine, the daughter of the king, was making a sign to him to tell him he need not be afraid, that she would fix everything all right. He awoke contented, and at daybreak the jailer opened the door of his prison and said to him : " They have found an executioner willing to execute you, but before that, they must cut off your ears ; it is Bourriquet who has offered his* services to send you in the other world. Take courage, my old fellow, I am sorry for you, you are a good fellow, but you risked your life too often. You know that an ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure ; now it is too late. Good-bye, comrade." At the same
moment the sheriff came with his deputies to take him to the place of execution, — They arrived at the steep bank o£ a little river. There were tall trees, grass, and briars everywhere. They chose a clear space. When they arrived, there was a big crowd : gentlemen, ladies, many children. All had come to see how they were going to kill Compair Lapin. The king was there with all his family. Miss Léonine, the daughter of the king, was there also. Oh ! but she was so beautiful with her curls, which shone like gold in the sun. She had a muslin dress as white as snow with a blue sash, and a crown of roses on her head. The eyes of all were turned towards her ; she was so pretty that they forgot completely Compair Lapin, who was trembling like a leaf. Yes, indeed, he was sorry to leave such a large fortune and such a beautiful wife as the king's daughter. What pained him the most was to think that perhaps Dr. Monkey or Bourriquet would marry Miss Léonine as soon as he would be dead, because they both boasted that Compair Lapin was in their way. Without him, they said they would have succeeded long ago.
Now the king said : " Well, let us put an end to all this ; advance, Bourriquet, and read Compair Lapin his sentence." The king allowed him to choose his death, as he pleased : to be drowned in the river, burnt alive, or hung on a tree, or to have his neck cut with a sword. " Yes, yes," said Compair Lapin, "all that at once, or one after the other, if that pleases you so much that I should die, well, I am very glad. Only, I was afraid that you would throw me in those great thorns, that would tear my skin and I would suffer too much, and then, the snakes and the wasps would sting me. Oh Î no, not that, not that at all ! " Tell the king to do all except throwing me in those briars ; for the love of God, who is in Heaven, and who will judge you as you judge me ! " " Haw ! haw ! you are afraid of the thorns ? We want to see you suffer, suffer, you scoundrel."—They were making such a noise that the king said : " What is the matter ? " He came closer, accompanied by his daughter, Miss Léonine, who had come to see if Compair Lapin was going to die bravely ; that is to say, every one thought so, but she had come to encourage him and reassure him, because she had sent word to him secretly, while he was in prison, that even if the rope was around his neck, she, Miss Léonine, would arrive in time to take it off and save him, because she loved him more than anything in the world.
They related to the king and to Miss Léonine what Compair Lapin had said, and how much afraid he was to be thrown in the thorns and to suffer. Miss Léonine came forward and said : " Papa, I have a favor to ask you : I know that you hate Compair Lapin, and I also, because he has sullied my name. Well, I want to make you all see that what they said is not true. I want to see him
suffer for all his stories ; we must get rid of him, and I ask you to throw him in the briars and let him rot there ; it is good enough for such a rascal/" All clapped their hands, they were so glad. " Throw him in the briars ; it is there indeed we must throw him," said the king ; " he must suffer. Quick ! Hurry ! " — They took Compair Lapin by each limb, they swung him once ; poor devil, he was crying : " No, no, not in the briars, in fire, cut my neck, not in the briars/' They said : "Twice" — Vap ! they threw him in a great bunch of thorns.
As Compair Lapin fell in his native country, he sat down, he rubbed his nose, shook his ears, and then he said : " Thank you, all of you ; I thought you were stupid, but it is here my mother made me ; I am at home here, and not one of you can come here to catch me. Good-by, I know where I am going/* Miss Léonine also was very glad ; she knew where she would meet Compair Lapin that very evening. That proves one thing to you, that Compair Lapin was a hypocrite and pleaded false things to know the truth. It proves another thing, that when a woman loves a man, she will do all he wishes, and the woman will do all in her power to save him, and in whatever place the man may be, the woman will go to meet him. This is why they say that what a woman wants, God wants also.
As. I was there when all that happened, they sent me here to relate it to you. I have finished.
