In the second story, you will meet some of Anansi's "pickney," i.e. children (literally "little ones," from Spanish pequeño). You will learn more about Anansi's children and his wife in the stories to come.
The second story ends with a ritual folktale formula, "Jack man dora!" (sometimes "Jack man dory!"). A longer form is "Jack man dora, me nuh chose none," in which the storyteller disclaims responsibility for what happened in the story. In other words, he's just telling the story as he learned it.
[Notes by LKG]
This story is part of the Jamaican Stories unit. Story source: Jamaica Anansi Stories by Martha Warren Beckwith (1924). I have removed the eye-dialect.
Tiger's Breakfast
So when Tiger go, Anansi eat done. And say, "Brer Tiger, you foot short!"
Tiger say, "No, me no hear you make noise!"
Anansi say, "No, so me said, for when man making noise he can't eat." And say, "Well, next day come back."
When Tiger come, Anansi take shame, give him little breakfast but say, "Brer Tiger, when we go for eat, when I say 'eat eat eat' you must say, 'don't want anything to eat'."
So Anansi stay there eat everything, Tiger never get one.
Tiger study for him. Next day he go to Tiger yard. When Tiger give him breakfast and give him enough meat he said to Tiger, "Brer Tiger, a-where you get meat every day so?"
Tiger said, "You know how me come by this meat? When I see a cow lie down, I go up and run me hand inside of the cow and hold the man tripe, so I never out of meat."
So Anansi went his way and do the same. The cow frighten on the hill-side and turn head right down to lowland. Anansi say, "Do, Brer Cow, don't shut up me hand!"
Cow fasten the hand the better and gallop right down the hill and drag Anansi over the stone.
That's the reason let you see Anansi belly white.
Tiger's Bone-Hole
And Anansi take him wife and three pickney and he say they five going to the house and get into the pot eat the meat. And after they hear Tiger was coming, him and him wife and the three pickney, five of them, go in the hole.
And Tiger come and say, "Not a critter eat this meat but Brer Nansi!"
And Tiger begin now eat meat, and the first bone him throw into the hole, him knock one of the pickney. And as he go for holler, Anansi says, "Shut your mouth, sir, don' cry!"
And he eat again, throw out another bone, knock another pickney. As him go for cry, say "Shut your mouth, sir!"
As he eat another bone again, he knock the last pickney, make three. Tell him say him mustn't cry.
Ate another bone and throw it in the hole, knock the mother. As him go for cry, say, "Shut your mouh!"
And the last bone he eat, knock Anansi in-a head. Anansi say, "Make we all holler now in-a the hole!" So they all holler "Yee! Yee-e-e!" in-a the hole, and as they holler, Tiger get frightened and run left the house, and Anansi and wife and pickney come out take all the meat go away, run him out of his house account of that bone-hole!
Jack man dora!
(600 words)
