Cunnie Rabbit Mr. Spider And The Other Beef

Fiction Tales Children Folk-Lore Fables Fairy Africaprefacethis Little Volume Is Sent Forth With Many Misgivings. It Claims Neither Literary Excellence Nor An Entrancing Theme But Professes Fidelity To Truth And A Desire To Call Attention To Certain Quaint And Interesting Phases Of The Inner Life Of A Much Misunderstood Race.In The Compilation Of These Folk-Lore Tales The One Aim Has Been To Make Them Accessible To English Readers And At The Same Time To Retain As Much As Possible Of Their Native Grace And Quaintness.To Accomplish This Aim The Stories Have Been Told In The Dialect Used By The People In Their Intercourse With The English And An Attempt Has Been Made To Embody The Tales In A Native Setting With Local Atmosphere And Colour. In Addition It Has Seemed Necessary To Make A Rather Copious Use Of Footnotes And Explanations.Much Care Has Been Exercised Not To Modify The Spirit And Real Content Of The Stories. The Plots And The Clever Little Inventions Are Wholly Native. It Has Seemed Advisable To Select Only A Few Of The More Readable Stories In The Hope That They May Win The Sympathy Of The General Reader Rather Than To Attempt An Extended Collection That Would Discourage All But Special Students Of Folk-Lore.The Stories Themselves Possess Much Intrinsic Merit; If They Fail To Enlist The Reader The Fault Must Be Ascribed To The Compilers. ...Florence M. Cronise. Henry W. Ward.Contentsintroductionchapter I. When The Night Has Comemr. Spider Wins A Wife.Chapter Ii. With The Spirits Of The Woodgoro The Wonderful Wrestler.Mr. Spider A Clever Trader.Mr. Turtle Makes A Riding-Horse Of Mr. Leopard.Chapter Iii. A Back-Yard Kitchencunning Rabbit And His Well.Goats Of The Wood And Of The Town.Chapter Iv. Evening On The Waterspider Discovers The Wax Girl.Mr. Chameleon Is Transformed Into A Boat.Spider Elephan' En Pawpawt?mus.Chapter V. A Purro Initiationcunning Rabbit Becomes A King.Mr. Spider Initiates The Fowls.Chapter Vi. The Burning Of The Farmspider Tries To Brush The Devil'S Farm.The Devil Turns Pigeon.Chapter Vii. Mammy Mamenah And Her Friendsa Stone That Wore A Beard.The Girl Who Plaited The Devil'S Beard.Marry The Devil There'S The Devil To Pay.Chapter Viii. Children Of Naturethe Three Twins.Which Twin Restored His Father To Life.Which One Was Most Greedy.Mr. Spider Creates A Frightful Tornado.Mr. Leopard Shows His Hand.Mr. Leopard Fools The Other Animals.A Case Of Tit For Tat.Dr. Spider'S Fatal Prescriptions.Mr. Spider Pulls A Supply Of Meat.Chapter Ix. An Afternoon In The Barrehthe Dancing Bird.The Wicked Is Taken In His Own Snare.An Old Man Turns Elephant.The Man Who Could Not Keep Secrets.Chapter X. Konah Turns Story-Tellerthe Devil'S Magic Eggs.Toothache Entailed.Why Mr. Spider'S Waist Is Small.Chapter Xi. While The Birds Did Not Comemr. Spider Secures A Powerful Witch Medicine.Mr. Spider Gets Into Trouble Again.A Ghost Story.Chapter Xii. A Harvest Home In Temne-Landwatch-Pot And Greedy.The Origin Of The Axe.Chapter Xiii. Konah Has A Wonderful Daythe New Version Of Eve And The Apple.