II. Compair Bouki and Compair Lapin, — No. 1.
One day, Compair Bouqui met Compair Lapin. " How," said he, " is that you ? Don't you know that it is to-day that all persons are selling their mothers to have something to eat ? " — " Ah ! yes," said Compair Lapin, " I, also, am going to get my mother, and I shall sell her for a kettle of hominy and one of gombo/* Now both of them started. Compair Bouqui tied his mother with a rope, and during that time Compair Lapin tied his with a cobweb. Before he entered the cart, he said : " Now, mamma, as soon as you will arrive near the briars you will jump down and run to the house/' Compair Bouqui sold his mother, and returned in his cart with his kettle of hominy and his kettle of gombo. While he was on his way home, he saw a rabbit lying in the road, and a little further, another rabbit. He advanced a little more, and there was another rabbit. When he came to the third rabbit, he said : " It is not possible, those rabbits are dying of hunger instead of selling their mothers to get something to eat ; let me get down to catch them." He was not able to catch anything, because it was Compair Lapin who pretended to be dead, to make Compair Bouqui leave his cart During that time, Compair Lapin ran to the cart of Compair Bou-
qui, stole his two kettles, cut the tail of his horse, planted it in the ground, and, taking the cart away, went to hide himself. Compair Bouqui came back to look for his cart, but he only saw the tail of his horse planted in the ground. He began to dig in the ground, as he thought that his horse and his cart had fallen in a hole, and he called for help. Tiger came out of the woods, and helped Compair Bouqui to dig. Compair Bouqui found Tiger so fat that he bit him on his back, and escaped. Tiger asked Compair Lapin what he could do to take vengeance on Compair Bouqui. Compair Lapin said : " We must give a grand ball, come this evening to my house/' Tiger and Compair Lapin engaged good musicians and invited many persons. Compair Lapin came out on the gallery, and began to
sing:
41 Come to the grand ball, Those that lost their wives, Beautiful négresses from Senegal."
Compair Bouqui, who heard that, ran to Compair Lapin and cried out : " It is my wife, it is not necessary to invite any more people.'* But Compair Lapin pretended not to hear, and he beat his drum, and sang : " Simion, carillon painpain, Simion, carillon painpain." Compair Bouqui entered Compair Lapin's cabin, and he took Tiger for a woman, because he had hidden his beard and dressed like a young lady. When the ball was over, Compair Bouqui remained alone with Tiger, who gave him a good beating and ran off with Compair Lapin. Now that is not all : Tiger and Compair Lapin did not know where Compair Bouqui was. When Compair Lapin came near his cabin, he cried out : " Good night, my cabin, good night/' and he said : " That is strange, my cabin, which always replies, says nothing to-day." Compair Bouqui, who was not at all cunning, answered : Good night, my master, good night." "Ah ! we have him," said Compair Lapin, " get some fire, we are going to give some smoke to Compair Bouqui, in this cabin." They burned poor Compair Bouqui, and Compair Lapin was so glad that he jumped like a kid and sang :
" Aïe, aïe, aïe, Compair Lapin, He is a little animal that knows how to jump."
III. ChoalDjé (The Horse of God). Choal Djé liad a pond, and he allowed all the comrades to drink from it, except Compair Lapin and his comrades. One day he caught Compair Lapin near his pond. " If I catch you drinking from my pond, I shall make you pay a fine." Compair Lapin replied : " Well-ordained charity begins with one's self, and as you are the master I am not going to drink from your pond." But one
Appendix. m
day they killed a deer, and after having skinned it, they threw away the skin. Compair Lapin picked up the skin and passed his head in it; he then went to drink in Choal Djé's pond. When Choal Djé saw that, he advanced nearer and asked Compair Chévreil who it was that had marked him in that way. Compair Chévreil answered : " It is Compair Lapin who made the sign of the cross on me, and who put me in this condition, and if you don't let him drink in your pond, he will do the same thing with you." — " Well, you may tell Compair Lapin that he can come to drink in my pond with all his comrades. I don't want him to do the same thing with me." — Compair Lapin ran to his house, took off the skin, and came back with his comrades to drink in Choal Djé's pond. When Choal Djé saw him coming, he said to him : " Drink as much as you want, Compair Lapin, with your comrades." — Compair Lapin was always more cunning than everybody else.
