Lob' chumal, "Mulher, ca bu chora, ell' sta brinca cu me, ell' ca ta fasen nada." Peix' Caball' murgulha cu ell' pa' fund'. 'Es ben riba, Lob' olha mulher ta chora. Ell' fral, "Ca bu chora, ell' sta brinca cu me. Se ell' ba fund', ell' ca ben mas, antan chora." Peix' Caball' murgulha mas fund'. Lob' quas' fogad'. Ell' chuma se mulher, ell' fral, "Chora, ago é hor' de chora', es' é ca brincadera." Peix' cre ranjal. Ell' murgulha cu ell' pa' fund'. E 'li é fim de 'Nho' Lob'. [Translation.1] There was a wolf and a tubinh. There was going to be a dance on an island. Tubinh fooled Lob; he told him how it was a feast, not a dance. Lob asked the birds to give him feathers so he could go to the feast on the island. The birds give him the feathers, he goes to the island, at nine o'clock the dance starts up. Lob is in a temper because it is a dance, not a feast. Lob asks Tubinh, "Is there nothing to eat?" Tubinh answers, “No, this isn't a feast, it's a dance."3 The first to dance was Crow. Lob, in a passion, begins to sing,4 "Black Crow! You think you are somebody, You are fine If you were not digging up people's corn in the ground." Crow takes from him his feather. Next to dance is Manelob. Lob sings, "Manelob! You think you are somebody, You are fine If you were not on the lookout for dead donkeys and goats to eat." Manelob takes from him his feather. Next to dance is Bluejay. Lob sings, Pasadinh'! You think you are somebody. You do not see your own red mouth. If you did not have your mouth, 1 Informant, Pedro Teixeira of Fogo. See this number, pp. 177, 178, 198, and especially Pub. Folk-Lore Soc. 1904: No. XL. For No. 3 see Braga, Contos tradicionaes do povo portuguez, p. 67. For No. 5 see also G. McC. Theal, Kaffir Folk-Lore (London, 1886), 115-116; Jacottet 1: 14-16. For full titles see Bibliography, p. 170. 2 Tubinh (Xubinh) is dialect for subrinho ("nephew"). The creature referred to is known to be the nephew of Wolf (Lob); but the kinship term is used, as in this instance, as a generic term, or more commonly as a proper name. In some of the islands Tubinh is called Pedr. It is customary, however, to serve canja (a stew of hominy and rice and chicken) before midnight at a balh, and black coffee at 4 A.M. A dance may begin at any hour, even in the morning, and it may last two or three days. sung. Although my informants did not sing, Lob's insults to the birds, they said, are usually Manelob da Silva. "Mané" is dialectical for "Manuel." wood," appears to be the island sobriquet for "vulture." "Manuel, wolf of the Bluejay takes from him his feather. Next to dance is Chinchirot'. Hawk takes from him the feather he had given him. Next to dance is Guinea-Hen. Lob sings out, "You, Galinh' de Gine! You think you are somebody; But you don't see your own measly head. If you didn't have your head, You would be fine." Hen takes from him her feather. At six in the morning the dance was over, everybody went home and left Lob on the island. Lob began to cry. Just then there came by aunt Peix' Caball'.1 "What's the matter with you?" she asks Lob. "The birds loaned me their feathers. I went to the dance, then . . . they took their feathers, they went, they left me alone." Peix' Caball' said, "If you were not so bad, I'd carry you to your country." "If you take me to my country, I'll pay you well," promises Lob. “Well, jump on my back!" and the fish began to swim to land. Half way across, Lob says, "Oh, what big breasts! When I get ashore, I'm going to bite one of them off."