Part 1 — XII. TOAD AND DONKEY.
Reading edition
One day a King made a race and have Toad and Donkey to be the racer. An' Toad tell Donkey that him must win the race, an' Donkey mad when him yerry so. And the race was twenty mile.
An' Donkey say:—"How can you run me? I have long tail an' long ear an' a very tall foot too, an' you a little bit a Toad. Let me measure foot an' see which one longer."
An' Toad say to Donkey:—"You no mind that man, but I must get the race."
An' Donkey get very vex about it.
An' Donkey say to the King:—"I ready now to start the race."
An' the King made a law that Donkey is to bawl at every miles that he might know where he got.
Now that little smart fellah Toad says to the King that he doesn't fix up his business yet, an' will he grant him a little time.
An' the King grant him a day, an' say to the two of them:—"Come again to-morrow."
An' Donkey wasn't agree, for he know that Toad is a very trickified thing.
But the King wouldn' hear, an' say:—"No, to-morrow."
Now Toad have twenty picny. An' while Donkey is sleeping, Toad take the twenty picny them along with him on the race-ground, an' to every mile-post Toad leave one of his picny an' tell them that they must listen for Mr. Donkey when he is coming. "An' when you yerry that fellah Mr. Donkey bawl, you must bawl too." An' Toad hide one of his picny behind every mile-post until him end the twenty mile.
So the race begin.
Donkey was so glad in a him heart that he was going to beat Toad that he say to himself:—"Tche! That little bit a fellah Toad can't manage me, so I must have plenty of time to eat some grass."
So him stand by the way, eat grass and poke him head through the fence where he see some potato-slip, an' try a taste of Gungo peas. An' he take more than an hour fe catch up the first mile-post, an' as him get him bawl:—
[Listen] [XML]
Ha! Ha! Ha! me more than Toad.
An' there comes the first picny call out:—
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Jinkororo, Jinkokkokkok.
An' Donkey quite surprise, an' say:—"Tche! How him manage to be before me?"
An' he think:—"Me delay too long with that grass, I must quicker next mile."
An' him set off with a better speed an' only stop a minute for a drink of water. An' as him get to the next post him bawl:—
[Listen] [XML]
Ha! Ha! Ha! me more than Toad.
An' there come the second picny call out:—
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Jinkororo, Jinkokkokkok.
An' Donkey say:—"Lah! Toad travel fe true. Never mind, we will chance it again."
So him 'tart, an' when him reach the third mile-post him bawl:—
[Listen] [XML]
Ha! Ha! Ha! me more than Toad.
An' the third picny behind the post say:—
[Listen] [XML]
Jinkororo, Jinkokkokkok.
Jackass get vex when he hear Toad answer him, an' he go fe 'mash Toad, an' Toad being a little man hide himself in a grass.
Then Donkey say:—"Hi! fellah gone ahead; make I see if I can catch up the next mile-post before him." An' he take him tail an' touch it like a horsewhip an' begin fe gallop.
An' him get to the fourth mile-post an' bawl:—
[Listen] [XML]
Ha! Ha! Ha! me more than Toad.
An' there comes the fourth picny answer him:—
[Listen] [XML]
Jinkororo, Jinkokkokkok.
When him yerry, him 'tand up same place an' trimble, say:—"My goodness King! a whé me a go do? Make me gallop so I knock off all me hoof self upon the hard hard dirty because I must beat the race."
An' he gallop so fast than he ever do before, until when he get to the fifth mile-post he was really tired an' out of breath.
But he just have enough to bawl:—
[Listen] [XML]
Ha! Ha! Ha! me more than Toad.
When he hear:—
[Listen] [XML]
Jinkororo, Jinkokkokkok.
This time he really mad, an' race on harder than ever. But always the same story. Each mile-post he catch him bawl:—"Ha! Ha! Ha! me more than Toad." An' always come answer:—"Jinkororo, Jinkokkokkok."
An' Donkey begin to get sad in his mind for he see that he lost the race. So through Toad smartness Donkey can never be racer again.
Jack Mantora me no choose any.
NOTES.
tall foot, long leg. A tall bridge is a long one, not one that stands high above the river.
wasn't agree, didn't agree. Auxiliaries are a snare.
picny. This is the almost universal form of picaninny in Jamaica, varied occasionally by picany.
Tche! the Pshaw! of books and the Tush! of the Psalms. There is a world of contempt in this ejaculation, which is accompanied by an upward jerk of the chin. The vowel is that of French le.
potato-slip. The sweet potato (Ipomœa Batatas) is cultivated by slips or cuttings. Our kind of potato is called "Irish potato."
Jinkororo, etc. This is a capital imitation of the Toad's croaking chuckle. The second bar should be made as out of tune as possible and the kok is on the lowest note of the voice. It is the repeated k's that make the croak so life-like.
take him tail. They are fond of this expression. Other examples are:—"The horse take him mout' fe 'cratch him foot," the horse scratches his leg with his mouth. "Me take me owny yeye an' see it," I saw it with my own eyes.
a whé me a go do? What am I going to do, what shall I do?
dirty, ground.