IV. Compair Bouki and Çompair Lapin. — No. 2.
One day, Compair Bouqui went to see Compair Lapin. When he entered the cabin, he saw a big pot, which was on the fire, and it smelt so good that Compair Bouqui could not stay quiet. When the food was cooked, Compair Bouqui had also his share and he found it so good that he kept on bothering Compair Lapin to know where he took such good meat. —" Pray, Compair Lapin, tell me where you find that meat." — "No, Compair Bouqui, you are too greedy." — " Compair Lapin, my poor children are dying of hunger, tell me where you find that meat." — " No, Compair Bouqui, you are too rascally."
At last, he bothered Compair Lapin so much, so much, that Compair Lapin said : " Listen, Compair Bouqui, I am going to tell you, but you must not tell any one, and you must do as I tell you. You know the king's ox, which is in the pasture, and which is so fat, well, you will take a bag and a knife, you will watch when he will open his mouth to eat, you will jump in his throat, and when you will arrive in his belly, you will begin to cut the meat to put in your bag. Now, be very careful not to cut near his heart, because you would kill him. When he will open his mouth again to eat, you will jump out and run home. Don't you let any one see you." The next morning, Compair Bouqui took his bag and his knife and ran into the pasture. When the king's ox opened his mouth to eat, he jumped into his belly, and he began to cut the meat and to put it into his bag. The more he cut, the closer he came to the heart of the ox. He saw that the meat was so fine and fat, that he said to himself : " What will it matter, if I cut a little piece, that will not kill him," He took his knife, he cut a piece, lo ! the ox of the king fell down dead, and Compair Bouqui could not come out of his belly.
AU the people came to see what had happened, how the ox that was so fine had died like that. They said : " We must open him to see what was the matter with him." When they did that, what did they see ? Compair Bouqui. " Ah ! Compair Bouqui, it is you who killed the ox of the king, you wanted to steal meat, just wait, we are going to fix you."—They took Compair Bouqui, they opened his belly, they took out his bowels, they filled him with sand, and they closed the opening with a cork. When Compair Bouqui returned home he was very much ashamed. His children ran to see the good meat which he had brought. — " Papa, give us some meat." — " There is none, my children." — "Yes, papa, something smells good on you." The little ones advanced, and Compair Bouqui backed, backed. The children commenced to smell the cork; they found it smelt good, because there was honey on it. They began to suck the cork, to suck the cork. Lo ! the cork came out ; all the sand ran out, Compair Bouqui died on the spot. He was flat on the ground.
V. Compair Bouki and Compair Lapin. — No, 3.
One day the children of Compair Bouki met those of Compair Lapin, who had on fine Sunday dresses and new shoes. When the little Boukis returned home, they asked their father why he did not give them fine clothes like those of Compair Lapin's children. Compair Bouki went to see Compair Lapin, and asked him where he took the fine things he had given to his children. Compair Lapin did not want to reply, but Compair Bouki annoyed him so much that he said to him : " Go and cut wood in the forest ; and when you will be tired, look in the centre of the forest, and you will see a big tree. Go to sleep under it, and when you will awake, say : * Tree, how sweet you are ! ' The tree will say : * If I were to open, what would you say ? ' You will reply : ' If you open, I shall be very glad/ When the tree will open, enter into it ; it will close up, and you will see many pretty things. Take what you want, and tell the tree : * Open ! ' when you will wish to depart." Compair Bouki did what Compair Lapin had said, but when he saw all there was in the tree, he wanted to take so many things that he forgot to say : " Tree, open ! "
The tree belonged to some thieves, who hid their booty in it. They came back in the woods, and they found Compair Bouki, who was stealing their goods. I need not tell you that they gave Compair Bouki such a beating that he could not move.
VI. Compair Bouki and Compair Lapin, — No. 4.
Compair Bouki and Compair Lapin went together to pay a visit to some young ladies. While they were speaking, Compair Lapin said to the young ladies : " You see Compair Bouki ; he is not a person,
he is a horse which my father has left me/' The young ladies said : " Oh ! no, we cannot believe that." Now Compair Lapin returned home ; and when came the day appointed for the visit to the young ladies, he dressed up fine, and covered his clothes with a hog's skin. When Compair Bouki came in, he said : " Are you ready, Compair ?" Compair Lapin replied : "But no, don't you see how I am covered up ? I feel cold, and I am suffering so much from my feet that I don't know how I am going to do to walk." Compair Bouki, who was always so stupid, said : " Mount on my back, and when you will be near the house of the young ladies, you will get down." Compair Lapin said : " I don't know if I shall be able to mount on your back, but I shall try." Without Compair Bouki's seeing it, Compair Lapin put on his spurs and mounted on Bouki's back. While he was on Compair Bouki's back, Compair Lapin was all the time moving. His friend asked him what was the matter. " I am suffering so much that I know not how to sit." Compair Lapin said that, but he was trying to shake off his hog's skin.
