32. galope on la tair; toi, ta galope dan dolo. To ben compranne galopper en la terre; toi, tu va galopper dans de l"eau. Toi bien comprendre
33. ca mo di toi?" "O, oui, compair Zavoca, mo ben cela moi dire toi?" "O, oui, compere Avocat, moi bien
34. coute ton ca vape di." "A soua, can la nouite vini, ecouter tout cela vous apres dire." "Le soir, quand la nuit venir,
35. ta couri pranne nef dan to zami, e ta chache aine dan toi va courir prendre neuf dans tes amis, et toi va cacher un dans
36. zerb au ra chakene zalon ye. Toi, ta couri cache au ra herbe au ras chacun jalon eux. Toi, toi va courir cacher au ras
37. la mison Mamzel Calinda. To ben compranne ca mo di toi?"
la maison Mlle. Calinda. Toi bien comprendre cela moi dire toi?"
38. "O, oui, compair Zavoca, mo tou compranne mekie ca vou "O, oui, compere Avocat, moi tout comprendre metier cela vous
39. di." "Eben! couri pare pou sove lonnair nou nachion."
dire." "Eh bien! courir preparer pour sauver l"honneur notre nation."
40. Compair Torti couri cote compair Chivreil e range tou Compere Tortue courir cote compere Chevreuil et arranger tout
41. kichoge compair Zavoca di li. Compair Chivreil si tan sire quelquechose compere Avocat dire lui. Compere Chevreuil si tant sur
42. gagnin lacourse, li di oui tou ca compair Torti oule.
gagner la course, lui dire oui tout cela compere Tortue vouloir.
43. Landimin bon matin, ton zabitan semble pou oua Lendemain bon matin, tous habitants a.s.sembler pour voir
44. gran lacourse. Can lhair rive, compair Chivreil ave grande la course. Quand l"heure arriver, compere Chevreuil avec
45. compair Torti tou le de pare. Jige la crie: "Go!" e ye compere Tortue tous les deux prepares. Juge la crier: "Go!" et eux
46. parti galope. Tan compair Chivreil rive cote primie partir galopper. Temps compere Chevreuil arriver cote premier
47. zalon, li hele: "Halo, compair Torti!" "Mo la, compair jalon, lui heler: "Halo, compere Tortue!" "Moi la, compere
48. Chivreil!" Tan ye rive dezieme zalon, compair Chivreil Chevreuil!" Temps eux arriver deuxieme jalon, compere Chevreuil
49. siffle: "Fioute!" Compair Torti reponne: "Croak!" Troisieme siffler: "Fioute!" Compere Tortue repondre: "Croak!" Troisieme
50. zalon boute, compair Torti tink-a-tink ave compair jalon au bout, compere Tortue tingue-a-tingue avec compere
51. Chivreil. "Diabe! Torti la galope pli vite Chevreuil. "Diable! Tortue la galopper plus vite
52. pace stimbotte; fo mo grouye mo cor." Tan compair pa.s.se steamboat; faut moi grouiller mon corps." Temps compere
53. Chivreil rive cote nevieme zalon, li oua compair Torti Chevreuil arriver cote neuvieme jalon, lui voir compere Tortue
54. ape patchiou dan dolo. Li mete ton so laforce apres _patchiou_! dans de l"eau. Lui mettre toute sa la force
55. dihior pou aen; avan li rive cote bite, li tende dehors pour rien; avant lui arriver cote but, lui entendre
56. ton monne ape hele: "Houra! houra! pou compair Torti!"
tout monde apres heler: "Hourra! hourra! pour compere Tortue!"
57. Tan li rive, li oua compair Torti on la garlie ape Temps lui arriver, lui voir compere Tortue en la galerie apres
58. bra.s.se Mamzel Calinda. Ca fe li si tan mal, li embra.s.ser Mlle. Calinda. Cela faire lui si tant mal, lui
59. sape dan boi. Compair Torti mae ave Mamzel Calinda s"echapper dans bois. Compere Tortue marier avec Mlle. Calinda
60. samedi ape vini, e tou monne manze, boi, jika samedi apres venir, et tout monde manger, boire jusqu"a
61. y tchiak.[i_22]
eux griser.
