You will find the texts of the stories below the audio, and the titles are linked to individual blog posts where you can learn more about sources, see notes, etc.
~ 1. Anansi and Tiger in the Pit ~
Anansi heard Tiger roaring.
He looked around.
There was Tiger, trapped in a deep pit!
Tiger was leaping and jumping, trying to escape.
Anansi looked down and smiled.
"Hello, Tiger!" he said. "Having trouble down there?"
That made Tiger mad! Inch by inch, he started clawing his way up the pit.
"You can do it, Tiger!" Anansi shouted. "Come on! Come on!"
Near the top, Tiger gasped, "No... more... strength..."
"Just pray!" said Anansi. "Put your paws together and pray for strength."
And when Tiger put his paws together, he slid all the way back down.
Anansi ran off, laughing.
~ 2. Anansi's Riding-Horse ~
Anansi kept saying Tiger was his father's riding-horse.
This made Tiger angry!
Tiger went to Anansi's house.
"Come with me!" Tiger said. "You're going to tell everybody the truth."
"I'm sick!" groaned Anansi. "I'm too weak to walk."
"Then get on my back," said Tiger.
Anansi fetched his saddle and bridle and spurs.
"What do you need all that for?" asked Tiger.
"To keep from falling off," Anansi said. "I feel so weak."
Anansi got in the saddle, and he spurred Tiger.
Tiger ran.
"Just like I said!" Anansi shouted. "Tiger was my father's riding-horse. And now he's mine too!"
~ 3. Anansi and his Grandmother ~
Anansi killed his grandmother, put her body in his wagon, and drove into town.
He told the barkeeper, "Take some whiskey to my grandmother in the wagon. Wake her if she's asleep."
The barkeeper couldn't wake her.
Then Anansi came out and shouted, "You killed her!"
The barkeeper gave Anansi a sack of gold coins to keep quiet.
"How did you get that gold?" Tiger asked Anansi.
"I killed my grandmother and drove her to town," said Anansi.
So Tiger killed his grandmother and drove to town, shouting, "Who wants to buy my dead grandmother?"
They locked Tiger in jail!
~ 4. Anansi and the Coconut ~
Anansi was eating a coconut, smacking his lips happily.
"What's that?" Tiger asked him.
"It's one of my balls!" said Anansi. "Balls are very sweet."
Then Anansi smiled at Tiger. "Hey, Tiger, your balls are much bigger than mine. I bet they are even sweeter than mine are! Let's go to the blacksmith. He can use his hammer and anvil to break off one of your balls so you can eat it."
Tiger and Anansi went to the blacksmith.
Tiger lay down, and the blacksmith banged him with a hammer.
Hard!
Tiger died.
Then Anansi ate Tiger, balls and all.
~ 5. Anansi and Tiger in the Pot ~
Tiger came to see Anansi.
"Hard times!" said Anansi. "No food here."
Tiger went away.
Then Tiger heard Anansi's wife yell, "Dinner's ready."
Tiger returned. "Feed me!" he roared.
"I'll share the food," said Anansi, "if you do what I tell you."
"Okay," said Tiger.
Anansi got in the pot. "Put the lid on. When I knock, let me out."
Tiger put on the lid. Anansi knocked. Tiger let him out.
"Now you!" said Anansi.
Tiger got in. Anansi put on the lid.
Tiger knocked, but Anansi didn't let him out.
"Got you now!"
Anansi cooked Tiger and ate him.
~ 6. Anansi and Tiger's Goat ~
Anansi and Tiger went hunting.
Tiger caught a goat, but Anansi didn't catch anything.
Anansi didn't like that, so he decided to trick Tiger.
"That's a nice goat!" Anansi said.
"I'm going to take this goat home, kill it, and cook it," said Tiger.
"Did you say grace yet?" Anansi asked him.
Tiger looked ashamed. "No, Anansi, I didn't say grace yet."
"You better say grace right away!" said Anansi. "Put your hands together and say: Thank the Lord."
When Tiger put his hands together, the goat got free and ran off.
Tiger was left with nothing.
Anansi just laughed!
~ 7. Tiger and Anansi's Knives ~
Tiger and Anansi went walking together.
"I have a knife," Anansi said. "Do you?"
"I do!" said Tiger.
Then Anansi said, "I'm scared of your knife, Tiger."
"I'm scared of yours too, Anansi!"
"We should throw away our knives," said Anansi. "I'll go first!"
Anansi threw something away, but it wasn't his knife; it was a rock.
"Now you!" said Anansi.
Tiger threw away his knife.
Then they came to some pineapple.
Anansi shouted, "You need a knife to eat pineapple," and he started eating.
Tiger didn't have a knife, so he couldn't eat pineapple.
Anansi had tricked Tiger again!
~ 8. Anansi and Mr. Man's Sheep ~
Mr. Man hired Anansi to guard his sheep, but Anansi was stealing the sheep.
"Find out who's stealing my sheep!" Mr. Man said.
"I'll catch the thief by holding a party," said Anansi.
Then Anansi went to Tiger and gave him sheepskin trousers and a sheepskin shirt. "Wear your new clothes to the party," Anansi said. "And sing this song: See my clothes all made of sheep; see my sheepskin clothes."
Tiger came to the party in his new clothes, singing the song.
"That's him!" shouted Anansi. "That's the sheep-thief!"
Mr. Man had Tiger arrested and locked up in jail.
~ 9. Anansi, Tiger, and the Lady's Sheep ~
Anansi kept stealing a lady's sheep until there was only one sheep left.
"I'll kill Anansi for you," Tiger told her, "if you give me that sheep."
Tiger killed the sheep and put on the sheepskin.
Anansi came to steal the last sheep, but he stole Tiger instead!
"This sheep is heavy," Anansi groaned.
He carried the sheep home and cut its throat.
"There's no blood," said Anansi, confused.
"There's ME!" roared Tiger.
Anansi ran, and Tiger couldn't catch him.
When the lady saw Tiger, she was mad. "Anansi's still alive!"
She locked Tiger in jail for stealing her sheep.
~ 10. Tiger and Anansi Eating Breakfast ~
Tiger fed Anansi a good breakfast.
"I'll feed you breakfast tomorrow!" Anansi told Tiger. "Come when you hear dishes clattering."
Tiger waited and waited. There were no dishes clattering.
Finally Tiger came anyway.
"Too late!" said Anansi. "Breakfast is over."
"But the dishes didn't clatter!" shouted Tiger.
"Try again tomorrow," said Anansi. "But when I say 'Eat eat eat!' you must say 'I don't want to eat!'"
So the next day Tiger came.
Anansi said, "Eat eat eat!" and Tiger said, "I don't want to eat!"
Anansi laughed and told him to go away.
That's how Anansi tricked Tiger twice.
~ 11. Tiger Helps Anansi to Get Meat ~
Anansi kept tricking Tiger, and Tiger wanted revenge!
"Come eat breakfast with me," Tiger told Anansi, and he fed Anansi lots of meat.
"How did you get all that meat?" Anansi asked.
"It's easy!" said Tiger. "I go where the cows are. When a cow lies down, I stick my hand inside and grab the cow's guts. Then I pull it out. You have to pull hard, and don't let go."
Anansi did what Tiger said, but the cow ran and dragged Anansi over the rocks.
That's why Anansi's belly is white: his skin got scraped off by the rocks!
~ 12. Anansi and Tiger Go Hunting ~
Tiger and Anansi hunted Mr. Man's pigs.
Every time Tiger shot, Anansi shot too.
Tiger hit the pigs.
Anansi didn't hit anything, but he still claimed half the meat.
This made Tiger mad, so he played a trick. "I hear Mr. Man coming!" Tiger shouted.
They both hid.
CRACK! Tiger made a whip-sound. CRACK! Tiger made the sound again.
"Who shot my pigs?" said Tiger in Mr. Man's voice.
"Tiger shot the pigs!" Anansi shouted.
CRACK!
"Not me, Mister Man! I can't shoot! Tiger shot those pigs."
Tiger laughed at Anansi and took all the meat home.
Anansi got nothing.
~ 13. Anansi and the Tar-Stump ~
Someone was stealing Tiger's peanuts, so Tiger made a trap.
He tarred a stump and put a hat on it.
When Anansi came to steal peanuts, he saw the stump.