When they arrived near the house of the young ladies, Compair Lapin stuck Compair Bouki, with his spurs, and Compair Bouki started running. Compair Lapin jumped down, and went into the house of the young ladies, to whom he said ; " You see that I was right when I told you that Compair Bouki was a horse which my father had left me."
VII. Compair Bouki and Compair Lapin. — No. 5.
One day, quite early, Compair Lapin arose, and he felt hunger gaining upon him. He looked everywhere in the cabin ; he found nothing to eat. He ran towards Compair Bouki. When hè arrived, he saw Compair Bouki, who was gnawing a bone. — Eh ! Compair Bouki, I had come to take breakfast with you ; but I see that you don't have anything famous to give me. — Times are hard, Compair Lapin ; there are no more rations in the cabin ; only this bone left. Compair Lapin reflected a little. — Well ! Compair Bouki, if you wish, we shall go hunting for the eggâ of the tortoise. — Agreed upon ! let us go right off. Compair Bouki took his basket and hfe hoe, and they started towards the bayou in the woods. — Compair Lapin, I don't often go hunting for tortoise eggs ; I don't know well how to find them. — Don't trouble yourself, Compair Bouki, I find all the time a place where tortoises lay their eggs. You, you will dig them up.
When they arrived at the bayou, Compair Lapin walked slowly, looking well on this side and on that side. Soon he catme to a dead stop. — Compair Bouki, the tortoise thinks she is cunning. She scratches the ground with her big paw, and she lays her eggs in a
hole ; then she puts a little sand on them, and then she scatters leaves on her nest. You see this hillock I Take off the leaves, and scratch with your hoe ; sure you will find eggs. Compair Bouki did what Compair Lapin told him, and they saw a pile of eggs shining in that hole. — Compair Lapin, you are more cunning than I ; I am very glad to have you for my friend. Compair Lapin shared the eggs ; he gave half to Compair Bouki. — Compair Bouki, I am very hungry; I am going to eat my eggs immediately. — Do as you want, Compair Lapin ; I shall take mine to my wife to have them cooked.
They went on a long time still, and they found many eggs. Corn-pair Lapin always ate his ; Compair Bouki did not like raw egg$ ; he put them all in his basket. — Compair Bouki, I am beginning to be tired ; I believe it is time for us to return home. — I have enough eggs for to-day, Compair Lapin ; let us go back. —As they were going, towards the river, Compair Lapin said to himself : Compair Bouki does not know how to find tortoise eggs ; it is I who found them ; they ought all to belong to me. I must make some trick to gain them. — As they were nearly arrived at the river, Compair Lapin said : Compair Bouki, I ïorgot to take some eggs for my old mother. You would be very kind to lend me a dozen. I shall return them to you another time. — Compair Bouki gave a dozen, and they went each on his way. Compair Lapin went to put his dozen of eggs in his cabin, then he went to Compair Bouki's. When he came near the cabin of Compair Bouki he began to complain, and to hold his belly with both hands. Compair Bouki came out — What is the matter with you, (Jompair Lapin ? You don't look very well. — Oh ! no, Compair Bouki, those eggs have poisoned me.
I beg of you ; quick, run to get the doctor. — I shall run as fast as I can, daddy. As soon as Compair Bouki started, Compair Lapin went to the kitchen and fell to eating tortoise eggs. — Thank you, great Lord, I shall eat my belly full to-day. The physician lives far, I have the time to eat all before they come.
When Compair Lapin had nearly finished eating the eggs, he heard Compair Bouki speaking outside. — Doctor Monkey, I am very glad that I met you on the road j my friend is very sick. — Compair Lapin did not lose any time ; he opened the window and jumped out. Compair Bouki came into the cabin ; he did not see Compair Lapin. He ran into the kitchen ; the shells of the eggs were scattered all about. Compair Lapin was already in the fields. Compair Bouki tore his hair, he was so angry. He started to run after Compair Lapin. Compair Lapin had eaten so many eggs, that he was not able to run fast. When he saw Compair Bouki was pressing him too close, he hid in a hole in a tree.
