August 10. Story of the Day: Chain of Victims

Today's story is from Jamaica Anansi Stories by Martha Warren Beckwith. You can find out more about Beckwith's remarkable career as an anthropologist at Wikipedia, which is also where you can find out more about the trickster Anansi.

The story is classified as ATU 2024. Rabbit Borrows Money.

If you trace that eat-or-be-eaten chain closely, you'll see that Anansi didn't tell the monkey to kill the dog (at least in this storyteller's version)... so maybe Brar Dog will come back around asking for his money after all!

Looking for more stories? Click here for previous Stories-of-the-Day.

THE CHAIN OF VICTIMS

Hanansi saw Brar Hog an' said, "Brar Hog, lend me a dollar, to-morrow, twelve o'clock, come fe it."

An' saw Brar Dog an' said, "Brar Dog, len' me a dollar, to-morrow, twelve o'clock, come fe it."

An' saw Brar Monkey an' say, "Brar Monkey, len' me a dollar, to-morrow, twelve o'clock, come fe it."

An' saw Brar Tiger an' said, "Brar Tiger, len' me a dollar, to-morrow, twelve o'clock, come fe it.

An saw Brar Lion an' say, "Len' me a dollar, to-morrow, twelve o'clock, come fe it."

Nex' day hear some one knock at de door. Hanansi said, "Who come deah?"

"Me, Brar Hog."

An' he say, "Come in."

He an' Hog stay dere talkin' an' hear anodder knockin'. An' say, "Who come deah?"

"Me, Brar Dog."

He say, "Brar Hog, you run go in dat room, fe Dog too bad; if him catch you him are goin' to kill you!"

Dog come in.

Him stay dere talkin' until hear anodder knock an' said, "Who come deah?"

"Me, Brar Monkey."

An' say, "Come in"; an' say, "Brar Dog, you run go in dat room dere an' when you go you see Brar Hog un'er de bed, kill him."

Him an' Monkey talk till Tiger come knock at de door, an' Hanansi say, "Who knock deah?"

"Me, Brar Tiger."

An' say, "Brar Monkey, run go in dat room hide or Tiger ketch you!"

When Brar Tiger come in, him an' Hanansi deh talkin' till he hear annodder knock. An' say, "Who come deah?"

"Brar Lion."

An' say, "Brar Tiger, you run go in dat room deh; you see Brar Monkey, kill him!"

So as Lion come in he tell Brar Lion, "Look heah! have plenty o' meat. Brar Tiger gone in dere; you gwine go kill him!"

Lion went in an' kill Tiger.

Me'while de Lion kill Tiger, Hanansi go out de kitchen door dig one deep hole an' ca' say, "Brar Lion, run come heah! We go put on little hot water fe clean up doze fellah!"

As Lion jump out of de house, feel so glad, gallop on to de kitchen, he got down in de hole an bre'k his neck.

So Hanansi said, "You brute! look how much money I borrow from you, an' I have all yo' bone to crack t'-night!"


NOTES. Told by Richard Morgan, Santa Cruz Mountains