ran under the bed. So they put ehild under the bed, an' gave her her food. So b'o' Boukee said, "Give me some." She gave him. "Give me more." She gave him. "Give me the pan." She gave him. He did that four times. Then, when they look under the bed, they said, "Oh! Boukee here." So they took him out, and sixteen double swish on him; and fast they gave him the cut, he said, "Shut, ca-banger." And when the child said, "Boukee, say 'gomma maura,' "b'o' Boukee pitch out de door and he heavy—the pitch he pitch knock me here to tell that story.[1]
In the Bahamas the setting of the pass-word pattern has been even more variable than in the Cape Verde Islands. An excellent illustration is the Bahama tale of
The Pass-word; The Tree Closes.
Once Rabby went an' he fin' a tree with honey in it. Ev'ry mornin' he have honey to drink with. B'o' Boukee always sen' de boy over to b'o' Rabby for a little bit of fire, an' b'o' Rabby always give de boy honey in de mornin'. So b'o Boukee say, "Boy, where you get de honey?" An' boy say, "B'o' Rabbit give me some." So b'o' Boukee went over to b'o' Rabbit an' say, "B'o' Rabby, were you get honey." Say, "I know where dere a tree full of honey." Say, "Well care [carry] me dere." Say, "I'll care you dere to-morrer." Boukee gone, gather up all de casses [cases] he could to go for honey. So b'o' Rabbit say, "Where you goin' with all dem t'ings?" "B'o' Boukee says, "I want plenty honey."—"Min'," he says, " can't be there too long, 'cause b'o' Long-Tus' an' b'o' Johnny-Bear
- ↑ In several particulars, for an even closer variant, compare "De Wolf, De Rabbit, an' De Whale's Eggs," in Christensen, A. M. H., Afro-American Folk-Lore, Told round Cabin Fires on the Sea Islands of South Carolina, pp. 108-116, Boston, 1892. The Wolf tricks Rabbit into putting his hand in his mouth to help him cut his teeth; Wolf protests that he has a big family and he must get enough for them; Wolf hides behind the door; Whale catches and kills him.