"Who are you?" Anansi shouted.
Stump didn't answer.
Anansi grabbed with one hand. Stuck. Other hand. Stuck.
Anansi butted with his head. Stuck. He kicked the stump. Stuck.
Tiger came and laughed at Anansi.
"Now I'll burn you!" he said, pulling Anansi loose.
"Before burning me," Anansi shouted, "jump the fire yourself. It's good luck."
Tiger jumped, and Anansi pushed Tiger into the fire.
Tiger died.
Anansi got the peanuts.
~ 14. Anansi in the Gourd ~
Tiger was chasing Anansi.
Anansi needed to hide, so he hid inside Tiger's water-gourd.
Tiger didn't see where Anansi had gone. He was angry that Anansi had escaped!
Then Tiger picked up his water-gourd and went to fetch water.
Anansi had to get out, or else he would drown.
"Tiger's mother is dead-dead-DEAD!" said Anansi from inside the gourd, and his voice echoed.
Tiger listened and then kept walking.
"Tiger's mother is dead-DEAD-DEAD!"
Tiger listened again.
"Tiger's mother is DEAD-DEAD-DEAD!"
Tiger dropped the gourd and went running to his mother's house.
Tiger's mother wasn't dead.
That's how Anansi got away!
~ 15. Anansi and Tiger Go Fishing ~
Anansi and Tiger went fishing.
When they caught a fish, Tiger grabbed it.
"This one's mine!" he shouted.
Tiger tied a string to the fish and then tied that string to his toe. "When I wiggle my toe, I'll know the fish is there."
Then Tiger went to sleep, wiggling his toe to make sure the fish was there.
Anansi carefully untied the fish and tied the string to a tree.
Tiger kept wiggling his toe, and he thought the fish was there.
When Tiger woke up, he pulled the string.
No fish!
Then Tiger knew Anansi had tricked him.
~ 16. Anansi and Tiger's Mango-Tree ~
Tiger had a mango-tree, and Anansi wanted some of Tiger's mangoes.
"Will you give me some mangoes?"
Tiger said, "No!"
"Can I buy some mangoes?"
Tiger said, "NO!"
Then Anansi said, "You know, there's a big storm coming. A real big storm. You better tie yourself to that tree before the wind blows you away."
"Tie me!" said Tiger.
Anansi tied Tiger to the tree, but no wind came.
"When's that storm coming?" asked Tiger.
"No storm," said Anansi. "I just wanted your mangoes."
Anansi climbed the tree, took the mangoes, and left Tiger behind, still tied to the tree.
~ 17. Anansi Ties Tiger ~
Anansi was carrying a basket of fish when he met Tiger.
Tiger grabbed the basket and ate the fish.
Anansi was angry but said nothing.
They kept walking.
Anansi saw a fruit-tree.
"Nice fruit there!" said Anansi.
"Get me some!" said Tiger.
Anansi climbed up and looked down. "I see lice in your fur!"
Tiger said, "Groom me!"
Anansi climbed down and he pulled Tiger's fur and whiskers, and with Tiger's fur and whiskers he tied Tiger to the tree!
Then Anansi ran off and left Tiger tied to the tree.
Tiger roared, and a hunter came and killed him.
~ 18. Anansi, Tiger, and the Fish ~
To hide his fish from Tiger, Anansi put them in a coffin.
Tiger saw Anansi with the coffin. "I'll help bury your friend!" he said.
They walked and walked.
Anansi got tired and confessed. "There are fish in the coffin."
"I love fish!" said Tiger. He ate the fish and left the fish-bones in the coffin.
"Now I want dumplings!" said Tiger.
They went to Anansi's house, and Anansi gave the fish-bones to his wife. "Put the fish-bones in the dumplings," he whispered.
Tiger choked on the dumplings.
"I'll help you!" said Anansi, whacking Tiger with a shovel.
Tiger died!
~ 19. Anansi Goes to Tiger's Wedding ~
Tiger didn't invite Anansi to his wedding.
Anansi was mad, so he put cow-itch plant inside Tiger's tuxedo.
Tiger put on the tuxedo and it itched.
It itched bad!
Tiger tore off his tuxedo. "Go get Anansi!" he yelled.
Anansi was excited to come to the wedding feast, but when he got there, Tiger buried him in the cow-itch.
It itched bad!
Thinking quickly, Anansi yelled, "Did you see the Queen coming behind me?"
"The Queen???!" Tiger didn't think she would come to the wedding.
When Tiger ran to see the queen, Anansi escaped.
There was no queen, of course.
~ 20. Anansi and the Eggs ~
Firefly and Anansi were gathering eggs at night.
"Little eggs for you," said Anansi. "Big eggs for me."
This made Firefly mad, so he flew away.
Stumbling in the dark, Anansi found Tiger's house.
"Help me!" said Anansi. "I'll give you these eggs."
Tiger let Anansi sleep in his house and, knowing Anansi, he put scorpions around the egg-basket to protect the eggs.
When Anansi went to steal the eggs, the scorpions bit him.
Anansi started crying.
"Why are you crying?" asked Tiger.
Anansi lied. "I miss my family!"
And since Anansi couldn't steal the eggs, he stole Tiger's sheep.
~ 21. Anansi and Tiger's Bone-Hole ~
Tiger had a big pot of stew-meat, and he had a bone-hole where he threw the bones.
Anansi and his family got in the pot to eat, but Tiger came, so they hid in the hole.
Tiger ate and threw a bone. It hit Anansi's child. "Hush!" said Anansi.
The second bone hit Anansi's other child. "Hush!"
The third bone hit Anansi's wife. "Hush!"
Finally Tiger threw a bone that hit Anansi.
"Everybody yell!" said Anansi.
So they yelled, and it scared Tiger.
Tiger yelled, "Ghosts in the bone-hole!" and ran off.
Then Anansi and his family ate the meat.
~ 22. Anansi Helps Tiger Take a Bath ~
Tiger and Anansi went to the river.
"Wash your guts!" Anansi told Tiger.
Tiger took out his guts and washed them.
"Now your head!"
When Tiger put his head in the water, Anansi stole Tiger's guts.
"Make this into stew!" Anansi told his wife.
Then Anansi prepared his children for Tiger's funeral. "Everybody shout: Poor Tiger's dead!"
One child cried, "We ate Tiger!"
"No!" said Anansi. "You can't go to the funeral."
But that child went to the funeral anyway. When Anansi saw the child coming, he ran and hid on the rooftop.
Spiders stay on the roof even now.
~ 23. Anansi's Family on the Rooftop ~
Anansi and his family were on the rooftop, hiding from Tiger.
One of Anansi's children complained, "I'm hungry."
Anansi got angry! He threw the child down. Tiger ate him.
Next child. Next child. Next child. All the children.
Then Anansi fell asleep.
Mrs. Anansi sewed her skirt to Anansi's trousers.
Anansi woke up, and he threw his wife down, but she didn't fall. She stayed tied tight to Anansi.
Then Anansi told Tiger, "Pile up a trash-heap for us to land on!"
Tiger piled up a trash-heap.
They jumped down and hid in the trash-heap.
Spiders are still hiding there.
~ 24. Tiger Tries to Trick Anansi ~
Tiger wanted to kill Anansi.
"Tell him I'm dead," Tiger said to Mrs. Tiger. "I'll lie here and wait for him."
Mrs. Tiger shouted, "Poor Tiger! Mr. Tiger is dead!"
Anansi was suspicious.
"Did you hear Tiger was sick?" he asked Dog. Dog said no.
He asked Monkey and Goat and all the animals. Nobody had heard Tiger was sick.
Anansi went to Tiger's house.
Mrs. Tiger sat there weeping, and Tiger was in the bed.
"Did he make the final groan?" Anansi asked Mrs. Tiger. "The dead make a big final groan."
Tiger groaned.
Then Anansi ran off, laughing.
~ 25. Anansi's Strong Hand ~
Anansi and Tiger wanted to see whose hand was strongest.
Anansi hid a hammer up his sleeve and hit Tiger on the head.
Tiger was surprised. He didn't know Anansi's hand was so strong.
"I'll come hit you tomorrow!" Tiger said.
So Anansi invited Deer to his house. "I'm going to take a nap now," Anansi said, "but Tiger is bringing me good food for dinner! When he knocks, let him in."
