The Annotated African American Folktales

by Henry Louis Gates

“If you will, I’ll git mama to give you a big piece of her chocolate cake tomorrow,” Teddy added.

  “I know y’all wants water, so run ter de well end git yer a cool drink end bring me some; den I guess I’ll have ter tell you one.”

  Off they ran to the well and soon returned with a gourd of water for Uncle Parker.

  When they had seated themselves around him, he began his story.

  “When I’se see folks gwine ’bout in de woods huntin’, hit makes me think o’ a tale my ol’ daddy tol’ me way back, fo’ de war, ’bout a young man name Creasus.

  “You mout heard tell o’ dat rich man Creasus, dat libed ’way, long time ago,—’bout ol’ King Solomon’s time.

  “Once Creasus wus po’ as Job’s turkey—”

  “How did he ever git so rich?” Teddy asked.

  “Well, ain’t I fixin’ t’ tell you, now?

  “Well, in dem days deer skins wus pow’ful high. Now dar wus a forest whar a lot o’ deers libed, but witches libed dar, too, and mighty few folks dat went out dar ever got back. Now dis man Creasus wus po’ as Job’s turkey, is I done fo’ said, but he had a mighty big mind; so he got two other men end dey up end went out huntin’ deers.

  “Dey didn’t had no hosses, so dey had ter walk. When dey got dar, dey found mo’ deers den dey could shake a stick at. Dey kilt end kilt end kilt, till ’bout dark when hit commenced ter drizzle rain, end dey didn’t had no tents ter stay in.

  “Dey wus huntin’ ’round fer some limbs ter make a bresh house when one o’ em found a path end looked ’way up de way hit led end seed a little house wid a light in hit. Creasus ’lowed dat he’s gwine ter dat house end ef witches libed dar, he didn’t kere, ’cause he ruther stay in a house den out doze, ’cause dat rain wus wet, end cold wid hit. De other two didn’t wanter go, but dey seed he wus bent on gwine, so dey went wid him.

  “When dey got dar end knocked, a ol’ man come ter de do’. Dey told him dey ’stress. He says, ‘Mens, dis place ’round my house is a graveyard. I’se sorry I ain’t got no room in my house fer you, but I’ll give you de keys ter de tool house. Hits got a fireplace and some dry wood end cheers ter set in.’

  “Dey took de keys, thanked him, end went down ter de tool house.

  “De ol’ man walked a piece de way wid ’em end told ’em dat dar wus a ol’ ’oman dat wus a witch end dat she loaped ’bout de graveyard ter kill folks end rob ’em, end fer dem ter watch out fer her. When dey got dar, dey put deir skins in a corner end went out ter kill some meat for dey supper.

  “De youngest one wus fust ter git back; after he built a fire, he put his rabbit on ter cook; he sot down ter smoke whilse hit cooked. In a few minutes somebuddy knocked at de do’.

  “ ‘Who dat?’ he asked.

  “ ‘I’se a ol’ ’oman kotched out in de rain end dark. Kin I stay in dar wid you till morning?’

  “ ‘You kin come in end wait till de others come, end see whut dey say,’ he said, end let her in.

  “ ‘You cookin’, I see,’ she said.

  “ ‘Yes’m; me end my two buddies got kotched in de rain, too,’ he said.

  “ ‘Is you got any salt on yo’ meat?’ she axed.

  “ ‘No’m,’ ’lowed de man.

  “ ‘I make hit a habit ter ca’ salt ’bout wid me,’ de ’oman said, as she handed him some salt out a lil’ bag she had.

  “He tuck his rabbit off, sprinkled de salt on hit, end ’gin ter eat. Two minutes after he tuck de fust swaller, he keeled over end died fum de pisen he done put on his meat.

  “She den got offen him whut wus wuf gittin’, —got all de deer skins, drug him end tuck other things off end hid ’em,—end come back ’bout time de next man wus cookin’ his rabbit. She said perzactly de same things ter him dat she said ter de other fellow, end handed him salt end drug him out de same way.

  “By end by, Creasus he come back wid two rabbits, ’cause he wus a mighty big fool ’bout his eatin’.

  “He seed de fire end rabbit hair end wonder whar his buddies went after dey et.

  “Trectly long come dat same ol’ ’oman agin. She knocked.

  “ ‘Who dat?’ Creasus ’lowed.

  “ ‘I’se a po’ ol’ ’oman kotched out in de rain end dark,’ she says. ‘Kin I set in dar wid you till daybreak?’

  “ ‘Ef yo’ face clean, you kin come in; ef it ain’t, you kin stay out, ’cause I’se cookin’ end don’ want no dirty face folks hangin’ ’round.’

