CONTENTS.
Reading edition
PAGE
Contents v
Preface xi
Animal Stories.
1. Tying Tiger 1
a. The Fish-basket 1
b. The Storm 2
2. Tiger as Substitute 3
a. The King’s Two Daughters 3
b. The Gub-gub Peas 4
3. Tiger as Riding-horse 5
4. Tiger’s Sheep-skin Suit 6
5. Tiger Catching the Sheep-thief 8
a. The Escape 8
b. The Substitute 8
c. In the House-top 9
6. Tiger’s Breakfast 11
7. Eggs and Scorpions 11
8. Tiger’s Bone-hole 12
9. The Christening 12
10. Eating Tiger’s Guts 13
a. The Tell-tale 13
b. The Monkeys’ Song 13
11. Throwing Away Knives 14
a. Tiger and Anansi 14
b. Sheep and Anansi 14
12. Grace before Meat 14
a. Monkey and Anansi 14
b. Goat and Anansi 15
13. Day-time Trouble 15
a. Rabbit and Anansi 15
b. Rat and Anansi 16
c. Goat and Anansi 16
14. New Names 17
15. Long-shirt 18
16. Shut up in the Pot 19
17. House in the Air 20
a. Tracking Anansi 20
b. Rabbit and Children going up to Heaven 20
c. Duppy’s House in the Air 21
d. Carencro’s House with a Key 21
18. Goat on the Hill-side 22
19. Dog and Dog-head 22
20. Tacoomah’s Corn-piece 23
21. Anansi and the Tar-baby 23
a. The Escape from Tiger 23
b. The Substitute 24
c. The Grave 25
22. Inside the Cow 26
23. Cunnie-more-than-father 27
24. The Duckano Tree 31
25. Food and Cudgel 31
a. The Handsome Packey 31
b. The Knife and Fork 32
26. The Riddle 33
27. Anansi and Brother Dead 34
a. Brother Dead’s Wife 34
b. Goat and Plantain 35
28. Brother Dead and the Brindle Puppy 35
29. The Cowitch and Mr. Foolman 36
30. Dry-head and Anansi 37
a. Go-long-go 37
b. Dry-head 38
c. Brother Dead 39
31. The Yam-hills 39
32. The Law Against Back-biting 40
a. Duck’s Dream 40
b. Guinea-chick 41
c. Dry-head at the Barber’s 42
33. Fling-a-mile 42
34. But-but and Anansi 44
35. Tumble-bug and Anansi 45
36. Horse and Anansi 46
37. Anansi in Monkey Country 47
a. Bunya 47
b. Christen Christen 47
38. Curing the Sick 48
a. The Fishes 48
b. The Six Children 48
39. Anansi, White-belly and Fish 50
40. Goat’s Escape 51
a. The Rain 51
b. The Dance (1) 52
The Dance (2) 52
41. Turtle’s Escape 53
42. Fire and Anansi 53
43. Quit-quit and Anansi 53
a. Tailors and Fiddlers 53
b. Fiddlers 54
44. Spider Marries Monkey’s Daughter 54
45. The Chain of Victims 55
46. Why Tumble-bug Rolls in the Dung 56
47. Why John-crow Has a Bald Head 56
a. The Baptism 56
b. The Dance 57
48. Why Dog is always Looking 57
49. Why Rocks at the River are Covered with Moss 57
50. Why Ground-dove Complains 58
51. Why Hog is always Grunting 58
52. Why Toad Croaks 58
53. Why Woodpecker Bores Wood 59
54. Why Crab is Afraid after Dark 59
55. Why Mice are no Bigger 59
56. Rat’s Wedding 60
57. Cockroach Stories 61
a. Cock’s Breakfast 61
b. Feigning Sick (1) 61
Feigning Sick (2) 62
c. The Drum 62
58. Hunter, Guinea-hen and Fish 63
59. Rabbit Stories 64
a. The Tar Baby 64
b. Saying Grace 64
c. Pretending Dead 65
60. The Animal Race 65
a. Horse and Turtle 65
b. Pigeon and Parrot 66
61. The Fasting Trial (fragment) 67
62. Man is Stronger 67
Old Stories, chiefly of Sorcery.
