Part 1 — XXXVI. LEAH AND TIGER.

There was a man an' his wife got one daughter, only the one picny they got. An' many a people come for her to courten to her, an' she refuse, an' she would stay a world without marry.

An' the father said to the wife:—"Them people usual trouble me with my own daughter; we must do something to get her out of them sight."

An' the both of them agree to make up a very big house in the wood to lef' the daughter there where nobody wouldn' see him.

An' the father said to the wife:—"When the house done you mus' carry him breakfas' every twelve o'clock an' dinner at four."

An mumma say:—"Yes, me dear, I think so better."

An' they take Leah an' walk with her all night an' lodge her into the house before daylight.

An' at the meantime Leah got a very valuable ring on one of her finger, a very pretty young woman too, though me never see him.

Mumma tell him that when him going to bed he must always say him prayers. An' she tell her that, when she re'ch the hillside she sing the song, she must know a him honey a come. An' this the song:—

[Listen] [XML]

Leah! Leah! tingaling, You no yerry you honey, tingaling? Honey de a door, tingaling, Sugar de a door, tingaling.

An' this time Tiger was under the house hear all the bargain.

An' Tiger lie down very 'teady. (Some days to come he must get meat fe eat a this bush.)

Then mumma go away, next day come back with him daughter breakfas', an' 'tart the tune from hillside to the spot of place where the house is. An' the door was double double double latch. An' the tune 'tarted.

An' the gal open the door an' mumma come in give her her breakfast, an' make very much of each others, an' eat done an' tell goodbye.

When the mumma gone Tiger creep out of the house with a great rolling of voice, can't 'tan' him heel. He go down to see Brother Blacksmit' if he would do a kind favour for him.

An' Brother Blacksmit' say:—"What sort of favour I can do for you?"

An' Tiger say him see a very nice meat a bush, him want go eat it then, so me want sweet voice fe sing like a him mumma.

Then Brother Blacksmit' put the iron a fire, make him red hot, so tell him open him mout'. Blacksmit' poke ahm down his t'roat, heap of smoke come out a him 'tomach.

When him finish he tell him mus' sing make him hear.

So Tiger sing, an' true him voice sound so good.

Then Blacksmit' say:—"Min' mustn' eat no duckanoo nor guava by the way, else you voice turn rough again."

Tiger gone making his way fe go eat the gal fe meat. He was very hard on his journey going on. As he get halfway he see guava an' duckanoo, an' being him so thirsty he say:—"Make me nyam ahm, nothing goin' to do me voice."

He nyam until he unrestful an' come his voice after was like groun' t'under.

"Well," he say, "never min'; by the time me re'ch up me voice will come good."

So he lay down under the floor waiting for twelve o'clock when the mother usual come.

An' when it nearly come 'pon twelve Tiger creep out under the floor commence to sing:—

[Listen] [XML]

Leah! Leah! tingaling, You no yerry you honey, tingaling? You sugar de a door, tingaling, You honey de a door, tingaling.

An' Leah say:—"Hé! Hé! it is not my mother dat."

An' Tiger shame, gone under the house back, voice too coarse.

Presently his mother is up, sing with a very sweet voice:—

Leah! Leah! tingaling, You no yerry you honey, tingaling? Honey de a door, tingaling, Sugar de a door, tingaling.

An' the door open, an' she go in give her daughter him breakfas'.

An' her daughter hug her up an' kiss her, an' he commence to tell her mother that him hear a great rolling like groun' shaking while ago outside, an' it make her frighten to deat'. She tell her mumma she would like to go home with her back.

The mother refuse from do so, an' lef' an gone home, tell the father what happen with Leah in the bush.

An' puppa say:—"What make you lef' me daughter a bush? Go back for him to-night."

Mamma say:—"No danger wi' me daughter, me wi' carry him dinner four o'clock, lef' him come back."

Next day Tiger 'tart to Blacksmit' fe run iron down him t'roat back. Blacksmit' get vex, tell him he going to lick him down with the iron, for his ears hard.

Tiger said:—"Do Bro'er Blacksmit', me yerry all whé you tell me this time."

An' Blacksmit' put the iron two hour a fire an' shub him down Tiger t'roat. Tiger can't take him ground, iron too hot.

When he done with him he tell him to sing make him hear, an' beg him anything that him see in the way must make him yeye pass it.

An' Tiger say:—"Yes, so me going do."

Him shut him yeye now, take the whole a road for himself, say:—"Me boy never would a nyam nothing more a pass: sweet, sweet meat like a that so a bush me could a lef' ahm so?"

He was very hurry to the house, an' just before twelve o'clock he commence to sing, an' this time his voice sound well.

Leah open the door, t'ought it was her mother, an' Tiger jump right in an' eat the whole of Leah, lef' one finger with the ring.

Him eat done, half shut the door an' go back a him bed under the house.

Leah mumma come fe sing now:—

Leah! Leah! tingaling, Yo no yerry you honey, tingaling? You sugar de a door, tingaling, You honey de a door, tingaling.

An' nobody answer her.

She sing two time more: nobody answer.

An' she shub the door an' go inside to find only one finger of her daughter.

An' him put him hand on him head, bahl, then go home to him husband, tell him husband him daughter dead, something eat every bit.

Him say:—"Me no min tell you fe bring home me daughter: you will have fe find ahm gi' me. Then if you know whé good fe you just bring him go," catch up one big junka 'tick an' lick down the wife.

An' after the wife dead the man take to heart an' dead.

That make you see woman ears hard up to to-day. They want mus' man fe carry them anywhere they told fe go. A him make them something a happen a this world up to to-day day.

Jack Mantora me no choose none.

NOTES.

usual, are wont.

when she re'ch, when she (the mother) reaches the hillside and she sings the song, she (the girl) will know that his (her) honey has come.

tingaling. Some tellers of this story have it tindalinda.

'teady, steady, with a peculiar vowel like a dull French eu.

him daughter breakfas', came back with her daughter's breakfast and began to sing when she reached the hillside overlooking the house, and went on singing till she got to the house.

An' the tune 'tarted. The reciter sings it here.

out of the house, out from under the house. See note to "Yung-kyum-pyung."

rolling, roaring.

can't 'tan' him heel, can't stand on his heel. See, further on, can't take him ground. Both mean that Tiger cannot stand still.

a bush, in the bush.

ahm, him, it.

true him voice, really his voice sounds very well. Only, true means what it says, truly, and does not imply the reservation at which it really hints. Tiger's voice did sound very well.

duckanoo, a kind of mango.

going to do; eating the fruit is not going to do my voice any harm.

until he unrestful. He ate too much.

groun' t'under, ground thunder. It is often difficult to distinguish between distant thunder and an earthquake.

Tiger growls on a low note, and says the words very fast.

Hé! Hé! French é as in whé and dé.

groun'shaking, earthquake.

from do so, refuses to do what she asks.

down him t'roat back, down his throat again.

Blacksmith was vexed because Tiger had eaten fruit on the previous occasion. His ears had been hard, i.e. he had acted against orders.

make him yeye pass it, let his eye run over it without desiring to eat it.

take the whole a road, staggering along, first to one side and then to the other.

a pass, in the path, on the journey.

put him hand on him head, an expressive action indicating horror and bewilderment.

bahl, bawl, cry out.

me no min tell, me no been tell, didn't I tell you?

you will have fe find ahm gi' me; when anything is lost, they say:—You will have to find it and give it to me.

a him, etc., it is that (their ears being so hard) that makes this sort of thing happen.