Suriname folk-lore

116. Tigri nąŋga Kɔnkɔni.

Tigri nąŋga Kɔnkɔni bɛn dɛ bɩgi mati. Den libi makandra. Ma nō, Kɔnkɔni nąŋga Tigri kɩs' trɔbi. Tigri bɛn habi wąn mantɛl. Kɔnkɔni tek' 'a mantɛl go sɛri, so dati Tigri 'ati kɔm brɔ̨n nąŋga hɛm. Tigri wani go mek' den srot' hɛm. A bɛgi Tigri taki, mek' a no srot' hɛm, a bɛtre a trowɛ na liba. 'A na Tigri tak', ‘A bǫ'.’ Tigri teki Kɔnkɔni, a pɔt' ɛ̨ŋ na ɩni wąn saka, a dɛ tyari hɛm na tap' wąn kroi̯-wagi. No, di den waka, Tigri go na wąn presi. A libi na wagi na mɔfo-dɔro.

Wɛ nō, Watra-dagu bɛn dɛ skapumąn. A dɛ luku somɛni skapu. Kɔnkɔni bɩgin fō tak' na ɩni na saka, taki, ‘ai̯, baya, na fō di mi no wani fō tro nąŋga na hɛm p'kin, meki a wani fō kiri mi.’ Watra-dagu yɛre. Watra-dagu taki, ‘Wɛ, a bǫ'. Mek' mi lus' yu, dan mi dɛ go na ɩni na saka, dan mi sɑ tro nąŋga na p'kin.’ Watra-dagu lusu Kɔnkɔni, puru hɛm na saka, ɛn go na ɩni na saka.

Nō, di Tigri kɔm, a teki na kroi̯-wagi, a pusu tyar' go na liba. A trowe na saka. A dɛ̨ŋk' taki na Kɔnkɔni a trowe. Ma nō, di Kɔnkɔni kɔmopo na ɩni na saka, ɛn Tigri tyari Watra-dagu gowe, dąn Kɔnkɔni teki ala den skapu. A gowɛ. Dąn wąn dei̯ Kɔnkɔni kɔm dɛ pasa nąŋga den skapu, nō mō Tigri taki, ‘Tą'! A no Kɔnkɔni di mi bɛn trowe na watra?’ Kɔnkɔni piki hɛm, a taki, ‘Mi Tata, mi wɩ̨nsi yu bɛn trowɛ mi mɔro na mɩndri. Yu no si sąn mi tyar' kɔmopo na ɔndro watra? Ɛf' yu bɛn trowɛ mi pikinso mɔro 'a mɩndri, mi bɛn dɛ tyari soso gōtu tutu skapu kɔm.’

Tigri go tai̯gi hɛm umą taki, ‘Mi sabi Kɔnkɔni no dɛdɛ. A tyari somɛni skapu kɔmopo na ɔndro watra.’ Na uma taki, ‘Tru, tru? Wɛ, masra, tek' den p'kin fō ųn, dąn yu tai̯ den na ɩni wąn saka. Dąn yu go trowɛ na liba, ma mɔro fara lei̯ki pɛ yu bɛn trowe Kɔnkɔni.’ Dąn Tigri du so, bika' a ben lɔbi skapu meti fō nyąm. A prakser' taki, tɛ den p'kin tyari den skapu kɔm na syɔro, dąn den

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habi furu nanyąm. Ma a no bɛn sab'-taki na kɔri Kɔnkɔni bɛn kɔri hɛm. Ɛn so a trowɛ ala den p'kin na liba. Den no kɔm mɔro.

Dɑt' meki Tigri den nyąm Kɔnkɔni pɛ a miti hɛm.

116. Take My Place.¹

Tiger and Rabbit were great friends. They lived together. But now Rabbit and Tiger quarreled. Tiger had had a coat. Rabbit took the coat and sold it, so that Tiger was angry with him. Tiger wanted to have them lock him up. He begged Tiger, he said, not to have them lock him up; it would be better to throw him into the river. Tiger said, ‘All right.’ Tiger took Rabbit and put him in a sack, and carried him away in a wheelbarrow. Now, as they were traveling, Tiger went to a certain place. He left the wagon in the doorway.

Well now, Water-Dog was a shepherd. He looked after a great many sheep. Rabbit began to talk (from) within the sack, he said, ‘Yes, brother, because I do not wish to marry his daughter, he wants to kill me.’ Water-Dog heard (this). Water-Dog said, ‘Well, all right. Let me free you, then I will go into the sack, and then I will marry the daughter.’ Water-Dog freed Rabbit and pulled him out of the sack, and he (himself) went into the sack.

Now, when Tiger came, he took the wheelbarrow, (and) he pushed it toward the river. He threw the sack away. He thought he threw away Rabbit. But now, when Rabbit came out of the sack, and Tiger had taken Water-Dog away, then Rabbit took all the sheep. He went away. Then one day Rabbit was passing by with the sheep, and at once Tiger said, ‘What! Isn't that Rabbit whom I have thrown into the water?’ Rabbit answered him, he said, ‘Father, I wish you had thrown me more toward midstream. Do you not see what I have brought from under the water? If you had thrown me a little more toward midstream, I should have brought nothing but golden horned sheep.’

Tiger went to tell his wife, to say, ‘I know Rabbit is not dead. He brought many, many sheep from under the water.’ The woman said, ‘True, true? Well, husband, take your children and tie them up in a sack. Then go throw them into the river, but a little farther than you threw Rabbit.’ Then Tiger did so, because he loved to eat sheep's meat. He studied that when the children brought the sheep

1 Told by 1. Compare Senegambia, Berenger-Feraud 51-56; Liberia (Kru), Bundy 414-415, No. 12; Sudan (Mossi), Tauxier (II) 431-432, fable No. 21; Hausa, Tremearne (III) 214-216, No. 16; Gabun (Batanga), Nassau (II) 28-29, No. 3; U.S. (Sea Islands), Parsons (II) 41-43, No. 28, No. 29; Jamaica, Beckwith (II) 3-5, No. 2, 30-31, No. 23, 141-144, No. 107, No. 108; Bahamas, Parsons, (III) 82ff., No. 39 (bibliography 82, note 6); Santo Domingo, Andrade 49, No. 24.

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on shore, then they would have a great deal of food. But he did not know that Rabbit had lied to him. And so he threw all the children in the river. They did not come (back) any more.

That is why Tiger eats Rabbit wherever he meets him.