Chapter 8 WILLIAM TELL.

Once there was a man who name William Tell, an' him have a lots of cow. An' in the yard there was a tree, an' the tree no man can fall it. Any animal at all go under that tree it kill them, an' the name of the tree is Huyg.

An' William Tell wanted the tree to cut down.

An' him offer a cow to any man that kill the Huyg. They shall get the cow.

An' first of all Tacoma went to cut down the tree, an' him couldn' bear the itch, I mean 'cratch of the tree.

An' William Tell made a law that any man come to cut the tree they must not 'cratch their 'kin or else they would lose the cow.

An' Mr. Tacoma were very sorry, an' he was to leave the cow just to save his life.

An' that great man Mr. Annancy heard about the cow an' him got a very sharp axe. An' when Mr. Annancy come, William Tell show him the cow-Annancy glad when he see the cow-an' after he show Mr. Annancy the tree.

Then Mr. Annancy say:-"Ho, me good massa, don't you fret of the tree. If one sing don't send 'way the tree another one must send him 'way."

An' the first sing was:-

[Listen] [XML]

Big chip, fly! little chip, fly!

He repeat the word over an' over, but the tree don't fall yet.

So him take up another sing again:-

[Listen] [XML]

Me go to Rickylanjo, eye come shine,

come show me your motion, eye come shine.

An' Mr. Annancy never cease till him cut down the tree an' receive his reward.

NOTES.

Huyg for Hag, as they say buyg for bag. The spelling is awkward but it seems the only convenient one to adopt. The sound will be best understood from the second example. Say buy and put a hard g after it. The Huyg seems to combine the qualities of the Upas and Cow-itch (Mucuns pruriens). The last, a common Jamaica weed, looks like a scarlet runner. It bears pods covered with a pretty velvet of hairs which "scratch" or irritate the skin.

sing. Further on there is a collection of these sings.

show me your motion, let me see you begin to topple.

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