Gompair Bouki called Compair Torti, who was passing on the road. — Compair Torti, pray come to watch Compair Lapin, who stole all your eggs. I am going to get my axe to cut down this tree. -— Go quickly, Compair Bouki ; I shall watch the rascal well. When Compair Bouki started, Compair Lapin said : Compair Torti, look in this hole ; you will see if I have your eggs. Compair Torti lifted his head; Compair Lapin sent some decayed wood in his eyes. Compair Torti went to wash his eyes in the bayou ; Compair Lapin ran off immediately. Compair Bouki came to cut the tree ; he saw that Compair Lapin had already run away. He was so angry he went to Compair Torti, on the bank of the bayou, and he cut off his tail with his axe.—It is for this reason that the tail of the tortoise is so short to this very day.
VIII. Compair Bouki and Compair Lapin. — No. 6.
One day, Compair Bouki, who was dying of hunger, went to see his old friend, Compair Lapin. He found him thinking of nothing, and occupied in cleaning some fish. Bouki asked where he had taken that. His old friend related his story to him. He told him : " You see, daddy, I went to watch for the fish cart on the road. I saw it coming ; I lay down in the road, as if I was dead. The master of the cart came down right off to pick me off. He shook me up a little ; and after that, he threw me in his cart, on a pile of fish. I did not move my feet, like Mr. Fox. I watched well the old master, until I saw he had forgotten me. I began quietly to throw all the fish in the road until we had nearly gone a mile further ; then, when I thought I had enough, I jumped down and picked up all the fish which I had thrown in the road. There were one hundred or a thousand — I did not count ; I was in such a hurry. I put them all by myself on my back, faster than I could ; and I came straight here to eat them." Compair Bouki reflected a long while ; he was a little afraid that if he tried to do the same thing, he would put himself again in trouble. Compair Lapin, who was looking at him with his good eyes, saw that his friend was reflecting too long. He told him : " Old friend, you are dying of hunger ; do like me ; go and watch for the cart on the road, steal as much as you can, and we shall have a grand festival."
Old Bouki, who was greedy, could not resist ; he started, he lay down on the road as if he was dead for true, he lifted his feet in the air to deceive people better. When the master of the cart came very near, he saw old Bouki, who was playing his tricks to catch him. He came down with a big plantation whip, and gave him a whipping which had red pepper, black pepper, and salt, it burned so much. Compair Bouki remained one month in his bed after that He did
not have a single feather left, and had colics to his very beak. They gave him a great deal of tafia to give him strength ; they put him in a large bath made with gombo, and they made him drink some laurel tea all the time after that. When Compair Bouki was cured, he swore, but too late, that Compair Lapin would never deceive him
again.
All the goats which are not rascals, Ought to fear the old rabbits.
Man Henriette.
IX. Bin Vie Zombi Malin, — The Cunning Old Wizard.
There was once a prince who was very rich. One day the princess, his daughter, lost a big diamond. While she was crying for her jewel, an old man came to the palace, and said that he was a wizard. The prince promised that he would give him anything he would ask, if he would say where was the diamond. The wizard only asked for three meals, and promised to find the jewel. They gave him an excellent breakfast, and when he had eaten all, he said : " One is taken." The servants of the prince began to tremble, because it was they who had stolen the diamond. After his dinner, the wizard said : " Two are taken." The servants trembled still more. After supper, the wizard said : " Three are taken." When they heard that, the three thieves fell on their knees before the wizard, and said that they would give back the diamond, if he promised to say nothing to their master.
Now the wizard took the diamond, rolled it up in a piece of bread, and threw it before a turkey in the yard. The turkey gobbled up the bread with the diamond. The wizard went to get the prince and his daughter, and told them that the diamond was in the turkey's stomach, and that they would find it, on killing the turkey. That was done, and the diamond was found. The prince was very glad, and said that the old man was the greatest wizard in the world. — At the court everybody was admiring the wizard, but a few young men were not sure that he was a true wizard, and they wanted to catch him. They caught a cricket in the grass, they put it in a box, and they asked the wizard to tell them what there was in the box. The old man did not know, and he said to himself : " Well, Cricket, you are caught." His name was Cricket, but the people there did not know that, and they thought that the wizard had guessed that there was a cricket in the box. Therefore, the old man passed for a great wizard, and they gave him many good things : and yet he was merely cunning, and had had luck.
