Animal Talk - Jamaica James Anderson Hilton, Maroon Town, Cock-pit country. Fowl tell de other fowl say, "Tell odder, one, odder one, odder one!" till it scatter over de whole worl'. Cock say, "If it tre-ew, yes!" Horse stamp him foot on de eart', "What in my stomach, mak it stay in deah!" Jack-ass say, "De worl' don' level!" (for if de worl' level, don' hav to wear crupper on his tail.) Cow say (slowly and drawlingly), "Mas-sa wor-r-r-k ne-v-e-r don-n-ne!" Mule say (quickly and with energy), "it will done! it will done! it will done! Massa work will done!" Crab say, "Mustn't trust shadder after dark!" Ground Dove say, "My hears! my hears! my hears!" (won't hear what his parents tell him). Hopping Dick go up on sharp 'tump an' White Belly go up on one tall tree an' bet one bet who can stay de longest widout eat. Hopping Dick say, "Chem chem cheery o!" White Belly say, "Coo coo coo, me hearie you! Coo coo coo, me hearie you!" Hopping Dick go down to de groun' pick up worm. White Belly stay up on tree all de time. White Belly fall down an' die. NOTE: 149. Animal Talk. Again there are, in this medley which imitates animal sounds, reminiscences of consecutive Nansi stories--Crab's words, in number 54; Ground Dove's in 50. For the fasting contest, see number 61. Tremearne, 28, says that the imitation of animal cries is a favorite device in African story-telling. Compare Hollis, Nandi, 109-111, where a great many examples are given of this kind of entertainment. Jamaica Anansi Stories ,Martha Warren Beckwith, New York, Published By The American Folk-Lore Society, G. E. Stechert & Co., Agents. [1924] and is now in the public domain. Come visit us at. "Keeper of Stories". http://www.newkeeperofstories.com/