Tiger knocked, and Deer opened the door.
Tiger hit him and ran off, thinking he had hit Anansi.
Deer was dead, so Anansi roasted Deer and ate him.
~ 26. Tiger, Anansi and Goat ~
Tiger, Anansi, and Goat shared a house together, but Tiger wanted the whole house for himself.
"I'm hungry!" Tiger roared. "I'm going to eat you both!"
Then Anansi and Goat ran away, and Tiger chased them.
They got to the river.
"I can't swim!" cried Goat.
Anansi turned Goat into a small white stone, and then Anansi jumped across the river.
Tiger arrived.
"I bet you can't hit me with that stone!" Anansi shouted at Tiger.
Tiger threw the stone.
When it hit the ground on the other side, the stone turned back into Goat.
Anansi and Goat were safe!
~ 27. Anansi's Magic Yams ~
Anansi's yams were magic! Only Anansi could pull them out of the ground.
Tiger was hungry. "Let me harvest your yams," he begged Anansi.
Anansi laughed. "You can try!"
Tiger dug and dug. The yams wouldn't come out.
Tiger got angry and started slicing yams with his machete.
Then the yams jumped up and chased Tiger.
"Ticky-Picky-Boom-Boom!" they shouted. "TICKY-PICKY-BOOM-BOOM!"
Tiger ran. The yams ran too.
"Help me, Goat!" shouted Tiger. Goat butted the yams into the river.
The yams drowned.
Tiger and Goat fished out the yams and ate them up.
But Tiger still has bad yam dreams: Ticky-Picky-BOOM-BOOM!
~ 28. King Tiger and Anansi ~
King Tiger had one golden stool and four silver stools.
Anyone who counted all the stools would fall down dead, but the animals didn't know that.
"Win the golden stool!" Tiger said. "Just count the other stools. That's all you need to do!"
Cat came and counted: "One, two, three, four, five."
Cat fell down dead. Tiger ate her.
Then Rabbit, Dog, Monkey, the same.
Anansi came.
"One, two three, four," Anansi said, "and one more!"
Tiger got angry.
"That's not how to count!" he shouted. "This is how you count: One, two, three, four, five!"
Tiger fell down dead.
~ 29. Anansi, Tiger, and Snake ~
"All the stories will be yours if you can catch Snake alive and bring him here," Tiger told Anansi.
So Anansi went to see Snake.
He stared hard at Snake until Snake asked, "What are you staring at?"
"Tiger said you weren't as long as this stick!" Anansi waved a stick at Snake. "But I said you were. You're the longest animal, so you must be longer than this stick."
"Yessssss!" said Snake. "I'll show you!"
Snake slithered up against the stick.
Then Anansi tied Snake tight and took him to Tiger.
"Now all the stories are mine!" Anansi shouted.
~ 30. Anansi and the Hornets ~
"All the stories will be yours if you bring me hornets in a gourd," Tiger told Anansi.
Anansi knew just what to do.
He cut a hole in a gourd.
He filled a bowl with water.
Then he found a swarm of hornets and threw water on them.
Holding the bowl over his head like an umbrella, Anansi shouted, "It's raining! Only fools stay out in the rain. Come hide inside this nice dry gourd."
Once the hornets were in the gourd, Anansi plugged the hole and took the gourd to Tiger.
"Now all the stories are mine!" Anansi shouted.
~ 31. Anansi and the Queen-Bee ~
"All the stories will be yours if you bring me bees in a gourd," Tiger told Anansi.
Anansi took a gourd and went into the woods, muttering.
Queen-Bee asked, "What's wrong, Anansi?"
"I made a bet with Tiger about how many bees this gourd can hold," said Anansi. "But I don't know the answer."
"I don't know either!" said Queen-Bee. "Let's find out. You can count us!"
Then the bees followed their queen, buzz-buzz-buzzing into Anansi's gourd.
When the gourd was full, Anansi plugged the hole and took the gourd to Tiger.
"Now all the stories are mine!" Anansi shouted.
~ 32. Anansi and the Honey ~
Anansi was eating honey.
"What's that?" Tiger asked him.
"Monkey piss!" said Anansi, smiling. "Try it!"
Tiger tasted the honey. "Monkey piss is sweet!"
Tiger ran to catch Monkey, and Anansi went along to watch.
Tiger grabbed Monkey around the neck with one hand, and he held out his other hand.
"Piss in my hand!" Tiger roared at Monkey.
Monkey obeyed, and Tiger drank the piss.
"Ugh! That's not sweet at all!"
Anansi shouted at Tiger. "Don't squeeze so tight! Loosen your grip, and Monkey's piss will be sweet."
Tiger loosened his grip, and Monkey ran away.
Anansi just laughed.
~ 33. Anansi and Tiger Take a Bath ~
Anansi and Tiger went to the river.
"Take out your guts before your bath!" Anansi told Tiger, and Tiger did.
Then Anansi ate Tiger's guts while Tiger took a bath.
"Where are my guts?" shouted Tiger.
"The monkeys took your guts to Monkey-Town," said Anansi.
Tiger ran to Monkey-Town, and the monkeys were all singing: "All the monkeys swallowed them up! We ate Mister Tiger's guts!"
Tiger got mad and started killing the monkeys.
One of the monkeys shouted, "Stop that, Tiger! It's only a song! Anansi taught us this song yesterday."
So Tiger knew Anansi had tricked him again.
~ 34. Anansi, Monkey and Tiger ~
Anansi and Monkey were friends.
"How many tricks do you know?" Anansi asked.
"I know plenty of tricks!" said Monkey.
"I know two," said Anansi. "One for me, and one for you."
They found Tiger in a hole. "Help me!" Tiger shouted.
"Lower your tail!" Anansi told Monkey.
Tiger climbed out.
"Now I'm going to eat you, Monkey!" Tiger said, and he grabbed Monkey.
Anansi laughed. "Are you happy about eating Monkey?"
"Yes, I am!" roared Tiger.
"I'm happy too," said Anansi. "Let's clap our hands for joy!"
Anansi clapped his hands.
Tiger clapped his hands.
That's how Monkey escaped!
~ 35. Anansi Owes Monkey Money ~
Anansi owed Monkey money, but couldn't pay, so Monkey whipped Anansi.
The next day Monkey came and whipped Anansi again.
Anansi told his mother, "Build a fire, put me in a pot, and hide me in the ashes."
But Monkey was a witch who saw hidden things, and he found Anansi in the ashes. He whipped Anansi again.
Another witch gave Anansi a magic rope.
Anansi climbed the magic rope.
Monkey climbed up the rope after him.
Anansi yelled, "Rope: be cut!"
Monkey fell down and broke his neck.
Then Anansi yelled, "Rope: be tied!" and he climbed down safely.
~ 36. Anansi's Pot of Water ~
Anansi went to Monkey-Country, carrying a big pot.
He filled the pot with water and put it on the fire.
Monkey watched.
"Warm water feels good," said Anansi. "When it gets too hot, say "Bunya!" and I'll pull you out. Like this!" Anansi got in the pot.
"Feels good." Then after a while he said, "Bunya!" and Monkey pulled him out.
"Now you!" said Anansi.
Monkey got in.
"Feels good," he said. Then after a while he said, "Bunya!"
"No bunya yet!" said Anansi.
"Bunya!" yelled Monkey.
"No bunya yet!" said Anansi.
When Monkey was cooked, Anansi ate him up!
~ 37. Anansi's Christening Oven ~
Anansi went to Monkey-Country.
"I'm here to christen you," he said, "and this is my christening oven. I'll show you!"
Anansi lit the fire.
"I'll get in, you close the door, and when I shout "Christened!" you let me out."
Anansi got in, and the Monkeys shut the oven door.
Then Anansi shouted "Christened!" and they let him out.
"Now you!" he said to the Monkeys.
The Monkeys got in, and Anansi shut the oven door.
"Christened!" they yelled.
"Not christened yet!" said Anansi.
"CHRISTENED!" they yelled.
"Not christened yet!" said Anansi.
Then Anansi ate up all the roasted Monkeys.
~ 38. Monkey Wears Anansi's New Suit ~
Monkey used to be elegant and refined.
Elegant speech. Refined manners.