  “She say her face was clean; so he let her in. She wus tryin’ ter shiver, makin’ out she wus cold. She sot dar a while watchin’ him cook end ’lowed,

  “ ‘Got any salt on yo’ rabbit?’

  “ ‘Naw, end don’ want none,’ Creasus say.

  “ ‘Dat rabbit tase mighty good wid salt on hit. I got some. I ca’s salt wid me all de time.’ She got up end started ter sprinkle some on de rabbits, but Creasus pushed her back end say,

  “ ‘I tol’ you I didn’t want none o’ yo’ salt; don’ you put none on dat meat neither, or I’ll split yo’ haid open wid my gun. I don’ ’low nobody ter fool ’round whut I got ter eat. If you wanter stay in here, set down end ’have yo’self, or I’ll kick yer out doze.’

  “She went back end set down, but jes’ is Creasus turned ’round ter git some bread out his coat pocket, she slipped up end tried ter put salt on de rabbit anyhow; but he wus ’spicious end had kep’ his eyes on her, ’cause he thunk she wus de ol’ witch ’oman dat sexton tol’ him ’bout.

  “When he seed her, he wheeled ’round, grabbed up his gun, end knocked her up aginst de wall wid de butt end o’ hit.

  “She jes’ hollered, ‘Please don’ kill me! Please don’ kill me! Would you do a po’ ’ol ’oman dis a way?’

  “ ‘Naw, I wouldn’t. Ef you wus a sho’ ’nough ’oman, I wouldn’t hit you, but youse a witch end I knows hit and I ain’t skeered o’ you, neither. You been killin’ a heap o’ folks, but ter night you goter die.’

  “ ‘Ef you don’ kill me, I won’t never bother you no mo’ end I give you a magic treasure wot’ll help you out in mighty tight places.’

  “He ax whut hit was, ’cause ef hit looked lak a bargain ter him, he’d let her off. She tuck a red flannel rag out o’ her bosom and showed him a little bottle wid three draps o’ water in hit end said, “ ‘Dis is magic water; ef you drap hit on de ground end say, “Grow, water, grow,” in two minutes atter, a riber will rise,—so long you can’t go ’round hit, so wide you can’t swim over, so deep you can’t wade across. Den here is a grain o’ corn; if you drap hit on de ground end say, “Grow, corn, grow”; a field o’ corn will spring up in two minutes,—so long you can’t go ’round hit, so thick you can’t go through. End here is a clod o’ mud; ef you drap hit on de ground end say, “Grow, clay, grow,” a mountain will spring up,—so long you can’t go ’round hit, so steep you can’t climb up hit. Den here is a acorn; ef you drap hit on de ground end say, “Grow, acorn, grow,” in two minutes a oak tree will grow dat will mind de one dat planted hit, but nobody else; hit’ll do anything you say but git up end walk, ’cause hit can’t walk. Now ain’t dat wuf havin’?’ she say.

  “Creasus ’cided he mout make good use o’ dat, so tuck de bargain, end let her go.”

  “I wouldn’ter let her went if I’d been him,” interrupted Frank.

  “Me neither,” Bob said.

  “Couldn’t she have killed him anyway?” Teddy asked.

  “Well, she mout, end agin she mout not, least ways she didn’t,” Uncle Parker said. “Creasus was a mighty good hand on tellin’ de truth, so he didn’t kill her lak he promised.

  “Nex’ morning he found his two buddies behind de house. Him end de sexton dug graves end put ’em in ’em; den Creasus went on feelin’ mighty lonesome by hisse’f. By end by he got los’ in de thick woods. He kep’ blundering ’round till he blundered upon a nother man, los’ in de woods lak him. Dey kep’ on till dey come to a little house in de woods. When dey knocked, a lil’ ol’ ’oman come te
r de do’ end ax’ em in. Dey ax her whut road ter take ter git ter de city. She ’lowed dat two o’ her sons gwine ter de city in de morning, end dey better spend de night end have company de next day. Dey ’cided ter stay.

  “By end by another los’ man drapped by, and he ’cided ter stay, too.

  “After supper dat night, de ol’ ’oman say dey all had ter sleep in de same bed, end her three sons would sleep in de same room in another bed, ’cause she didn’t have much room.

  “Now when dey went in ter go ter bed, dese men got very ’spicious end ’cided ter change beds; so dey make out de bed wus too soft, end made dem other men change beds wid ’em; but while dey wus changing, Creasus noticed dat dey had red night caps, whilse dem other mens had on green uns.

  “When ever’body else wus sleep, he crep’ up, he did, end tuck all dey caps off end put ’em on dem other men; den he put de men’s caps on ’em. But he wan’t saterfied yit; so he woke his mens up, end dey stuffed de pillers in dey caps end put ’em in de bed lak dey was dem; den dey hid in de room, ’cause de do’s end windows wus locked end dey couldn’t git out.

