sister, what shall we do? Only two hours to live. Suppose some one come in." "I'm goin' to wrap up in a sheet, keep de daylight from shinin' on us. Soon de daylight strike us, drop dead." As soon as de day light 'em, clin! one drop dead.1 Clin! oder one drop dead.

(Second Version.2)

Stealing molasses from cellar. Man watched, an' three witches came. Each said, "In an' out I go." Dropped her garments an' went into the cellar. Man kept the suits of the witches. They found out who was taking the molasses.

35. MUSTARD-SEED.3

Ol' witch goin' from house to house. Too much work to do in one place. People throwed mustard-seed in her way. Had to pick up one by one befo' she lef'. "Here I am, where shall I hide myself?" Says, "I'll never get in a place like that again. Bes' way to carry gol' an' silver with me. I've done foun' out they can't do anything with the mustard-seed while I carry the gol' an' silver." After she got her gol' an' silver, she did go all right. Didn' have to pick up the seed. Made good time then.

36. FEASTING ON DOG.5

De ol' man was gone with a sack, like as he was going 'possumhuntin'. He came home, an' he said to his wife he'd get de dinner. So after they had dinner, she brushed up de scraps an' de bones, an' she called her dog Hector. "What you call Hector fur?" he said. "You done suck up his bones." 6

(Second Version.")

Ol' woman an' man didn't have nothing to eat. She tol' him to go out an' get something. If he didn't bring home something, he couldn't lay in de bed with her dat night. He went out. He brought back something, an' he cooked it. "Dis is mighty curious meat," she said. "I eat it, but it didn't set right with me." - "You said I

1 Compare CR 70: 383.

2 Informant II.

3 Informant 12.

In the Bahamas, corn or "benny" will be poured out before the house-door or inside the haunted room to distract the "speerit" or "hant." It must be picked up grain by grain. For like belief or practice in Jamaica and in Grenada see FL 15: 214; Bell 167. For the belief in Guiana see p. 242 of this number.

Informant 13.

Variant: "You the bigges' fool I know. Ain't you done eat Gunner, an' now you want ter feed him."

Informant 9.

couldn't lay in de bed with you if I didn't bring something to eat. It is mighty curious meat. It's a dawg."

37. KEEPING PACE.1

The man was comin' from de mill, an' he seen a pretty white bed made up on one side de road. An' he got down offen his horse an' th'owed a rock on to de bed. An' he went on to de oder side. An' he th'owed it again. An' it rose up an' got on de horse's back behin' him. An' de horse was jus' a-runnin'. An' she says, "Lor' me! isn't we ridin' fine? I can ride as fas' as de horse can go."

38. BUGER?

Was a man went to visit. Saw a little white baby on the roadside. Picked it up, an' it growed an' growed an' growed. He had to put it on his back. An' when he got home, it was a great big white woman. She said, "Take me back where you car'ed me from." It was a buger.

39. THE WITCHES AND THE DOGS.3

One time a woman had two little boys. They were mighty mean little boys, and she couldn't do anything with 'em, 'an she had tol' 'em she was goin' to give them to the ol' witch. One evening the witch came up, an' she tol' the witch what time she was going to send these boys to the spring. An' the witch cut [caught] the little boys an' carried them home. Put 'em in the bed. They begin to whet an' tap their knives an' say,

"I'll whet my knife,

I'll tap my knife,

I'll go through ham an' fat to-night." 4

"Are you asleep?" 5 Little boys said, "No, not quite."

de matter?" They says, "My head is not high enough." An' they fixed their heads. Again,

"I'll whet my knife,

I'll tap my knife,

I'll go through ham an' fat to-night."

"Are you asleep?" "No, not quite." - "What's the matter?" "I haven't got kiver [cover] enough." They began,

1 Informant 2. Compare this number, p. 209.

2 Informant 10. A common synonyme for ha'nt, meaning "ghost" or "apparition." Informant 7. Compare Harris 3: XI, XII; MAFLS 2:25 (VII), 83 (XXII); MAFLS 392; Parsons, XXX; Smith, 55-56.

Variant: I go through fat an' lean to-night.

The second syllable is emphasized and drawled out.

"I'll whet my knife,

I'll tap my knife,

I'll go through ham an' fat to-night."

"Ain't the boys sleepin' good?" one said to another. The boys had fall over a stick of wood what was under the bed. They put the stick of wood in the bed, an' they crawled under the house an' went back to the spring, an' clam' the tree. The witches passed 'em. One gets de lantern, an' de oder the axe. They found 'em up a tree. They begin to cut the tree. The little boy axed to pray.

I'm only twenty-five 2 miles from home."

An' dey begin to cut. An' the dogs would howl. Little boy axed to pray again.

"King Kilus,

King Lovus,

I'm only a little way from home now."

An' the dogs come an' killed the witches, an' carried the little boys home.

40. FATAL IMITATION.3,

One time an ol' rooster an' a rabbit farmin'. One day tol' de rooster ter come to de fiel' ter hoe corn. Ol' Rabbit down in de fiel'. Ol' Rooster up to de house. Ol' Rooster come back, put his head up on his wing. Ol' Rooster tol' Rabbit his wife cut off his head. Ol' Rabbit went tol' his wife, "Wife cut off my head." She said, "Oh, it will kill you."-"Cut off my head." When she got to cuttin' it off, he said, "Stop, stop!"