All the animals respected Monkey for his sophistication.
That made Anansi jealous, so Anansi got a fancy suit and filled it with ants.
"Hey, Monkey!" Anansi shouted. "You know all about sophisticated fashion. Will this suit look good on me?"
"What a fine suit!" said Monkey. "I'll be glad to model it for you, Anansi."
Monkey put on the suit, and he immediately started twitching and scratching, jumping up and down, rolling on the ground.
Ants were biting Monkey all over!
And Monkey has been acting foolish ever since.
~ 39. Anansi Arranges a Funeral ~
Anansi and his wife sat under a tree.
Monkey was in the tree, listening.
"We need meat!" Anansi said. "I'll take a barrel, wrap it in a sheet, and invite everyone to your funeral."
Sheep, Goat, Hog, and Monkey all came. Cow was the minister.
"Come inside," Anansi said to the animals.
They went inside, but Monkey refused. He knew better!
"My grief is too great," Monkey said, sobbing.
Then Anansi locked the door from the inside.
Cow sang a hymn.
"I don't like that hymn!" Anansi shouted, and he killed the animals with his machete.
Monkey sat outside, laughing.
~ 40. Anansi and the Yam-Hills ~
Saying the number five was bad luck. Anyone who said "five" dropped down dead!
Anansi decided to play a trick. He dug five yam-hills, and then he sat beside his yam-field, weeping.
Hog walked by. "What's wrong?" Hog asked.
"I can't count my yam-hills," said Anansi.
"You fool!" said Hog. "I'll count: one-two-three-four-five."
When Hog said "five" he dropped down dead.
Anansi ate him. Goat too. Dog. Cow.
Then Monkey came. "One-two-three-four," Monkey said, "plus one more!"
"You fool!" shouted Anansi. "Can't you count? It goes like this: one-two-three-four-five!"
When Anansi said five, he fell down dead.
Monkey ate him.
~ 41. Anansi and Fling-a-Mile ~
Anansi stuck his hand in a hole.
The hole said, "I'm Fling-a-Mile!" Then he flung Anansi one mile.
"Excellent!" said Anansi, and he put sharp stakes where he fell.
Then Anansi led Hog to the hole. "Put your hand in!" Anansi said.
Fling-a-Mile flung Hog; Hog got impaled on a stake.
"I'll eat Hog later!" said Anansi, happily.
Next Goat.
Then Dog.
Monkey watched what Anansi did.
Then Anansi led Monkey to the hole.
"Look!" Monkey shouted. "There's gold in the hole!"
Greedy Anansi reached for the gold.
Fling-a-Mile flung Anansi and he got impaled on a stake.
Monkey laughed.
~ 42. Anansi and the Tree Branches ~
Tiger and Monkey were chasing Anansi.
"Help me, Banana-Tree!" shouted Anansi.
"Take this fiber!" said Banana-Tree.
Anansi climbed the tree and made a fiber bridge between two branches. Anansi balanced on the fiber, but Monkey and Tiger were too heavy; they had to stay on the branches.
Everybody got hungry.
Tiger stood guard while Monkey went to eat, and then Monkey did the same for Tiger.
Anansi was starving!
Then Anansi saw a fly, so he used the fiber strings to weave a web and catch that fly.
Tiger and Monkey finally gave up.
And that's how Anansi started weaving!
~ 43. The Tiger Family, Lion, and Anansi ~
Tiger stole cattle at night.
One night, by accident, he grabbed Lion, thinking it was a cow.
"That's not a cow!" screamed Mrs. Tiger. "That's Lion!"
Anansi sat on the roof watching.
"Come up here!" Anansi shouted to the Tiger family.
But they were too heavy; one by one they slid off the roof and Lion ate them.
"You next, Anansi!" shouted Lion.
"I'm so big my fall will crack the earth! Pull up that pot for me to land in."
The pot held Mrs. Tiger's pepper sauce!
Anansi splashed down.
The pepper sauce blinded Lion, and Anansi got away.
~ 44. Anansi's Knife and Fork ~
Anansi was in trouble again.
The master tied him up and went to get a whip.
Lion came by. "Who tied you up?" he asked.
"Master told me to use a knife and fork," said Anansi, "but I don't know how. He's bringing some food, and he's going to make me use a knife and a fork."
"I can use a knife and fork!" shouted Lion. "I'll eat the food!"
So Lion untied Anansi, and Anansi tied Lion.
Then the master came back and he started whipping Lion.
"Wait!" shouted Lion. "Where's my food?"
The master whipped Lion even more.
~ 45. Anansi and Lion Play a Game ~
Lion had stolen Anansi's fish, and Anansi wanted revenge.
"Let's play a game!" said Anansi to Lion. "We'll tie each other to a tree. Here's some string; you tie me first."
Anansi gave Lion some thread, and Lion tied Anansi to the tree.
Anansi easily broke the thread and got free.
Lion laughed. "This was fun! Now you tie me."
Anansi got out a big thick rope and tied Lion to the tree.
Lion struggled with all his strength, but he couldn't break free.
Anansi laughed. "This is fun!"
Then he beat Lion with a stick and left him there.
~ 46. Baby Anansi at the Lion's Feast ~
After Anansi left Lion tied to a tree, a woman found Lion and freed him.
Grateful Lion invited her to a feast.
Anansi wanted to go too. "Take me with you!" he said, and he turned himself into a baby.
The woman brought the baby to Lion's house, and the baby ate more than anybody else.
Lion got suspicious, so he followed the woman, but Anansi turned himself into an old man.
"Which way did the woman and her baby go?" Lion asked the old man.
"That way!" said Anansi, pointing the wrong way.
Lion ran off, and Anansi laughed.
~ 47. Anansi, Lion and the Rain-Charm ~
Anansi brought food to Lion every day, but Lion was so hungry one day that he couldn't wait. He went to Anansi's house and ate Anansi's mother!
That made Anansi mad. Anansi wanted revenge on Lion.
"We need to do a charm to bring rain," he said to Lion. "Come with me to the crossroads."
At the crossroads, Anansi pounded nails between his own fingers. "That's the charm," he said to Lion. "Now I'll nail you."
When Anansi nailed Lion, he pounded the nails straight into Lion's fingers and toes. Lion screamed, but he was trapped.
That was Anansi's revenge!
~ 48. Anansi, Lion, and the Donkey-Cart ~
Anansi and Lion bought supplies in town.
They were almost home when Anansi said, "I forgot molasses! You go back and get it. I'll drive the cart home!"
When Lion was gone, Anansi hid the cart and donkey in the bushes.
Next, he cut off the donkey's tail.
Then he buried the tail sticking straight up out of the ground.
When Lion came back, Anansi shouted, "The donkey ran underground! Grab the tail before he gets away!"
Lion grabbed the tail and pulled.
"Oh no! I pulled the donkey's tail off!" Lion groaned. "Now we'll never get the cart back."
~ 49. Anansi Finds Lion in the Road ~
Lion played dead in the road.
Anansi found him and carried him home to eat.
"Look at this!" Anansi shouted. "Lion's dead!"
Anansi's wife shook Lion's tail; Lion shivered. "Lion's not dead!" she shouted.
"Yes, he is!" shouted Anansi.
Next, Anansi's wife pulled Lion's paw. "Lion's not dead!" she shouted.
"Yes, he is!" Anansi shouted.
Then Anansi's wife saw Lion's eyes were open. "Lion's not dead!" she shouted.
"ROAR!" yelled Lion.
"RUN!" yelled Anansi.
They ran to the rafters.
Anansi's wife fell down; Lion ate her.
Anansi jumped out the window and set the house on fire... with Lion inside!
~ 50. Anansi and Goat's Plantains ~
Anansi stole the plantains from Goat's plantain-tree.
"Baaa-a-a, where are my plantains?" yelled Goat.
Goat ran to Anansi's house.
Anansi and his family hid on the rooftop.
One child slid off. Goat caught the child, killed him, and stuffed him in a sack. "Baaa-a-a, he's my plantain now!"
One by one the children all slid off.
Then Mrs. Anansi slid off.
"Baaa-a-a, they're all my plantains now!" said Goat. "You next, Anansi!"
"Make an ash-heap I can fall on," said Anansi. "Then I'll slide off."
Goat heaped up ashes.
