It was getting night and Fish told him to remain over until next day. Fish had a barrel of eggs in the kitchen. Anansi wanted to eat them off, asked Fish to make his bed in the kitchen for the night. He poached all the eggs in the ashes, left one, and they went ‘pop!’ The pickney say, “A wha’ stranger man a do deh?” The Fish mother said, “Have manners, pickney! Let you cousin prosper.” Morning dawn, the mother sent the children to bring the eggs to her to count them. Anansi said, “Mek the child’ren keep quiet; me wi’ work!” and he took the one egg, took it to the mother Fish. Each time she marked it he would wipe it off, take back the same egg, until he had taken the whole barrel full.
After that, he said he wanted to go. Fish said to two of the children, “Me son, get the canoe an’ tek you cousin over the river.” It was looking very breezy and rainy. When they got half way across, Fish bawled out at the top of her voice, “Bring stranger man back he-e-ah! fe he eat off all me eggs; only one is heah!” The children say, “Wha’ ma say?” Anansi said, “You ma say you mus’ row quickly, squall ahead!” The children rowed across. Anansi took them up, put them in his bag and took them home, eat them. And from that day, fishes are eaten!
40. Goat’s Escape. [[Note]]
a. The Rain.
Richard Pottinger, Claremont, St. Ann.
Anansi and Goat have a little quarrel. Anansi said to Goat, “Brar Goat, I gwine ketch you!” Goat say, “You never live, me frien’, to ketch me!” Goat ’fraid fe rain. So one moist night Goat was coming from his field had to pass Anansi’s house, drizzle drizzle rain fall; Brar Goat have to run up Anansi’s house.—“Come in, me frien’!” Goat go in. Anansi step in a room tak out him fiddle:—
“Me t’ank Brar Rain
Fe run wil’ meat from bush