X. Bin Fame ki tournin Macaque. — A Woman changed into a Monkey.
There was once a gentleman who had a field of peanuts. Every day he saw that some one was eating a row of peanuts. He asked his wife who was eating his peanuts. His wife said it was his brother who was eating them every day. He then caught hold of the little boy and gave him a good beating. The next day he saw another row of peanuts had been eaten. He seized the little boy and gave him another beating. The little boy said, " That is too much ; my brother is always beating me ; I must make him see that it is his wife who is eating his peanuts." The next day he did not carry his brother's dinner in the field, but he told him to come to the house, and he would show him who was eating his peanuts. When they came in, his wife approached to serve the dinner, and now the little boy began to sing : " Tou man, — tou mangé tou, tou man, tou mangé tou." The woman said : " Why are you singing that ? I don't want you to sing that, sing something else." — " No, that is what I want to sing." He continued to sing, and they saw the woman begin to scratch, begin to jump, and at last she became a monkey. She ran into the peanut field, and she ate a whole row. " You see/' said the little boy, " that it is not I who eat your peanuts ; it is your wife who, every day, becomes a monkey." The gentleman advanced with a stick, but the monkey ran into the woods and climbed upon a tree.
XL The Talking Eggs. 1
There was once a lady who had two daughters ; they were called Rose and Blanche. Rose was bad, and Blanche was good ; but the mother liked Rose better, although she was bad, because she was her very picture. She would compel Blanche to do all the work, while Rose was seated in her rocking-chair. One day she sent Blanche to the well to get some water in a bucket. When Blanche arrived at the well, she saw an old woman, who said to her : " Pray, my little one, give me some water ; I am very thirsty." " Yes, aunt," said Blanche, " here is some water ; " and Blanche rinsed her bucket, and gave her good fresh water to drink. " Thank you, my child, you are a good girl ; God will bless you."
A few days after, the mother was so bad to Blanche that she ran away into the woods. She cried, and knew not where to go, because she was afraid to return home. She saw the same old woman, who was walking in front of her. " Ah ! my child, why are you crying ? What hurts you ? " " Ah, aunt, mamma has beaten me, and I am afraid to return to the cabin." " Well, my child, come with me ; I
1 The four following stories (Nos. XI.-XIV.) are reprinted from the Journal of American Folk-Lore (1888).
will give you supper and a bed ; but you must promise me not to laugh at anything which you will see." She took Blanche's hand, and they began to walk in the wood. As they advanced, the bushes of thorns opened before them, and closed behind their backs. À little further on, Blanche saw two axes, which were fighting ; she found that very strange, but she said nothing. They walked further, and behold ! it was two arms which were fighting ; a little further, two legs ; at last, she saw two heads which were fighting, and which said : " Blanche, good morning, my child ; God will help you." At last they arrived at the cabin of the old woman, who said to Blanche : " Make some fire, my child, to cook the supper ; " and she sat down near the fireplace, and took off her head. She placed it on her knees, and began to louse herself. Blanche found that very strange ; she was afraid, but she said nothing. The old woman put back her head in its place and gave Blanche a large bone to put on the fire for their supper, Blanche put the bone in the pot. Lo ! in a moment the pot was full of good meat.
She gave Blanche a grain of rice to pound with the pestle, and thereupon the mortar became full of rice. After they had taken their supper, the old woman said to Blanche: "Pray, my child, scratch my back." Blanche scratched her back, but her hand was all cut, because the old woman's back was covered with broken glass. When she saw that Blanche's hand was bleeding, she only blew on it, and the hand was cured.
When Blanche got up the nest morning, the old woman said to her : " You must go home now, but as you are a good girl I want to make you a present of the talking eggs. Go to the chicken-house ; all the eggs which say ' Take me/ you must take them ; all those which will say ' Do not take me/ you must not take. When you will be on the road, throw the eggs behind your back to break them."
