[From Cunnie Rabbit, Mr. Spider, and the Other Beef: West African Folk Tales by
[From Cunnie Rabbit, Mr. Spider, and the Other Beef: West African Folk Tales by Florence Cronise and Henry W. Ward, 1903. See item #63 in the Bibliography. The illustration is by Gerald Sichel, correctly showing “cunnie rabbit” as a tiny antelope. You might prepare for this story by reading a version in literary English by Virginia Hamilton: “Cunnie Rabbit and Spider Make a Match” (see #100 in the Bibliography). After reading the story in literary English, it will be easier to read the pidgin version here.]
Long tem, Cunnie Rabbit en all dem beef bin gadder. Den meet up to one place fo’ talk palaver, because de country dry too much. Dey all get word fo’ talk, f’om de big beef to de small, but nobody no able fo’ fine sense fo’ pull dem f’om dis yeah big trouble.
Cunnie Rabbit he no bin say notting, he jus’ listen wey dem beef talk; he t’ink say, “Wey ting I go do fo’ get wattah?”
Bimeby he grap, he go home, he begin fo’ dig well. He dig, he dig, he dig. De wattah come plenty. He drink sotay he done satisfy.
Now dem beef hearee dat Cunnie Rabbit get well. Spider he grap fo’ go walker to Cunnie Rabbit. Make yo’ gie we.”
Cunnie Rabbit tell um, he say, “De pusson wey wan’ make me gie um wattah, make he come fet me.”
Spider say, “All ret.”
Now Spider en Cunnie Rabbit dey fet. Cunnie Rabbit hase Spider up to dah sky. He come down, he lay down flat. He grap, he hase Cunnie Rabbit up. He fa’ down, he grip de wuld, VIP! He han’ long, dey go inside de groun’. One rainy season, one dry season he stay ‘pon top de sky. W’en he come down, w’en he too fa’ down ‘pon de groun’, he say, “Ee! Ee! Ee! Fren’, I no able agin.” Den he shake Cunnie Rabbit he han’; he say, “Oonah ‘trong man.”
Dem beef all come, dey try, dey no able. Elephan’ come, he say, “Wey de man wey say he de mos’ ‘trong? Make he come one tem, make we fet, so I go take wattah. I too t’irst.”
Cunnie Rabbit come, he boas’, he say, “Nar me dis.”
Elephan’ take he long mout’, he wrap Cunnie Rabbit, he wrap um ‘trong. He fling um, turn, turn um, he hebe um up, so he jam to de sky. De sweat wey he bin sweat, dat nar de hair ‘pon heen skin. Cunnie Rabbit come, he ‘tan’ up, he hase de Elephan’ up.
He say, “Cunnie Rabbit wey leelee so, nar he do me so?”
He hole Cunnie Rabbit wid heen long mout’ agin, he drag um, he make big noise ‘pon de groun’ w’en he drag um. He pin Cunnie Rabbit down; den fet, den fet, den fet. De place wey den fet he big pass dis town, he double um four tem fo’ big. Dey fet tay fiah ketch dah place. Dah one wey box he cumpin, fiah ketch; dah odder one wey box he cumpin, fiah ketch. De place he bu’n clean, so-so san’-san’ lef’ no mo’.
Well, dem beef dey all duh try, dey no know how fo’ do. Dey all go make bargain. En dis yeah clo’es dey gie um all to Cunnie Rabbit. Dey say, “Do; ef yo’ no gie we wattah we go die.”
Cunnie Rabbit say, “All ret. Make all man take one one cup wattah drink.’
But de bargain dis. Ef de pusson no done all, he fo’ take one piece clot’ en gie um to Cunnie Rabb