Suriname folk-lore

98. Tąŋgi fō bǫn, na Kɔdya.

Odo: Tąŋgi fō bǫn, na kɔdya.

Yu bɛn habi wąn krab-dagu, nąŋga wąn sɩneki. Ma nō, Hɔntimąn bɛn waka na bɩgi busi. So Sɩneki taki 'a Krab-dagu, ‘Yu sab' sąn? Libisuma meti switi.’ Nō mō Krab-dagu tak' aksi hɛm, ‘Fa yu du sabi taki libisuma meti switi?’ Sineki taki, ‘Wɛ, mi sɑ sɔri yu dyɔ̨ŋsro tɛ Hɔntimąn pasa.’

Wɛ, nō Krab-dagu a smɛri Hɔntimąn. Krab-dagu kɩbri na ɩni wąn hɔro. Sineki kɩbri na ɩni wąn hɔro. Ma nō, a di Hɔntimąn a i pasa, Krab-dagu bɛgi hɛm, a taki, ‘Mat' Hɔntimąn, mi wani taki yu wąn sani, ma mi frede taki yu go sütu mi.’ Hɔntimąn taki, ‘Ka, (a bǫn) mi boi̯, dąŋgi fō yu.’ A taki Hɔntimąn, ‘Na boi̯ Sɩneki a sɛti fō beti yu.’ Hɔntimąn taki, ‘Pɛ a dɛ?’ A taki, ‘Mi papa Hɔntimąn, a tɛ yu de waka, let' na fɔsi hɔro a pɛ na bɔm dɛ, a kɩbri dapɛ fō beti yu.’

[p. 312]

Na so, Hɔntimąn bɛn sütu Sɩneki. Sɩneki dɛdɛ.

Dą' Hɔntimąn pramisi Krab-dagu, a taki, ‘Krab-dagu, na bǫn di yu du mi, mi no habi nɔtį fō gi yu. Ma tąŋgi fō bǫn na kɔdya.’ Ma Hɔntimąn taki, ‘Mi habi dɔksi, foru, ɛn mi go libi na koi̯ opo. Dą' tɛ yu kɔm na neti, yu kąn nyąm sɔrt' foru nąŋga dɔksi di yu wani.’ A i te Krab-dagu yɛre dɑti, a i presiri, taki, ɛ̨ŋ go nyąm foru, dɔksi. So, sei̯bi yuru na nɛti, na hɔntimąn libi 'a koi̯ opo gi Krab-dagu fō a kąn kɔ̨m nyąm foru nąŋga dɔksi.

Ma nō, Hɔntimąn a tai̯gi hɛm wei̯fi, tak' Krab-dagu du hɛm tumusi bǫn. A mus' mek' hɛm nyąm sąn a wani. Hɔntimąn wei̯fi go suku wąn tra hɔntimąn, pɔti sa‧afri dapɛ mek' a kɩbri fō tɛ Krab-dagu kɔm fō a sütu hɛm. Nei̯gi yuru na nɛti, Krab-dagu kɔm. Ɛ̨ŋ leki hɛm mɔfo taki, hɛm go nyąm bǫn. Fa Krab-dagu a dyɔmpo fō tek' wąn foru, na so Hɔntimąn süt' hɛm, bum!

A so, tąŋgi fō bǫn, na kɔdya.

98. The Reward for Good is the Cudgel.²

Proverb: The reward for good is the cudgel.

You had once a wild-dog and a snake. But now, Hunter was walking about in the deep bush. So Snake said to Wild-Dog, ‘You know what? Human meat is sweet.’ At once Wild-Dog asked him, said, ‘How do you know that human meat is sweet?’ Snake said, ‘Well, I will show you just as soon as Hunter passes.’

Well, now Wild-Dog scented Hunter. Wild-Dog hid in a hole. Snake hid in a hole. But now, as Hunter was passing, Wild-Dog begged him and he said, ‘Friend Hunter, I want to tell you something, but I am afraid that you are going to shoot me.’ Hunter said, ‘All right, my boy, thank you.’ He said to Hunter, ‘The boy Snake is lying in wait to bite you.’ Hunter said, ‘Where is he?’ He said, ‘Father Hunter, as you walk, right at the first hole where the tree is, [you will find] he is hiding there to bite you.’

2 Told by 4. Compare Gold Coast (Ashanti), Rattray (I) 207-211, No. 54; Togo (Dagomba), Cardinall (I) 197-198; Sudan (Mossi), Tauxier (II) 463-464, fable No. 51. Van Cappelle gives this tale for Suriname 371-372, No. 36, and the Penards, 249, No. 4, cite another tale employing the same proverb as is given here.

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So Hunter shot Snake. Snake died.

Then Hunter promised Wild-Dog, he said, ‘Wild-Dog, I have nothing to give you for the service you did me. But the reward for good is the cudgel.’ But Hunter said, ‘I have ducks and fowl and I am going to leave the coop open. Then when you come at night, you can eat what fowl and ducks you want.’ When Wild-Dog heard that, he was happy that he was going to eat fowl and ducks. So, seven o'clock at night Hunter left the coop open for Wild-Dog, so he could come and eat fowl and ducks.

But now, Hunter told his wife, that Wild-Dog did him a great service. She must let him eat whatever he wanted. Hunter's wife went to look for another hunter, and quietly stationed him there, and had him hide, so that when Wild-Dog came, he should shoot him. Nine o'clock at night, Wild-Dog came. He licked his chops saying [to himself] he was going to eat well. As Wild-Dog jumped to take a fowl, so the hunter shot him, boom!

And so, the reward for good is the cudgel.