Anansi fell. Ashes scattered everywhere!
Goat couldn't see, and Anansi escaped.
Anansi heard Tiger roaring.
He looked around.
There was Tiger, trapped in a deep pit!
Tiger was leaping and jumping, trying to escape.
Anansi looked down and smiled.
"Hello, Tiger!" he said. "Having trouble down there?"
That made Tiger mad! Inch by inch, he started clawing his way up the pit.
"You can do it, Tiger!" Anansi shouted. "Come on! Come on!"
Near the top, Tiger gasped, "No... more... strength..."
"Just pray!" said Anansi. "Put your paws together and pray for strength."
And when Tiger put his paws together, he slid all the way back down.
Anansi ran off, laughing.
~ 2. Anansi's Riding-Horse ~
Anansi kept saying Tiger was his father's riding-horse.
This made Tiger angry!
Tiger went to Anansi's house.
"Come with me!" Tiger said. "You're going to tell everybody the truth."
"I'm sick!" groaned Anansi. "I'm too weak to walk."
"Then get on my back," said Tiger.
Anansi fetched his saddle and bridle and spurs.
"What do you need all that for?" asked Tiger.
"To keep from falling off," Anansi said. "I feel so weak."
Anansi got in the saddle, and he spurred Tiger.
Tiger ran.
"Just like I said!" Anansi shouted. "Tiger was my father's riding-horse. And now he's mine too!"
~ 3. Anansi and his Grandmother ~
Anansi killed his grandmother, put her body in his wagon, and drove into town.
He told the barkeeper, "Take some whiskey to my grandmother in the wagon. Wake her if she's asleep."
The barkeeper couldn't wake her.
Then Anansi came out and shouted, "You killed her!"
The barkeeper gave Anansi a sack of gold coins to keep quiet.
"How did you get that gold?" Tiger asked Anansi.
"I killed my grandmother and drove her to town," said Anansi.
So Tiger killed his grandmother and drove to town, shouting, "Who wants to buy my dead grandmother?"
They locked Tiger in jail!
~ 4. Anansi and the Coconut ~
Anansi was eating a coconut, smacking his lips happily.
"What's that?" Tiger asked him.
"It's one of my balls!" said Anansi. "Balls are very sweet."
Then Anansi smiled at Tiger. "Hey, Tiger, your balls are much bigger than mine. I bet they are even sweeter than mine are! Let's go to the blacksmith. He can use his hammer and anvil to break off one of your balls so you can eat it."
Tiger and Anansi went to the blacksmith.
Tiger lay down, and the blacksmith banged him with a hammer.
Hard!
Tiger died.
Then Anansi ate Tiger, balls and all.
~ 5. Anansi and Tiger in the Pot ~
Tiger came to see Anansi.
"Hard times!" said Anansi. "No food here."
Tiger went away.
Then Tiger heard Anansi's wife yell, "Dinner's ready."
Tiger returned. "Feed me!" he roared.
"I'll share the food," said Anansi, "if you do what I tell you."
"Okay," said Tiger.
Anansi got in the pot. "Put the lid on. When I knock, let me out."
Tiger put on the lid. Anansi knocked. Tiger let him out.
"Now you!" said Anansi.
Tiger got in. Anansi put on the lid.
Tiger knocked, but Anansi didn't let him out.
"Got you now!"
Anansi cooked Tiger and ate him.
~ 6. Anansi and Tiger's Goat ~
Anansi and Tiger went hunting.
Tiger caught a goat, but Anansi didn't catch anything.
Anansi didn't like that, so he decided to trick Tiger.
"That's a nice goat!" Anansi said.
"I'm going to take this goat home, kill it, and cook it," said Tiger.
"Did you say grace yet?" Anansi asked him.
Tiger looked ashamed. "No, Anansi, I didn't say grace yet."
"You better say grace right away!" said Anansi. "Put your hands together and say: Thank the Lord."
When Tiger put his hands together, the goat got free and ran off.
Tiger was left with nothing.
Anansi just laughed!
~ 7. Tiger and Anansi's Knives ~
Tiger and Anansi went walking together.
"I have a knife," Anansi said. "Do you?"
"I do!" said Tiger.
Then Anansi said, "I'm scared of your knife, Tiger."
"I'm scared of yours too, Anansi!"
"We should throw away our knives," said Anansi. "I'll go first!"
Anansi threw something away, but it wasn't his knife; it was a rock.
"Now you!" said Anansi.
Tiger threw away his knife.
Then they came to some pineapple.
Anansi shouted, "You need a knife to eat pineapple," and he started eating.
Tiger didn't have a knife, so he couldn't eat pineapple.
Anansi had tricked Tiger again!
~ 8. Anansi and Mr. Man's Sheep ~
Mr. Man hired Anansi to guard his sheep, but Anansi was stealing the sheep.
"Find out who's stealing my sheep!" Mr. Man said.
"I'll catch the thief by holding a party," said Anansi.
Then Anansi went to Tiger and gave him sheepskin trousers and a sheepskin shirt. "Wear your new clothes to the party," Anansi said. "And sing this song: See my clothes all made of sheep; see my sheepskin clothes."
Tiger came to the party in his new clothes, singing the song.
"That's him!" shouted Anansi. "That's the sheep-thief!"
Mr. Man had Tiger arrested and locked up in jail.
~ 9. Anansi, Tiger, and the Lady's Sheep ~
Anansi kept stealing a lady's sheep until there was only one sheep left.
"I'll kill Anansi for you," Tiger told her, "if you give me that sheep."
Tiger killed the sheep and put on the sheepskin.
Anansi came to steal the last sheep, but he stole Tiger instead!
"This sheep is heavy," Anansi groaned.
He carried the sheep home and cut its throat.
"There's no blood," said Anansi, confused.
"There's ME!" roared Tiger.
Anansi ran, and Tiger couldn't catch him.
When the lady saw Tiger, she was mad. "Anansi's still alive!"
She locked Tiger in jail for stealing her sheep.
~ 10. Tiger and Anansi Eating Breakfast ~
Tiger fed Anansi a good breakfast.
"I'll feed you breakfast tomorrow!" Anansi told Tiger. "Come when you hear dishes clattering."
Tiger waited and waited. There were no dishes clattering.
Finally Tiger came anyway.
"Too late!" said Anansi. "Breakfast is over."
"But the dishes didn't clatter!" shouted Tiger.
"Try again tomorrow," said Anansi. "But when I say 'Eat eat eat!' you must say 'I don't want to eat!'"
So the next day Tiger came.
Anansi said, "Eat eat eat!" and Tiger said, "I don't want to eat!"
Anansi laughed and told him to go away.
That's how Anansi tricked Tiger twice.
~ 11. Tiger Helps Anansi to Get Meat ~
Anansi kept tricking Tiger, and Tiger wanted revenge!
"Come eat breakfast with me," Tiger told Anansi, and he fed Anansi lots of meat.
"How did you get all that meat?" Anansi asked.
"It's easy!" said Tiger. "I go where the cows are. When a cow lies down, I stick my hand inside and grab the cow's guts. Then I pull it out. You have to pull hard, and don't let go."
Anansi did what Tiger said, but the cow ran and dragged Anansi over the rocks.
That's why Anansi's belly is white: his skin got scraped off by the rocks!
~ 12. Anansi and Tiger Go Hunting ~
Tiger and Anansi hunted Mr. Man's pigs.
Every time Tiger shot, Anansi shot too.
Tiger hit the pigs.
Anansi didn't hit anything, but he still claimed half the meat.
This made Tiger mad, so he played a trick. "I hear Mr. Man coming!" Tiger shouted.
They both hid.
CRACK! Tiger made a whip-sound. CRACK! Tiger made the sound again.
"Who shot my pigs?" said Tiger in Mr. Man's voice.
"Tiger shot the pigs!" Anansi shouted.
CRACK!
"Not me, Mister Man! I can't shoot! Tiger shot those pigs."
Tiger laughed at Anansi and took all the meat home.
Anansi got nothing.
~ 13. Anansi and the Tar-Stump ~
Someone was stealing Tiger's peanuts, so Tiger made a trap.
He tarred a stump and put a hat on it.
When Anansi came to steal peanuts, he saw the stump.
"Who are you?" Anansi shouted.
Stump didn't answer.