As Blanche walked, she broke the eggs. Many pretty things came out of those eggs. It was now diamonds, now gold, a beautiful carriage, beautiful dresses. When she arrived at her mother's, she had so many fine things that the house was full of them. Therefore her mother was very glad to see her. The next day, she said to Rose : " You must go to the woods to look for this same old woman ; you must have fine dresses like Blanche."
Rose went to the woods, and she met the old woman, who told her to come to her cabin ; but when she saw the axes, the arms, the legs, the heads, fighting, and the old woman taking off her head to louse herself, she began to laugh and to ridicule everything she saw. Therefore the old woman said : " Ah ! my child, you are not a good girl; God will punish you." The next day she said to Rose: "I don't want to send you back with nothing ; go to the chicken-house, and take the eggs which say i Take me.' "
Rose went to the chicken-house. All the eggs began to say: "Take me," "Don't take me;" "Take me," "Don't take me," Rose was so bad that she said : " Ah, yes, you say ' Don't take me,' but you are precisely those I want." She took all the eggs which said " Don't take me," and she went away with them.
As she walked, she broke the eggs, and there came out a quantity of snakes, toads, frogs, which began to run after her. There were even a quantity of whips, which whipped her. Rose ran and shrieked. She arrived at her mother's so tired that she was not able to speak. When her mother saw all the beasts and the whips which were chasing her, she was so angry that she sent her away like a dog, and told her go to live in the woods.
XII. Grease.
There was once a lady who had four daughters. They were so pretty that everybody wanted to marry them. They were called La Graisse, Dépomme, Banane, and Pacane. La Graisse was the prettiest, but she never went out in the sun, because they were afraid that she would melt. La Graisse used to go out every day in a beautiful golden carriage. The son of the king saw her every day, but La Graisse was so pretty and the carriage shone so much that it dazzled his eyes, and he had to rub them in order to be able to see. The king's son was in love with La Graisse. He ran to the mother to ask her to let him marry her ; but the mother, who knew that La Graisse was the prettiest of her daughters, wanted to marry the others first. She called Dépomme : " Dépomme oh ! orimomo, ori-momo ! " Dépomme came, but the gentleman looked at her well, and said that it was not the one he wanted ; she would spoil too quickly. The mother called : " Banane oh J orimomo, orimomo ! " Banane came. The gentleman did not want her ; she would rot too quickly.
The mother called : " Pacane oh ! orimomo, orimomo ! " Pacane came. The gentleman said Pacane would become rancid. At last the mother called: "La Graisse oh! orimomo, orimomo!" La Graisse came. As soon as he saw her he took her, and led her to his beautiful house and married her.
The king's son went hunting every day. While he was not there, the servants tormented La Graisse. She was afraid to tell her husband, and she did all they wanted. One day the cook told her that she did not want to cook the dinner ; that La Graisse had to do it herself. Poor La Graisse ! she cried and cried, but they forced her to stay by the fire. But she was melting and melting : in the end, there was nothing but La Graisse (grease), everywhere ; the kitchen was full of it.
The little bird of La Graisse saw that. It dipped its wings into the grease; it flew in the wood to the gentleman; it flapped its wings in his face. The gentleman saw the grease which was on the wings ; he thought of his dear La Graisse ; he galloped home ; he found his wife all melted on the floor. He was so sorry that he picked up all the grease and put it in an old bath-tub, and when the grease was cold it became a woman again. But she was never as pretty as before ; for the earth had mixed with the grease, and she was all yellow and dirty. Her husband did not love her any more, and sent her back to her mother.
XIIL The Golden Fish.
There was once a young girl who had a lover. It was a fine young man, a prince, but the father did not want him to court his daughter. He went to see an old wizard, who lived in the woods, and said to him : " I pray you, wizard, make that young man leave my daughter alone. I do not want them to marry."
One day the young girl and the young man were seated on the river bank ; the wizard came and changed the young man into a fish, which jumped into the water.
The father thought that the young girl would forget the young man, now that he was a fish, and he did not watch her any more ; but every day the young girl Would sit on the river bank and sing : " Caliwa wa, caliwa co ; waco, moman dit oui ; waco, popa dit non ; caliwa wa, caliwa co."
As soon as she sang that the water opened, and a beautiful red fish, with a golden crown, on his head, came near the young girl. He brought her cakes, oranges, apples, for her to eat.