41. THE PUMPKIN.4

Tol' Jack to get de fastes' horse in de lot. He got up on de horse to go out on de plantation to drop de pum'kin-seed. He made a hole wi' de stick, dropped de seed. Horse ran as fas' as he could.

1 Names of dogs. In one variant the dog's name is Carlo.

2 Variant: Forty.

3 Informant 14 This pattern is common among Portuguese-Negro tales I have collected from Cape Verde Islanders. See this number, pp. 226, 237.

4 Informant 3. This tale and the following present a type whose pattern or ornament is maximum exaggeration. These two tales are instances of the same type I have found well marked in Bahama and in Cape Verde Islands tales. This type of expression appears to make a peculiar appeal to certain narrators, who indulge in it whenever the tale affords opportunity. These narrators are comparatively few.

Vine ran faster. You clim' up on top of that leaf an' holler.1 Dat pum'kin-vine had pum'kins on it. My marster had two hawgs. Dey went away. De hawg-feeder name Jack. "Jack, we got to look for dem hawgs. Won't do to let 'em run away. Go to house, ask mistress for half a shoulder of meat, an' cook me some bread." De hawgs had eat a hole in dat pum'kin, an' staid in dere until nex' plantin'-time. From dat pum'kin-vine they build a hotel in Richmon'. Made pretties' doors an' winders you ever saw.

42. THE TURNIP.2

One day there was a man in this country. An' he called to de man to stay all night. His name was John. He 'plied to him, "What's your occupation?" Says, "Turnip-grower." Says he cultivated an acre of land. He put it knee-deep manure. He sowed de seed. Didn't but one come up. It growed so big that they put a fence. aroun' it. It raised de fence. Says, "What's your occupation?" He said, "Pottery." He was three weeks amouldin' a big pot. It wore out three-power hammer before it struck the ground. He 'plied to him, "What you better do in that big pot?" He said, "Jus' to cook that turnip in." 4

43. THE SINGLE BALL.5

[I failed to record this tale. It was told me substantially as it is given in "Negro Myths from the Georgia Coast," No. XLIX, and as it was subsequently told me by a native of New Providence, Bahamas, a white man, who had heard it in boyhood from Bahaman Negroes.]

44. AS BIG A FOOL.

Man was goin' cortin', an' he tol' de girl, an' de ol' woman an' de ol' man both, he wasn't agwine to marry her. He tol' 'em he'd ride

Lulu Young told me about a stalk of corn that "kep' on growing. There was a squirrel up on the ear of corn. The man climb on up. It kep' growing. He had to take an' made a ladder to come back on to de groun' on."

2 Informant 5.

Variant: A band of soldiers come along. Come up a storm, an' they shelter under one leaf of the turnup.

A Variant: They made a barrel to cook the turnup in, - a mile long an' half a mile wide.

Informant 1.

• Informant 4.

7 The first incident of this familiar tale of "The Three Sillies" is omitted. It was given me by another narrator as follows: "De ol' man went out first to milk de cows. He staid so long, de ol' lady went. She staid so long, de girl went. Staid so long, de feller went. He asked them what was de matter. They said they was studyin' 'bout what ter name de firs' chil'."

three miles, an' ef he could fin' three as big a fool as they was, he'd come back an' marry her. An' he went on 'bout a mile, an' the first man he see was tryin' to pull a cow up on de house to eat the moss off the house. He axed the man what was he doin'. He said he was haulin' the cow up to eat the moss. He axed him why didn't he get up an' throw it down. "Thank you kindly, Sir Stranger, many a cow's neck I've broke tryin' to pull it up to eat the moss off my house." He went on, an' the nex' man he come across was tryin' to put on his pants. He had 'em hangin' on a tree, an' he was runnin' an' tryin' to jump in 'em. Man axed him what he was doin', an' why didn't he take 'em down an' put 'em on right. "Thank you kindly, Sir Stranger, many a time I've cracked my shins tryin' to put on my pants." He went on about a mile furder, an' seed a little boy runnin' through the house with a wheel-bar' as hard as he could go. He axed him what he war doin'. He said he was haulin' sunshine to dry the house. He went back then, an' married the girl.

(Second Version.1)

In a city they was goin' to take an' cut off all de people's ears if they didn't believe in the law. If a foolish one they fin', they wouldn't cut off their ears. One man got a chain, tie his cow, got 'round on yonder side of his house, an' pulled up his cow. The king come along. What was he doin'? He said, "There a vine on top of my house, I'm pulling the cow up to eat the vine off." An' they didn't cut off their ears.

45. PLEASING EVERYBODY.2

Ol' man an' little boy was gwine to town one day. He was walkin', an' the little boy was ridin' a mule. An' they met a man, an' he asked why didn't they both ride. They both got on de mule, an' went on a piece. He met another man. An' he asked, "What are you doin'? Why don't you both tote that mule?" They both gathered him up then, an' tote him. They got to a bridge, an' de mule got scared an' got loose on 'em, an' jumped off an' killed hisself. Ol' man said, "Thah, now, that's what I git by tryin' to please everybody."

46. (a) PLAYING GODFATHER.3

There was a fox, a rabbit, an' a bear. They lived in a house together. They was all married. They had a large pot of lard." 1 Informant 2. Compare JAFL 12: 109.

2 Informant 4.

Informant 15. Heard by my informant from Mary Dalton. Compare Jones, XXIV; Harris 1 : XVII; MAFLS 2: 19, 33 (XIII); Parsons, I.

A Variant: Bucket of butter in de branch. This and the following variants were given by Mary Dalton herself. See this number, p. 215.