Anansi grabbed with one hand. Stuck. Other hand. Stuck.
Anansi butted with his head. Stuck. He kicked the stump. Stuck.
Tiger came and laughed at Anansi.
"Now I'll burn you!" he said, pulling Anansi loose.
"Before burning me," Anansi shouted, "jump the fire yourself. It's good luck."
Tiger jumped, and Anansi pushed Tiger into the fire.
Tiger died.
Anansi got the peanuts.
~ 14. Anansi in the Gourd ~
Tiger was chasing Anansi.
Anansi needed to hide, so he hid inside Tiger's water-gourd.
Tiger didn't see where Anansi had gone. He was angry that Anansi had escaped!
Then Tiger picked up his water-gourd and went to fetch water.
Anansi had to get out, or else he would drown.
"Tiger's mother is dead-dead-DEAD!" said Anansi from inside the gourd, and his voice echoed.
Tiger listened and then kept walking.
"Tiger's mother is dead-DEAD-DEAD!"
Tiger listened again.
"Tiger's mother is DEAD-DEAD-DEAD!"
Tiger dropped the gourd and went running to his mother's house.
Tiger's mother wasn't dead.
That's how Anansi got away!
~ 15. Anansi and Tiger Go Fishing ~
Anansi and Tiger went fishing.
When they caught a fish, Tiger grabbed it.
"This one's mine!" he shouted.
Tiger tied a string to the fish and then tied that string to his toe. "When I wiggle my toe, I'll know the fish is there."
Then Tiger went to sleep, wiggling his toe to make sure the fish was there.
Anansi carefully untied the fish and tied the string to a tree.
Tiger kept wiggling his toe, and he thought the fish was there.
When Tiger woke up, he pulled the string.
No fish!
Then Tiger knew Anansi had tricked him.
~ 16. Anansi and Tiger's Mango-Tree ~
Tiger had a mango-tree, and Anansi wanted some of Tiger's mangoes.
"Will you give me some mangoes?"
Tiger said, "No!"
"Can I buy some mangoes?"
Tiger said, "NO!"
Then Anansi said, "You know, there's a big storm coming. A real big storm. You better tie yourself to that tree before the wind blows you away."
"Tie me!" said Tiger.
Anansi tied Tiger to the tree, but no wind came.
"When's that storm coming?" asked Tiger.
"No storm," said Anansi. "I just wanted your mangoes."
Anansi climbed the tree, took the mangoes, and left Tiger behind, still tied to the tree.
~ 17. Anansi Ties Tiger ~
Anansi was carrying a basket of fish when he met Tiger.
Tiger grabbed the basket and ate the fish.
Anansi was angry but said nothing.
They kept walking.
Anansi saw a fruit-tree.
"Nice fruit there!" said Anansi.
"Get me some!" said Tiger.
Anansi climbed up and looked down. "I see lice in your fur!"
Tiger said, "Groom me!"
Anansi climbed down and he pulled Tiger's fur and whiskers, and with Tiger's fur and whiskers he tied Tiger to the tree!
Then Anansi ran off and left Tiger tied to the tree.
Tiger roared, and a hunter came and killed him.
~ 18. Anansi, Tiger, and the Fish ~
To hide his fish from Tiger, Anansi put them in a coffin.
Tiger saw Anansi with the coffin. "I'll help bury your friend!" he said.
They walked and walked.
Anansi got tired and confessed. "There are fish in the coffin."
"I love fish!" said Tiger. He ate the fish and left the fish-bones in the coffin.
"Now I want dumplings!" said Tiger.
They went to Anansi's house, and Anansi gave the fish-bones to his wife. "Put the fish-bones in the dumplings," he whispered.
Tiger choked on the dumplings.
"I'll help you!" said Anansi, whacking Tiger with a shovel.
Tiger died!
~ 19. Anansi Goes to Tiger's Wedding ~
Tiger didn't invite Anansi to his wedding.
Anansi was mad, so he put cow-itch plant inside Tiger's tuxedo.
Tiger put on the tuxedo and it itched.
It itched bad!
Tiger tore off his tuxedo. "Go get Anansi!" he yelled.
Anansi was excited to come to the wedding feast, but when he got there, Tiger buried him in the cow-itch.
It itched bad!
Thinking quickly, Anansi yelled, "Did you see the Queen coming behind me?"
"The Queen???!" Tiger didn't think she would come to the wedding.
When Tiger ran to see the queen, Anansi escaped.
There was no queen, of course.
~ 20. Anansi and the Eggs ~
Firefly and Anansi were gathering eggs at night.
"Little eggs for you," said Anansi. "Big eggs for me."
This made Firefly mad, so he flew away.
Stumbling in the dark, Anansi found Tiger's house.
"Help me!" said Anansi. "I'll give you these eggs."
Tiger let Anansi sleep in his house and, knowing Anansi, he put scorpions around the egg-basket to protect the eggs.
When Anansi went to steal the eggs, the scorpions bit him.
Anansi started crying.
"Why are you crying?" asked Tiger.
Anansi lied. "I miss my family!"
And since Anansi couldn't steal the eggs, he stole Tiger's sheep.
~ 21. Anansi and Tiger's Bone-Hole ~
Tiger had a big pot of stew-meat, and he had a bone-hole where he threw the bones.
Anansi and his family got in the pot to eat, but Tiger came, so they hid in the hole.
Tiger ate and threw a bone. It hit Anansi's child. "Hush!" said Anansi.
The second bone hit Anansi's other child. "Hush!"
The third bone hit Anansi's wife. "Hush!"
Finally Tiger threw a bone that hit Anansi.
"Everybody yell!" said Anansi.
So they yelled, and it scared Tiger.
Tiger yelled, "Ghosts in the bone-hole!" and ran off.
Then Anansi and his family ate the meat.
~ 22. Anansi Helps Tiger Take a Bath ~
Tiger and Anansi went to the river.
"Wash your guts!" Anansi told Tiger.
Tiger took out his guts and washed them.
"Now your head!"
When Tiger put his head in the water, Anansi stole Tiger's guts.
"Make this into stew!" Anansi told his wife.
Then Anansi prepared his children for Tiger's funeral. "Everybody shout: Poor Tiger's dead!"
One child cried, "We ate Tiger!"
"No!" said Anansi. "You can't go to the funeral."
But that child went to the funeral anyway. When Anansi saw the child coming, he ran and hid on the rooftop.
Spiders stay on the roof even now.
~ 23. Anansi's Family on the Rooftop ~
Anansi and his family were on the rooftop, hiding from Tiger.
One of Anansi's children complained, "I'm hungry."
Anansi got angry! He threw the child down. Tiger ate him.
Next child. Next child. Next child. All the children.
Then Anansi fell asleep.
Mrs. Anansi sewed her skirt to Anansi's trousers.
Anansi woke up, and he threw his wife down, but she didn't fall. She stayed tied tight to Anansi.
Then Anansi told Tiger, "Pile up a trash-heap for us to land on!"
Tiger piled up a trash-heap.
They jumped down and hid in the trash-heap.
Spiders are still hiding there.
~ 24. Tiger Tries to Trick Anansi ~
Tiger wanted to kill Anansi.
"Tell him I'm dead," Tiger said to Mrs. Tiger. "I'll lie here and wait for him."
Mrs. Tiger shouted, "Poor Tiger! Mr. Tiger is dead!"
Anansi was suspicious.
"Did you hear Tiger was sick?" he asked Dog. Dog said no.
He asked Monkey and Goat and all the animals. Nobody had heard Tiger was sick.
Anansi went to Tiger's house.
Mrs. Tiger sat there weeping, and Tiger was in the bed.
"Did he make the final groan?" Anansi asked Mrs. Tiger. "The dead make a big final groan."
Tiger groaned.
Then Anansi ran off, laughing.
~ 25. Anansi's Strong Hand ~
Anansi and Tiger wanted to see whose hand was strongest.
Anansi hid a hammer up his sleeve and hit Tiger on the head.
Tiger was surprised. He didn't know Anansi's hand was so strong.
"I'll come hit you tomorrow!" Tiger said.
So Anansi invited Deer to his house. "I'm going to take a nap now," Anansi said, "but Tiger is bringing me good food for dinner! When he knocks, let him in."
Tiger knocked, and Deer opened the door.