  “Trectly de ol’ ’oman eased in, tipped ter de bed whar de green caps wus, end seed dey wus sleep. Den she went ter de bed whar de red caps wus, pulled a great, long knife, dat looked lak a sword, out fum under her apron; den she give one good lick on each neck end whacked ’em clean off. She went den ter t’ other bed, shook ’em end say,

  “ ‘Git up fum dar, you lazy bones. Do you think I hired you ter lay up end sleep? Well, I didn’t. I hired you ter he’p me; so git up end ca’ dese mens out o’ here.’

  “Dey wouldn’t git up; so she snatched de cover off ov ’em.

  “Lo end come behold, twon’t nothin’ dar but pillers. She run ter de other bed end seed she done kilt her hired men.

  “ ’Bout dat time Creasus end ’em jumped out on her, end dey had a time, I tell you, tryin’ ter tie her; but dey done hit.

  “Dey lit in den, sarching de house, Dey found gold, silver, rubies, diamonds, end all kinds o’ jewl’ry; deer hides; silk, end a lot o’ fine hosses end camels; end mos’ ever’thing under de sun dat had any wuf ter hit, end dat didn’t had no wuf, ’cause dey found a big graveyard in de garden, wid three open graves made fer ’em.

  “Dey got all dey could ca’ end put de ol’ ’oman in a hole she had made fer ’em; den dey lef’ her in dar.

  “Fo’ dey could git started off wid dey hosses end things, dey spied de ol’ witch done got loose, end wus comin’ atter ’em. Dey jumped on a hoss end lit out. De ’oman jumped on one end lit out atter ’em.

  “Creasus wus leading dat race, bless yo’ life. De ol’ witch kotched one man and whilse she stopped ter kill him, de others wus makin’ time. Trectly she kotched t’ other man. Whilse she stopped ter kill him, Creasus wus most nigh flying; but when he looked back, she wus in twenty feet o’ him. He thunk he was done fer den, but he jes’ thunk o’ his lil’ red bag. He tuck de grain o’ corn out, drapped hit on de ground, end tol’ hit ter grow. He felt sompen push him down end shove him on; he thunk sho’ de whole jig wus up den, but hit wus jes’ de field o’ corn pushin’ him out de way so hit could grow.

  “De witch wus s’prised ter see de corn end tried ter ride through, but hit wus too thick; she tried ter go ’round, but hit wus too long end wide; so she went back home fer er ax ter cut hit down. Whilse she was doing dat, Creasus wus makin’ time; but she was pretty swif’ end hit didn’t take her long.

  “Creasus looked back end seed her, ’bout fifteen feet o’ him. His heart jumped in his mouf, but he thunk o’ his lil’ red bag. He drapped—”

  “Uncle Parker, how did she cut all dat corn dat quick?” asked Bob.

  “She didn’t cut ’t all,—she had mens ter he’p her, maybe; she jes’ cut a path through hit.”

  “Where did she git the men from?” Teddy asked.

  “Look a here, now, if I’se tellin’ dis, you let me tell hit, ’dout being pestered. My ol’ mammy always teached me not ter cross-talk folks when dey wus talkin’, ’specially ol’ folks. When my pa wus tellin’ me dat story, I sot quiet end lis’ened, end didn’t think ’bout sich fool questions; ’sides dat, I wan’t dar, end don’ know no mo’ den he tol’ me.

  “Is I afo’said,—Creasus drapped de draps er water on de ground end made de riber come. De ol’ witch tried ter swim over on her hoss, but hit wus too wide ter swim end too deep ter wade. She tried ter go ’round, but couldn’t find de end, so she went back end got a whole lot o’ hosses, cows, end camels ter come drink de water up; den she went on after Creasus.

  “When he looked back, he seed her ’bout ten feet o’ him, wid her knife drawed back. His hair riz up on his haid, ’cause he wus so tired he couldn’t go fas’; but he thunk o’ his lil’ red bag, end drapped de ball o’ mud on de ground.

  “De witch throwed de knife at Creasus, but hit stuck in de side o’ de mountain dat riz ’tween him end her. She wus mighty s’prised ter see all dem things, but she ’termined she wus gwine ter kill Creasus.”

  “Wus she de same witch dat wus at de graveyard?” asked Bob.

  “Naw,” said Uncle Parker; “boy, if I’d axed questions, lak y’ all chilluns do now, in my days de ol’ folks woulder gin me a lick side my knot; now if you want me ter finish dis, you jes’ keep yo’ mouf shet.

