Suriname folk-lore

[p. 192]

25.

Dia nąŋga Sɛkrepatu go strei̯ fō lɔ̨'. Nō, Sɛkrepatu no mąŋ fō lɔ̨'. Dąn a pɔti wan sɛkrepatu dia na tap' uku, ɛn a pɔti ala ukutapu wan sɛkrepatu, so dɑti ala pɛ Dia 'ɛ lɔ̨' na fɛsi a i mit' sɛkrepatu. Lɛti na Konum stupu tapu si wan sɛkrepatu bɛn dɛ, so dɑti di Konum kɔm na fɛnsrɛ a si na Sɛkrepatu, wantrɔ̨n a taki Sɛkrepatu wɩni Dia, bikasi Dia no bɛn dɔro yɛte.

Ɛn so Sɛkrepatu ben teki erstɛ prei̯s. Ala suma bɛn ferwɔndru fa Sɛkrepatu bɛn wɩni Dia.

[p. 193]

25. Relay Race.¹

Deer and Tortoise went to race. Now Tortoise could not run. Then she put a tortoise here at the corner, and at every corner she put a tortoise so that everywhere Deer ran he met a tortoise ahead of him. Even on the King's stoop there was a tortoise, so that when the King came to the window he saw the tortoise, and at once he said Tortoise won from Deer, because Deer had not arrived yet.

And so Tortoise took first prize. Everybody wondered how Tortoise won from Deer.

1 Told by 1. Compare Sierra Leone (Mende), Migeod (I) 232-236, No. 12; Liberia(Kru), Bundy 419, No. 21; Ivory Coast, Tauxier (I) 314, Guro No. 73; Dahomey, Herskovits, M. & F. (IV) MS No. 57; Nigeria (Yoruba), Frobenius 260-261, No. 29, (Onitsha), Thomas (III) 153-154, (Ibo) Blasden 274, (Ikom), Dayrell (II) 82-84; Gabun, Nassau (I) 65-68, Mpongwe No. 14, 96-98, Benga No. 5; Cameroons (Cross River), Mansfeld 224, No. 3, (Bulu), Schwab (I) 277, No. 18, (Duala), Lederbogen 40-41, No. 18; Angola (Umbundu), Bell 116-117 (though not a close correspondence); Lamba, Doke 65, No. 29; U.S. (Sea Islands), Parsons (II) 79, No. 70 I and II; Jamaica, Beckwith (II) 65-66, No. 60a; Brazil, Eells 50-52, No. 5; comparative, Bolte u. Polívka iii, 339-355, No. 187, Dähnhardt IV, 46ff.