Tiger hit him and ran off, thinking he had hit Anansi.
Deer was dead, so Anansi roasted Deer and ate him.
~ 26. Tiger, Anansi and Goat ~
Tiger, Anansi, and Goat shared a house together, but Tiger wanted the whole house for himself.
"I'm hungry!" Tiger roared. "I'm going to eat you both!"
Then Anansi and Goat ran away, and Tiger chased them.
They got to the river.
"I can't swim!" cried Goat.
Anansi turned Goat into a small white stone, and then Anansi jumped across the river.
Tiger arrived.
"I bet you can't hit me with that stone!" Anansi shouted at Tiger.
Tiger threw the stone.
When it hit the ground on the other side, the stone turned back into Goat.
Anansi and Goat were safe!
~ 27. Anansi's Magic Yams ~
Anansi's yams were magic! Only Anansi could pull them out of the ground.
Tiger was hungry. "Let me harvest your yams," he begged Anansi.
Anansi laughed. "You can try!"
Tiger dug and dug. The yams wouldn't come out.
Tiger got angry and started slicing yams with his machete.
Then the yams jumped up and chased Tiger.
"Ticky-Picky-Boom-Boom!" they shouted. "TICKY-PICKY-BOOM-BOOM!"
Tiger ran. The yams ran too.
"Help me, Goat!" shouted Tiger. Goat butted the yams into the river.
The yams drowned.
Tiger and Goat fished out the yams and ate them up.
But Tiger still has bad yam dreams: Ticky-Picky-BOOM-BOOM!
~ 28. King Tiger and Anansi ~
King Tiger had one golden stool and four silver stools.
Anyone who counted all the stools would fall down dead, but the animals didn't know that.
"Win the golden stool!" Tiger said. "Just count the other stools. That's all you need to do!"
Cat came and counted: "One, two, three, four, five."
Cat fell down dead. Tiger ate her.
Then Rabbit, Dog, Monkey, the same.
Anansi came.
"One, two three, four," Anansi said, "and one more!"
Tiger got angry.
"That's not how to count!" he shouted. "This is how you count: One, two, three, four, five!"
Tiger fell down dead.
~ 29. Anansi, Tiger, and Snake ~
"All the stories will be yours if you can catch Snake alive and bring him here," Tiger told Anansi.
So Anansi went to see Snake.
He stared hard at Snake until Snake asked, "What are you staring at?"
"Tiger said you weren't as long as this stick!" Anansi waved a stick at Snake. "But I said you were. You're the longest animal, so you must be longer than this stick."
"Yessssss!" said Snake. "I'll show you!"
Snake slithered up against the stick.
Then Anansi tied Snake tight and took him to Tiger.
"Now all the stories are mine!" Anansi shouted.
~ 30. Anansi and the Hornets ~
"All the stories will be yours if you bring me hornets in a gourd," Tiger told Anansi.
Anansi knew just what to do.
He cut a hole in a gourd.
He filled a bowl with water.
Then he found a swarm of hornets and threw water on them.
Holding the bowl over his head like an umbrella, Anansi shouted, "It's raining! Only fools stay out in the rain. Come hide inside this nice dry gourd."
Once the hornets were in the gourd, Anansi plugged the hole and took the gourd to Tiger.
"Now all the stories are mine!" Anansi shouted.
~ 31. Anansi and the Queen-Bee ~
"All the stories will be yours if you bring me bees in a gourd," Tiger told Anansi.
Anansi took a gourd and went into the woods, muttering.
Queen-Bee asked, "What's wrong, Anansi?"
"I made a bet with Tiger about how many bees this gourd can hold," said Anansi. "But I don't know the answer."
"I don't know either!" said Queen-Bee. "Let's find out. You can count us!"
Then the bees followed their queen, buzz-buzz-buzzing into Anansi's gourd.
When the gourd was full, Anansi plugged the hole and took the gourd to Tiger.
"Now all the stories are mine!" Anansi shouted.
~ 32. Anansi and the Honey ~
Anansi was eating honey.
"What's that?" Tiger asked him.
"Monkey piss!" said Anansi, smiling. "Try it!"
Tiger tasted the honey. "Monkey piss is sweet!"
Tiger ran to catch Monkey, and Anansi went along to watch.
Tiger grabbed Monkey around the neck with one hand, and he held out his other hand.
"Piss in my hand!" Tiger roared at Monkey.
Monkey obeyed, and Tiger drank the piss.
"Ugh! That's not sweet at all!"
Anansi shouted at Tiger. "Don't squeeze so tight! Loosen your grip, and Monkey's piss will be sweet."
Tiger loosened his grip, and Monkey ran away.
Anansi just laughed.
~ 33. Anansi and Tiger Take a Bath ~
Anansi and Tiger went to the river.
"Take out your guts before your bath!" Anansi told Tiger, and Tiger did.
Then Anansi ate Tiger's guts while Tiger took a bath.
"Where are my guts?" shouted Tiger.
"The monkeys took your guts to Monkey-Town," said Anansi.
Tiger ran to Monkey-Town, and the monkeys were all singing: "All the monkeys swallowed them up! We ate Mister Tiger's guts!"
Tiger got mad and started killing the monkeys.
One of the monkeys shouted, "Stop that, Tiger! It's only a song! Anansi taught us this song yesterday."
So Tiger knew Anansi had tricked him again.
~ 34. Anansi, Monkey and Tiger ~
Anansi and Monkey were friends.
"How many tricks do you know?" Anansi asked.
"I know plenty of tricks!" said Monkey.
"I know two," said Anansi. "One for me, and one for you."
They found Tiger in a hole. "Help me!" Tiger shouted.
"Lower your tail!" Anansi told Monkey.
Tiger climbed out.
"Now I'm going to eat you, Monkey!" Tiger said, and he grabbed Monkey.
Anansi laughed. "Are you happy about eating Monkey?"
"Yes, I am!" roared Tiger.
"I'm happy too," said Anansi. "Let's clap our hands for joy!"
Anansi clapped his hands.
Tiger clapped his hands.
That's how Monkey escaped!
~ 35. Anansi Owes Monkey Money ~
Anansi owed Monkey money, but couldn't pay, so Monkey whipped Anansi.
The next day Monkey came and whipped Anansi again.
Anansi told his mother, "Build a fire, put me in a pot, and hide me in the ashes."
But Monkey was a witch who saw hidden things, and he found Anansi in the ashes. He whipped Anansi again.
Another witch gave Anansi a magic rope.
Anansi climbed the magic rope.
Monkey climbed up the rope after him.
Anansi yelled, "Rope: be cut!"
Monkey fell down and broke his neck.
Then Anansi yelled, "Rope: be tied!" and he climbed down safely.
~ 36. Anansi's Pot of Water ~
Anansi went to Monkey-Country, carrying a big pot.
He filled the pot with water and put it on the fire.
Monkey watched.
"Warm water feels good," said Anansi. "When it gets too hot, say "Bunya!" and I'll pull you out. Like this!" Anansi got in the pot.
"Feels good." Then after a while he said, "Bunya!" and Monkey pulled him out.
"Now you!" said Anansi.
Monkey got in.
"Feels good," he said. Then after a while he said, "Bunya!"
"No bunya yet!" said Anansi.
"Bunya!" yelled Monkey.
"No bunya yet!" said Anansi.
When Monkey was cooked, Anansi ate him up!
~ 37. Anansi's Christening Oven ~
Anansi went to Monkey-Country.
"I'm here to christen you," he said, "and this is my christening oven. I'll show you!"
Anansi lit the fire.
"I'll get in, you close the door, and when I shout "Christened!" you let me out."
Anansi got in, and the Monkeys shut the oven door.
Then Anansi shouted "Christened!" and they let him out.
"Now you!" he said to the Monkeys.
The Monkeys got in, and Anansi shut the oven door.
"Christened!" they yelled.
"Not christened yet!" said Anansi.
"CHRISTENED!" they yelled.
"Not christened yet!" said Anansi.
Then Anansi ate up all the roasted Monkeys.
~ 38. Monkey Wears Anansi's New Suit ~
Monkey used to be elegant and refined.
Elegant speech. Refined manners.
All the animals respected Monkey for his sophistication.
That made Anansi jealous, so Anansi got a fancy suit and filled it with ants.