-"What's that you say?" asks Peix' Caball'. "Nothing, I said you were a swimmer." As soon as they make the shore, Lob jumps on the ground, tears off the left breast of Peix' Caball'. Peix' Caball' lies crying on the beach. Tubinh passes by, he asks her why she is crying. Peix' Caball' says to Tubinh, "I brought Lob across from that island, as soon as we landed he tore off my breast." "If you pay me something, I'll put uncle Lob into your hands," says Tubinh. Aunt Peix' Caball' says, "If you put Lob into my hands, I'll give you whatever you ask." Tubinh starts for home. He nears the house; he calls out to his wife, "Get knife, machad, tagara,' we go down to the sea to kill a cow lying there!" Lob was close by; he hears; he says, “Tubinh, that cow is mine, it is not yours. I left her there. If you put a hand on her, I put a shot into you." Then Lob says to his wife, "Get my knife, machad, tagara, we are going to the beach!" He reaches the beach, he goes up on Peix' Caball' to kill her. Peix' Caball' grabs him by the leg, she drags him into the sea. Lob's wife screams. Lob calls back to her, "Wife, don't cry! she is just playing with me, she is not going to do anything." Peix' Caball' dives down with him. 1 Horse-fish, a creature with the head of a horse, the tail of a fish. 2 A machad is a large knife. A tagara is a large wooden dish. They come up. Lob sees his wife still crying. He says, "Don't cry! she is just playing with me. If she goes to the bottom and doesn't come up, cry then." Peix' Caball' dives again deeper. Lob is almost choked. He calls to his wife. He says, "Cry, this is the time to cry, this is not play." Peix' wanted to settle him. She dove with him to the bottom. And that is the end of Nho Lob. 6-10. HOLDING UP THE CAVE; FATAL IMITATION; THE TOOTHPICK; THE PASSWORD; GETTING THE OTHER FELLOW TO TAKE YOUR PLACE. (6) Ti' Lob' e Subrinh' Pedr' ba pa' camp' furt' porc'. 'Es lebal dent' d'un lap', 'es fase lum', 'es po caleron riba. Ti' Lob' sint' nun jarga de lum', Pedr' no't'o banda. Qant' caleron sta quasi cusid', Pedr' panha un pedrinh', ell' tra pa' riba na cumer' de lap'. Qant' ell' cahi, ell' fra, "Ti' Lob', lap' sta bafano, nho labanta, nho aguental." Pedr' tra caleron pa' for', ell' cume tud' comid', ell' ba, ell' dixa Ti' Lob' aguentad' na lap'. Ell' aguental tres dia, dipo's ell' bua nun jarga, ell' cahi, ell' racha cabeç'. Qanto ell' ben cas', ell' purgunta se mulhe', Zabel Gonçalbe, se ell' olha Pedr'. "Nao, un ca olha Pedr'," ell' raspondel," milho' bu largal de mon, bu sinta na cas', ell' ta matabo." -"Me qi ta matal. Me é filh' de nha pa', filh' de nha ma. Un ta matal ell'. É nha subrinh'." (7) O't'o dia Pedr' ben pa' dent'. Ell' fra, "Nha' Zabel, unde Ti' Lob'?" Lob' sta ungachad' bax' de cama. Ell' fra se mulhe' pa' ca fra undi ell' sta. Ell' cre pega' Pedr'. Pedr' tenba un garafon de mel qi ell' basa na se cabeç'. Qanto ell' tra se chape' Zabel Gonçalbe cuda mel era sange. Ell' pupa. Lob' sahi debax' de cama, “O nha filh', O nha filh', qen qi fasbo es' cusa?" Ell' crama pa' Pedr'. “Es' ca nad', Ti' Lob'," raspond' Pedr'. "Un fra un ome pa' dan cu machad' na cabeç' qi fasel." Ti' Lob' po mon na cabeç' de