The father perceived that the young girl went every day to the river bank. One day he watched her, and saw what she was doing. The next day he brought his gun with him ; and when the girl sang, and the beautiful fish came, he killed it, and took it home to cook it
The young girl was told to cook the fish. When she took it to cut it, the fish began to sing : " Cut me then, wa, wa ; scrape me then, wa, wa ; mix me then, wa, wa ; put some salt, wa, wa."
When the fish was cooked they placed it on the table. The young girl did not want to eat, and cried for her fish ; but the father was so greedy and ate so much that his belly burst, and a quantity of little fishes came out and escaped to the water.
After the dinner the young girl went to sit down on the river bank, where they had thrown the scales of her fish. She wept so much that the earth opened, and she disappeared in the hole to go to meet her fish. When her mother came to look for her, she saw only one lock of her daughter's hair which was coming out of the earth.
XIV. "Give Me."
Once there was a lady who resided in a beautiful house. She had been married a long time, but had no children. One day that 'she was standing on her gallery, she saw an old woman who was passing with a basket of apples on her head. When the lady saw the beautiful apples she wished to eat one ; she called the old woman, and told her that she wanted to buy an apple. The old merchant-woman did not want to sell an apple ; but she gave one to the lady, and said : —
"1 know that you wish to have a child ; eat this apple, and to-morrow you will be the mother of a beautiful boy.*'
The young woman took the apple, laughing, and pared it. She threw the peel in the yard, and ate the apple.
The old woman had not lied ; during the night the lady gave birth to a fine boy, and what is very strange is that a mare which was in the yard ate the apple-peels, and she had a foal during the night.
The lady was very glad to have a child ; and she said that as the little horse was born the same night as the little boy, it should be his property.
Both grew up together, and they loved each other very much. As the little horse was born through a miracle, he could be saddled and bridled without any one touching him. When the boy wanted to ride, he cried : " Saddle and bridle, my little horse ! " and the horse came immediately, all ready to be mounted.
When the boy grew up, he was tired of remaining at his mother's, and set out to seek adventures. He said to no one where he was going, mounted his horse, and travelled for a long time, until he arrived in the country of a great king.
One evening he came to a beautiful house; they told him that it was the residence of the king, and that he had a very pretty daughter.
The young man wanted to see the princess, therefore he descended from his horse and made him disappear; for I ought to have told you that the horse could disappear whenever his master wished it, and he himself could change his clothes according to his desire, taking sometimes the clothes of a beggar, and sometimes the clothes of a prince. •
On that day, he dressed like a beggar, and went towards the kitchen. He acted as if he could not speak well, and every time they poke to him he answered but two words : " Give me/* " You are hungry?" "Give me."—"You are thirsty?" "Give me." They called him Give me> and they allowed him to sleep in the
kitchen, in the ashes. He helped the servants of the king, and they thought he was an idiot.
The whole week Give me remained in the kitchen, but when Sunday came, and every one had gone to mass, he put on his best clothes, ordered his horse to appear with saddle and bridle, and began to gallop all over the garden of the king. He broke the flower-pots, the young plants; nothing could stop him. On that very day the daughter of the king was sick, and she did not go to mass. She remained at home, and looked in the garden through the window. She saw Give me, and she found him very handsome.
Give me stopped galloping in the garden when he thought the mass was almost finished. He made his horse disappear, and went back to the kitchen with his beggar's clothes.
When the king came back he was furious to see the damage which had been done in his garden. He summoned his servants, but they said that Give me was the only person who had remained at home. The king questioned him, but he replied all the time, " Give me"
The next Sunday the same thing happened again, and the daughter of the king remained at home to see Give me. The king was so angry that he said he would catch the rascal who was spoiling his garden. On the third Sunday he did not go to mass, but he hid himself in the house. He caught Give me> who was dressed like a prince and galloping in the garden on his horse.
The king was very much astonished, and he asked the handsome young man to relate his story.
Give me told him how he was born, and made his horse appear and disappear, and changed his clothes at his will.
He told the king that he was in love with his daughter, and asked her in marriage. The king said yes, and Give me married the princess, and sent for his mother.
They lived a long time, and were very happy, because it was a good old witch who had given Give me' s mother the apple to eat.
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