"Hey, Monkey!" Anansi shouted. "You know all about sophisticated fashion. Will this suit look good on me?"
"What a fine suit!" said Monkey. "I'll be glad to model it for you, Anansi."
Monkey put on the suit, and he immediately started twitching and scratching, jumping up and down, rolling on the ground.
Ants were biting Monkey all over!
And Monkey has been acting foolish ever since.
~ 39. Anansi Arranges a Funeral ~
Anansi and his wife sat under a tree.
Monkey was in the tree, listening.
"We need meat!" Anansi said. "I'll take a barrel, wrap it in a sheet, and invite everyone to your funeral."
Sheep, Goat, Hog, and Monkey all came. Cow was the minister.
"Come inside," Anansi said to the animals.
They went inside, but Monkey refused. He knew better!
"My grief is too great," Monkey said, sobbing.
Then Anansi locked the door from the inside.
Cow sang a hymn.
"I don't like that hymn!" Anansi shouted, and he killed the animals with his machete.
Monkey sat outside, laughing.
~ 40. Anansi and the Yam-Hills ~
Saying the number five was bad luck. Anyone who said "five" dropped down dead!
Anansi decided to play a trick. He dug five yam-hills, and then he sat beside his yam-field, weeping.
Hog walked by. "What's wrong?" Hog asked.
"I can't count my yam-hills," said Anansi.
"You fool!" said Hog. "I'll count: one-two-three-four-five."
When Hog said "five" he dropped down dead.
Anansi ate him. Goat too. Dog. Cow.
Then Monkey came. "One-two-three-four," Monkey said, "plus one more!"
"You fool!" shouted Anansi. "Can't you count? It goes like this: one-two-three-four-five!"
When Anansi said five, he fell down dead.
Monkey ate him.
~ 41. Anansi and Fling-a-Mile ~
Anansi stuck his hand in a hole.
The hole said, "I'm Fling-a-Mile!" Then he flung Anansi one mile.
"Excellent!" said Anansi, and he put sharp stakes where he fell.
Then Anansi led Hog to the hole. "Put your hand in!" Anansi said.
Fling-a-Mile flung Hog; Hog got impaled on a stake.
"I'll eat Hog later!" said Anansi, happily.
Next Goat.
Then Dog.
Monkey watched what Anansi did.
Then Anansi led Monkey to the hole.
"Look!" Monkey shouted. "There's gold in the hole!"
Greedy Anansi reached for the gold.
Fling-a-Mile flung Anansi and he got impaled on a stake.
Monkey laughed.
~ 42. Anansi and the Tree Branches ~
Tiger and Monkey were chasing Anansi.
"Help me, Banana-Tree!" shouted Anansi.
"Take this fiber!" said Banana-Tree.
Anansi climbed the tree and made a fiber bridge between two branches. Anansi balanced on the fiber, but Monkey and Tiger were too heavy; they had to stay on the branches.
Everybody got hungry.
Tiger stood guard while Monkey went to eat, and then Monkey did the same for Tiger.
Anansi was starving!
Then Anansi saw a fly, so he used the fiber strings to weave a web and catch that fly.
Tiger and Monkey finally gave up.
And that's how Anansi started weaving!
~ 43. The Tiger Family, Lion, and Anansi ~
Tiger stole cattle at night.
One night, by accident, he grabbed Lion, thinking it was a cow.
"That's not a cow!" screamed Mrs. Tiger. "That's Lion!"
Anansi sat on the roof watching.
"Come up here!" Anansi shouted to the Tiger family.
But they were too heavy; one by one they slid off the roof and Lion ate them.
"You next, Anansi!" shouted Lion.
"I'm so big my fall will crack the earth! Pull up that pot for me to land in."
The pot held Mrs. Tiger's pepper sauce!
Anansi splashed down.
The pepper sauce blinded Lion, and Anansi got away.
~ 44. Anansi's Knife and Fork ~
Anansi was in trouble again.
The master tied him up and went to get a whip.
Lion came by. "Who tied you up?" he asked.
"Master told me to use a knife and fork," said Anansi, "but I don't know how. He's bringing some food, and he's going to make me use a knife and a fork."
"I can use a knife and fork!" shouted Lion. "I'll eat the food!"
So Lion untied Anansi, and Anansi tied Lion.
Then the master came back and he started whipping Lion.
"Wait!" shouted Lion. "Where's my food?"
The master whipped Lion even more.
~ 45. Anansi and Lion Play a Game ~
Lion had stolen Anansi's fish, and Anansi wanted revenge.
"Let's play a game!" said Anansi to Lion. "We'll tie each other to a tree. Here's some string; you tie me first."
Anansi gave Lion some thread, and Lion tied Anansi to the tree.
Anansi easily broke the thread and got free.
Lion laughed. "This was fun! Now you tie me."
Anansi got out a big thick rope and tied Lion to the tree.
Lion struggled with all his strength, but he couldn't break free.
Anansi laughed. "This is fun!"
Then he beat Lion with a stick and left him there.
~ 46. Baby Anansi at the Lion's Feast ~
After Anansi left Lion tied to a tree, a woman found Lion and freed him.
Grateful Lion invited her to a feast.
Anansi wanted to go too. "Take me with you!" he said, and he turned himself into a baby.
The woman brought the baby to Lion's house, and the baby ate more than anybody else.
Lion got suspicious, so he followed the woman, but Anansi turned himself into an old man.
"Which way did the woman and her baby go?" Lion asked the old man.
"That way!" said Anansi, pointing the wrong way.
Lion ran off, and Anansi laughed.
~ 47. Anansi, Lion and the Rain-Charm ~
Anansi brought food to Lion every day, but Lion was so hungry one day that he couldn't wait. He went to Anansi's house and ate Anansi's mother!
That made Anansi mad. Anansi wanted revenge on Lion.
"We need to do a charm to bring rain," he said to Lion. "Come with me to the crossroads."
At the crossroads, Anansi pounded nails between his own fingers. "That's the charm," he said to Lion. "Now I'll nail you."
When Anansi nailed Lion, he pounded the nails straight into Lion's fingers and toes. Lion screamed, but he was trapped.
That was Anansi's revenge!
~ 48. Anansi, Lion, and the Donkey-Cart ~
Anansi and Lion bought supplies in town.
They were almost home when Anansi said, "I forgot molasses! You go back and get it. I'll drive the cart home!"
When Lion was gone, Anansi hid the cart and donkey in the bushes.
Next, he cut off the donkey's tail.
Then he buried the tail sticking straight up out of the ground.
When Lion came back, Anansi shouted, "The donkey ran underground! Grab the tail before he gets away!"
Lion grabbed the tail and pulled.
"Oh no! I pulled the donkey's tail off!" Lion groaned. "Now we'll never get the cart back."
~ 49. Anansi Finds Lion in the Road ~
Lion played dead in the road.
Anansi found him and carried him home to eat.
"Look at this!" Anansi shouted. "Lion's dead!"
Anansi's wife shook Lion's tail; Lion shivered. "Lion's not dead!" she shouted.
"Yes, he is!" shouted Anansi.
Next, Anansi's wife pulled Lion's paw. "Lion's not dead!" she shouted.
"Yes, he is!" Anansi shouted.
Then Anansi's wife saw Lion's eyes were open. "Lion's not dead!" she shouted.
"ROAR!" yelled Lion.
"RUN!" yelled Anansi.
They ran to the rafters.
Anansi's wife fell down; Lion ate her.
Anansi jumped out the window and set the house on fire... with Lion inside!
~ 50. Anansi and Goat's Plantains ~
Anansi stole the plantains from Goat's plantain-tree.
"Baaa-a-a, where are my plantains?" yelled Goat.
Goat ran to Anansi's house.
Anansi and his family hid on the rooftop.
One child slid off. Goat caught the child, killed him, and stuffed him in a sack. "Baaa-a-a, he's my plantain now!"
One by one the children all slid off.
Then Mrs. Anansi slid off.
"Baaa-a-a, they're all my plantains now!" said Goat. "You next, Anansi!"
"Make an ash-heap I can fall on," said Anansi. "Then I'll slide off."
Goat heaped up ashes.
Anansi fell. Ashes scattered everywhere!
Goat couldn't see, and Anansi escaped.