Pedr', depo's ded' na boc'. Ell' fica sustad'. Ell' chuma se mulhe' pa' panha' machad' dan cu ell' na cabeç' pa' fase' mel ben. "Dan cu ell'! Dan cu ell'!" De prumer' pancad', ell' tral sange. "Dan cu ell' o't'o bes!" ell' pupa. "Dan cu ell' o't'o bes!" Ell' dal cu ell' o't'o bes. Ell' abril cabeç' in dos. Dipo's ell' ba colhe' palh' texera, balço, fedegos' pel fase' pacha pa' se cabeç'. (8) Qanto se cabeç' ja sara, ell' sahi, ell' ba bera prai' jobe' Pedr'. Pedr' era piscado' na prai'. Lob' cunça ta coje lap' cu carangex'. Pe de carangex' entra Lob' na dent'. Pedr' qi staba na o't'o banda de prai' unde ell' olha Ti' Lob', e Ti' Lob' ca olhal. Pedr' ben pa' riba, ell' fra, "Un ben pan ben tra qel pe de carangex' pa' nho." Ell' panha picaret' pa' ell' tral ell'. "Nao cu qel, nao," Lob' nega. Depo's ell' panha barra de fer' pa' ell' tral ell.' "Nao cu qel, nao," Lob' nega. Ell' panha po. "Nao cu qel, nao," Lob' nega. “Tra nho ell' cu nha ded'."-"Bon," 'Nho' Lob' fra. Ell' pegal dent', ell' tral un padas de ded'. "Ti' Lob', un ben pan fra nho unde que nho ta acha cusas bon pa' nho cume', "Subrinh' fral. "Ago nho morden nha ded', un ca ta fra nho." - "O, Tubinh', un ta po padas pa' tras inda qi ell' custan tra pada' de nha ded'." (9) Pedr' leba Lob' na pont' de prai'. Staba peix' qi ta ben tudo dia oqi mar' ta ben riba ta ba p'ra baxo qi Pedr' ta mamaba. "Fra 'mama baix' oqi nho cre, ‘mama riba' oqi nho ten bastant'," Pedr' fra Lob'. Lob' fra, "Mama riba," ma' ell' ca larg', mar' ba p'ra bax', ell' ba cu ell'. "Ma' Peix' Caball', bu sta leban na bon caminh', ta balança na ondia," Lob' fra. Ell' lebal pa' for' pa' mar'. "Dixan ba 'go," Lob' fral, “un lenbra de Zabel Gonçalbe."-"Me un ca tenebo, bu qi tenen," raspond' Peix' Caball', “qenha é bu?" - "Me é Ti' Lob'." "Un dabo nha mama, un cuda é Pedr'. Un gosta de Pedr' pamode ell' ta sta cu mi oqi mar' sec' pa' pas' ca cumen. Des bes un ta pobo na (10) A ssim qi Ti' Lob' chiga terr', ell' corre pa' cas' ta jobe' Pedr'. "Unde Pedr'?" ell' purgunta Zabel Gonçalbe. "Ca bu purguntan,' ell' raspondel cu raiba. "Se bu ca dixa Pedr' qeto, ell' ta matabo." Ma' Lob' sahi for' o't'o bes ta jobe' Pedr'. Pedr' staba marrad' pamode 'es pegal na furta dent' de mandiocera. "Xubrinh', cusa qi bu sta fase 'li?" Ti' Lob' purguntal. "Ten un fest' 'li," Pedr' rasponde. "Es cre pan cume', ma' un ca cre cume', 'es marran.” "Marran," Ti' Lob' fral, "un ta dismarrabo, bu ta marran." Lob' olha 'es ta ben cu gamela. Ell' cuda cuma 'es staba ta trasel algun cusa de cume, ell' bira ta bua' de content'. "Pedr' é dod' ell' ca cre qel cusa bon!" Dent' de gamela staba ferr' qente, é 'es chuçil cu ell'. "É ca mi, é Pedr'," ell' grit'. "E ca mi, é Pedr'!" La nun cutel' Pedr' staba saqedo ta toc' se tamborinh'. Ell' ta cant, "Deng deng, nha tamborinh.' Curup curup, nha parente. Un ca marr' Lob', Lob' de cu quemad'." 