63. The Pea that Made a Fortune 69
64. Settling the Father’s Debt 69
65. Mr. Lenaman’s Corn-field 70
66. Simon Tootoos 71
67. The Tree-wife 74
68. Sammy the Comferee 75
69. Grandy Do-an’Do 77
70. Jack and Harry 79
71. Pea-fowl as Messenger 80
a. John Studee 80
b. Contavio 82
72. The Barking Puppy 82
73. The Singing Bird 83
a. Fine Waiting Boy 83
b. The Golden Cage 84
74. Two Sisters 85
75. Assonah 86
76. The Greedy Child 87
a. Crossing the River 87
b. The Plantain 87
77. Alimoty and Aliminty 88
78. The Fish Lover 89
a. Timbo Limbo 89
b. Fish Fish Fish 91
c. Dear Old Juna 91
79. Juggin Straw Blue 92
80. The Witch and the Grain of Peas 93
81. Bosen Corner 94
82. The Three Dogs 96
a. Boy and Witch Woman 96
b. Lucy and Janet 99
83. Andrew and His Sisters 99
84. The Hunter 101
a. The Bull turned Courter 101
b. The Cow turned Woman 102
85. Man-Snake as Bridegroom 103
a. The Rescue (1) 103
The Rescue (2) 104
b. Snake Swallows the Bride 104
86. The Girls who Married the Devil 105
a. The Devil-husband 105
b. The Snake-husband 106
87. Bull as Bridegroom 108
a. Nancy 108
b. The Play-song 109
c. Gracie and Miles 110
88. The Two Bulls 111
89. Ballinder Bull 113
90. Bird Arinto 115
91. Tiger Softens his Voice 116
92. Hidden Names 118
a. Anansi and Mosquito 118
b. Anansi plays Baby (1) 118
Anansi plays Baby (2) 119
Anansi plays Baby (3) 119
93. Anansi and Mr. Able 120
94. The King’s Three Daughters 121
95. The Dumb Child 121
96. The Dumb Wife 123
97. Leap, Timber, Leap 124
a. Old Conch 124
b. Grass-quit (fragment) 126
98. The Boy fools Anansi 126
99. The Water-crayfish 127
Modern European Stories.
100. Ali Baba and Kissem 129
101. Bull-of-all-the-land 130
102. The Boiling Pot 131
103. The Twelve One-eyed Men 133
104. Bird and Hunter 134
105. Jack and the Devil Errant 135
106. The Magic Hat and the Staff of Life 139
107. Uncle Green and Jack 141
108. Big Begum and Little Begum 143
109. The Fool and the Wise Brother 145
110. The Children and the Witch 146
111. The Boy and the Mermaid (fragment) 147
112. Difficult Tasks (fragment) 147
113. The Grateful Beasts 148
114. Jack and the Bean-stalk 149
115. Jack and the Devil 150
116. Jack’s Riddle 150
117. Jack as Fortune-teller 151
118. Robin as Fortune-teller 151
119. Jack and the Grateful Dead 152
120. The Boy and his Master 153
121. The Language of Beasts 154
122. The Three Pieces of Advice 155
123. Three Brothers and the Life-tree 156
124. The Skilful Brothers 158
125. The Three Sillies 158
126. A Misunderstanding 159
127. Big-head, Big-belly and Little-foot (a and b) 160
128. The Goat in the Lion’s Den 160
129. The Donkey, The Cat and the Lion’s Head 161
130. Clever Molly May 162
131. Dancing to Anansi’s Fiddle 162
132. Anansi Claims the Dinner 163
133. Anansi Seeks his Fortune 163
134. The Pannier-jar 163
135. Anansi kills his Grandmother 164
136. White-belly and Anansi 164
137. Monkey hunts Anansi 165
138. Anansi and the Pig Coming from Market 166
Song and Dance.
139. The Fifer 169
140. In Come Murray 170
141. Tacoomah Makes a Dance 170
142. Anansi Makes a Dance 171
143. Red Yam 173
144. Guzzah Man 175
145. Fowl and Pretty Poll 176
146. The Cumbolo 176
147. John-crow and Fowl at Court 177
148. Wooden Ping-ping and Cock 177
149. Animal Talk 178
Witticisms 179
Riddles 183
Index to Riddles 219
Abbreviations of Titles 223
Notes to the Tales 233
Index to Informants 291