  “Now here’s whar I lef off, ’bout when de mountain riz up. Well, she tried ter go over, but hit wus too steep; she tried ter go ’round hit, but couldn’t find de end; so she went home, got mens end shovels, end dug a hole through hit.

  “When she come out on t’ other side, Creasus wus so weak end tired end hongry, end his hoss done died. Dat made him set down ter res’, end he hadn’t run a bit.

  “When he seed her comin’, he drapped his acorn on de ground, made de tree grow, end climb up hit. De ol’ ’oman come up end ax him fer ter come down, but he say he wan’t gwine do hit. She shook de tree, but he wouldn’t fall, so she tuck her big ol’ knife end commenced chopping on de tree.

  “De tree commenced ter shake end de chips begin ter fly. Jes, ’bout time de tree wus ready ter fall, Creasus said,

  Illustration by Laura Wheeler Waring for “The Story of Creasus.” The Brownies’ Book, February 1920.

  “ ‘Ol’ tree, who made you?’

  “De tree said, ‘Creasus.’

  “ ‘Well, obey Creasus, chips, end fly back ter yo’ places,’ de man said.

  “De witch wus mighty s’prised ter see de chips jump up offer de ground end git back in de tree, jes’ lak dey ain’t been cut. She cut hit some two er three times, but ever time Creasus made de chips fly back ter dey places.

  “De ol’ witch got so mad she begin ter throw rocks up de tree, but de leaves wus so thick she couldn’t hit Creasus; den she lit in cuttin’ agin: when she cut till de tree wus mos’ ready ter fall. Creasus said,

  “ ‘Ol’ tree, who made you?’

  “ ‘Creasus,’ de tree said.

  “ ‘Well, I want you ter fall, end fall on de one dat chopped you down.’

  “When de witch heard dat, she broke end run; but de tip top o’ de tree kotched her end fell right on her neck.

  “De fall didn’t hurt Creasus much, ’cause de leaves end limbs made de fall kind o’ easy. Creasus scrambled out from ’mong de limbs right quick, grabbed up de big knife, pulled de limbs back so he could find de ol’ ’oman, den he whacked her haid off. Creasus waited end seed dat she wus sho’ ’nough dead, den he got on her hoss end rid back ter her house.

  “When de mens dar seed him comin’ on de ol’ witch’s hoss dey knowed dat she must be dead; so dey all lit out, for fear Creasus mout kill ’em.

  “Creasus had de whole house ter hisse’f den, so he went ter huntin’ end ramblin’. He brung out ever’thing he wanted ter eat or ca’ off. He loaded de fine hosses end mules end camels wid finery, put em in de road, end started off drivin’ ’em lak folks drive a herd o’ cattle. He didn’t know de way ter de city, but he knowed dat road led
ter somewhar, so he jes’ went on.

  “Hit wus way atter de full moon done sot when ’bout daybreak, Creasus seed dat he done come ter a city. He looked all about him, end nearly shouted when he found out dat he wus in de city whar he lived.

  “Atter a few days Creasus moved fum dat little house, he been livin’ in, ter a big, fine house wid big barns end stables, end nobody in de world, at dat time, had much is Creasus.”

  Uncle Parker locked his hands behind his head and leaned back in his chair as he finished his story.

  “Dat’s all I know ’bout Creasus end his richness, boys.”

  The boys moved about, stretched their tired limbs, and rubbed their sleepy eyes.

  “Is that the truth?” asked Teddy.

  “I don’ know; my pa tol’ me. I wan’t dar when hit happened.”

  “Tell us another, please,” said Bob.

  Full-page photograph accompanying “The Story of ‘Creasus’ ” capturing story hour at a library in Tennessee and showing how the tales in The Brownies’ Book were used. The Brownies’ Book, February 1920.

  “Now hit’s gittin’ dark, end you lil’ boys better run ’long home, fo’ yo’ ma’s be callen’ er sendin’ fo’ you. I mout tell you one tomorrow night or evenin’, ef I feels lak hit.”

  The boys obeyed and began to get their hats and buckets.

  “What will the other one be about?” James asked as he started off.

  “Lemme see,” said Uncle Parker, as he rubbed his hand across his face.

  “Well, ’bout Jack o’ Lantern, I reckon.”

  THE TWIN HEROES

  An African Myth adapted by Alphonso O. Stafford

  In that far-off time when the world was young, there lived in a town of a powerful king, a widow whose name was Isokah, and whose husband, a brave warrior, had fallen in battle.

  She had two baby sons, called Mansur and Luembur. They were twins, with bodies round and shapely, the color of dull gold. At their birth an old man, known for his gift of prophecy, had said, “Twins are a gift of Anambia, the Great Spirit, and they have been sent to us for a special work.”