'Es chuçil qel ferr' qente tres bes. “É ca mi, é Pedr'," ell' cuntina ta grita'. Depo's 'es largal, ell' ba cas'. Ell' deta pa' un sumana. Ell' fra se mulhe' cuma ell' staba na fest' ell' tuma gata. Ell' fasel caldo pa' ell'. Sapatinh' corr' pa' mar' abax'. [Translation.'] (6) Uncle Lob and nephew Pedr went out into the country and stole a pig. They took it into a cave, made a fire, put on the pot. Uncle Lob sat on one side of the fire, and Pedr on the other. When the pot was almost cooked, Pedr took a little stone, he threw it up to the roof of the cave. As it fell down, he said, "Uncle Lob, the cave is coming down on us, get up and hold it up!" Pedr took out the pot, ate up all the food, he went off, he left uncle Lob holding up the cave. He held it up for three days, then he jumped aside, he fell down, he split open his head. When he came home, he asked his wife, Zabel Gonçalbe, if she had seen Pedr. "No, I haven't seen Pedr," she answered, "You better let him go and stay home. He'll kill you." "I'm going to kill him. I'm going to kill him. I am the son of my father and the son of my mother. (7) Next day in comes Pedr. He says, "Nha Zabel, where's uncle Lob?" Lob had hidden himself under the bed. He told his wife not to tell where he was. He wanted to catch Pedr. Pedr had a large bottle of molasses which he had dumped on his head. When he took off his hat, Zabel Gonçalbe thought the molasses was blood. She screamed. Lob came out from under the bed. "O my son, my son! who has done this thing?" he exclaimed to Pedr. "This is nothing, uncle Lob," answered Pedr. "I told a man to give it to me on the head with a machad, which he did." Uncle Lob put his hand on Pedr's head, then his fingers into his mouth. He was astounded. He called to his wife to get the machad to give it to him on the head to make the molasses come. "Give it to me, give it to me!" At her first blow she drew blood. 'Give it to me again!" he cries. "Give it to me again!" She gave it to him again. She split his head in two. Then she went and collected pailh teixeira, balsam, and fedigosa to make a plaster for his head. (8) After his head had mended, he started out to the beach to find Pedr. Pedr was a fisherman on the beach. Lob began to pick up and eat snails and crabs. A claw stuck in Lob's teeth. Pedr, who was at the other end of the beach, where he saw uncle Lob, and uncle Lob didn't see him. Pedr came up, and said, "I've come to pull out that claw for you." He took a pick-axe to take it out. "No, not with that," objected Lob. Then he took an iron bar to take it out. "No, not with that," objected Lob. He took a stick. "No, not with that," objected Lob. He said, "I will take it out with my fingers."— “Good," said Nho Lob. He closes his teeth, he takes a piece out of the finger. "Uncle Lob, I came here to tell you where you could get something good to eat," said Subrinh. "Now you've bitten my finger, I won't tell you."—"O Xubrinh! I'll put the piece back, even if I have to take a piece out of my own finger." (9) Pedr takes Lob to the end of the beach. There was a fish which came in and out every day with the tide, and which Pedr used to nurse. "Say, 'Mama bax' when you want her, 'mama riba' when you've had enough," Pedr said to Lob. Lob said "Mama riba," but he wouldn't let go; and as 1 Informant, Matheus Dias of San Anton. For No. 6 see Harris 3: LIV; Jacottet 1: 44, n. 1; Theal, p. 113; Boas, "Notes on Mexican Folk-Lore" (JAFL 25 [1912]: 206, 237); K. T. Preuss, Die Nayarit Expedition (Leipzig, 1912), 1: 290. No. 7 as well as No. 10 are patterns from the cycle of Big Klaus and Little Klaus, or, to use the Cape Verde names, of Jonson and Jonsinh. For No. 7, see this number, pp. 190, 226; for No. 10, p. 229. 2 Variant: "I came by there yesterday, and saw him still holding it up" (Fogo). |