It only remains to be said that none of the stories given in the present volume are "cooked." They are given in the simple but picturesque language of the negroes, just as the negroes tell them. The Ghost-story, in which the dead woman returns in search of the silver that had been placed upon her eyes, is undoubtedly of white origin; but Mr. Samuel L.
Clemens (Mark Twain) heard it among the negroes of Florida, Missouri, where it was "The Woman with the Golden Arm." Fortunately, it was placed in the mouth of "Tildy, the house-girl, who must be supposed to have heard her mistress tell it. But it has been negroized to such an extent that it may be cla.s.sed as a negro legend; and it is possible that the white version is itself based upon a negro story. At any rate, it was told to the writer by different negroes; and he saw no reason to doubt its authenticity until after a large portion of the book was in type.
His relations to the stories are simply those of editor and compiler. He has written them as they came to him, and he is responsible only for the setting. He has endeavored to project them upon the background and to give them the surroundings which they had in the old days that are no more; and it has been his purpose to give in their recital a glimpse of plantation life in the South before the war. If the reader, therefore, will exercise his imagination to the extent of believing that the stories are told to a little boy by a group of negroes on a plantation in Middle Georgia, before the war, he will need neither foot-note nor explanation to guide him.
In the preparation of this volume the writer has been placed under obligations to many kind friends. But for the ready sympathy and encouragement of the proprietors of "The Atlanta Const.i.tution"--but for their generosity, it may be said--the writer would never have found opportunity to verify the stories and prepare them for the press. He is also indebted to hundreds of kind correspondents in all parts of the Southern States, who have interested themselves in the work of collecting the legends. He is particularly indebted to Mrs. Helen S.
Barclay, of Darien, to Mr. W. O. Tuggle, to Hon. Charles C. Jones, Jr., to the accomplished daughters of Mr. Griswold, of Clinton, Georgia, and to Mr. John Devereux, Jr., and Miss Devereux, of Raleigh, North Carolina.
J. C. H.
ATLANTA, GEORGIA.
-- FOOTNOTES:
[i_1] _Uncle Remus; His Songs and His Sayings._ The Folk-Lore of the Old Plantation. New York: D. Appleton & Co. 1880.
[i_2] _Amazonian Tortoise Myths_, pp. 2, 3.
[i_3] Page 10.
[i_4] _Kaffir Folk-Lore_; or, _A Selection from the Traditional Tales current among the People living on the Eastern Border of the Cape Colony_. London, 1882.
[i_5] _Kaffir Folk-Lore_, p. 43.
[i_6] Professor Hartt, in his _Amazonian Tortoise Myths_, relates the story of "The Jabuti that Cheated the Man." The Jabuti is identical with Brother Terrapin. The man carried the Jabuti to his house, put him in a box, and went out. By and by the Jabuti began to sing, just as Brother Rabbit did. The man"s children listened, and the Jabuti stopped. The children begged him to continue, but to this he replied: "If you are pleased with my singing, how much more would you be pleased if you could see me dance." The children thereupon took him from the box, and placed him in the middle of the floor, where he danced, to their great delight. Presently, the Jabuti made an excuse to go out, and fled. The children procured a stone, painted it like the tortoise, and placed it in the box. After a while the man returned, took the painted stone from the box and placed it on the fire, where it burst as soon as it became heated. Meantime, the Jabuti had taken refuge in a burrow having two openings, so that, while the man was looking in at one opening, the tortoise would appear at another. Professor Hartt identifies this as a sun-myth--the slow-sun (or tortoise) escaping from the swift-moon (or man).
[i_7] _Kaffir Folk-Lore_, p. 84.
[i_8] Page 89.
[i_9] _Kaffir Folk-Lore_, p. 178.
[i_10] Page 111.
[i_11] _Kaffir Folk-Lore_, p. 166.
[i_12] _Uncle Remus: His Songs and Sayings_, xix. p. 88.