C005. The Elephant and the Crawfishes

5. The Story of the Deluge, and How It Came About. Text Source: Uncle Remus, His Songs and His Sayings by Joel Chandler Harris. Online at Project Gutenberg. I have removed the frame material and standardized the spelling; click here for the original spelling plus all notes to the story.

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THE ELEPHANT and THE CRAWFISHES

One time, way back yonder, before you was borned—way back yonder before any of us was borned, the animals and the critters sort of electioneer round among theyselves, till at last they agreed for to have a assembly. In them days, critters had lots more sense than they got now; let alone that, they had sense same like folks. It was touch and go with 'em, too, man, and when they make up their minds what had to be done, it weren't more than mentioned before it was done.

Well, they elected that they have to hold a assembly for to sort of straighten out matters and hear the complaints, and when the day come they was on hand.

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The Lion, he was there, 'cause he was the king, and he have to be there. The Rhinossy-hoss, he was there, and the Elephant, he was there, and the Camels, and the Cows, and plumb down to the Crawfishes, they was there. They was all there. And when the Lion shook his mane, and took his seat in the big chair, then the session begun for to commence.

I can't scarcely call to mind exactly what they did do, but they spoke speeches, and hollered, and cussed, and flung their language 'round just like when master was going to run for the legislature and got left. Howsomever, they arranged their affairs, and explained their business.

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By and by, while they was disputing along with one another, the Elephant trampled on one of the Crawfishes. Course when that critter put his foot down, whatsomever's under there was bound for to be squshed, and there weren't enough of that Crawfish left for to tell that he'd been there.

This make the other Crawfishes mighty mad, and they sort of swarmed together and drawed up a kind of preamble with some wherefores in it, and read her out in the assembly. But, bless gracious! Such a racket was a going on that nobody ain't hear it, excepting maybe the Mud Turtle and the Spring Lizard, and their influence was powerful lacking.

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By and by, whiles the Unicorn was disputing with the Lion, and while the Hyena was a laughing to hisself, the Elephant squshed another one of the Crawfishes, and a little more and he'd have ruined the Mud Turtle. Then the Crawfishes, what there was left of 'em, swarmed together and drawed up another preamble with some more wherefores; but they might as well have sung Old Dan Tucker to a hurricane.

The other critters was too busy with their fussing for to respond unto the Crawfishes. So there they was, the Crawfishes, and they didn't know what minute was going to be the next; and they kept on getting madder and madder and scareder and scareder, till by and by they begun to wink to the Mud Turtle and the Spring Lizard, and then they bored little holes in the ground and went down out of sight.

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The Crawfishes, they bored into the ground and kept on boring till they unloosed the fountains of the earth; and the waters squirt out, and riz higher and higher till the hills was covered, and the critters was all drownded; and all 'cause they let on among theyselves that they was bigger than the Crawfishes.

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C005. Baer (p. 32). The Story of the Deluge

This is Chase005.

Types. none

Motifs. A1061.1 Flood from animals boring into ground.

Notes. Baer provides this excerpt from a Harris letter: "The crayfish story was told me by negroes on the Turner Plantation many times during the war period. It was recalled to me by a suggestion from the Editor of the Savannah Daily News, who overheard it on the coast, and by other friends, and I then searched for it until I found it among the negroes of this - the Northern - section of teh state. Since the publication of the book I have found a variant in which the Mud Turtle is substituted for the Crayfish."

See the Swahili story by Alice Werner (p. 254), and in Mofokeng (p. 160). There is a drought and Elephant, then others, stamp on sand to bring up water but no success. Then Tortoise tries and water fills the well. Mofokeng notes that frog or crab (crayfish) can replace tortoise in the race-by-trick story. Baer concludes "It could well be that the American Negro versions represent a splitting off of the motif of Mud Turtle (tortoise) loosing the underground water with the etiology of the flood a later addition."

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MY NOTES

See notes collected at Diigo: Chase005

C005. The Elephant and the Crawfishes (original spelling)

5. The Story of the Deluge, and How It Came About. Text Source: Uncle Remus, His Songs and His Sayings by Joel Chandler Harris. Online at Project Gutenberg. I have removed the frame material; click here for the standardized spelling plus all notes to the story.

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THE ELEPHANT and THE CRAWFISHES

One time, way back yander, 'fo' you wuz borned—way back yander 'fo' enny un us wuz borned, de animils en de creeturs sorter 'lecshuneer roun' 'mong deyselves, twel at las' dey 'greed fer ter have a 'sembly. In dem days, creeturs had lots mo' sense dan dey got now; let 'lone dat, dey had sense same like folks. Hit was tech en go wid um, too, mon, en w'en dey make up der mines w'at hatter be done, 'twant mo'n menshun'd 'fo, hit wuz done.

Well, dey 'lected dat dey hatter hol' er 'sembly fer ter sorter straighten out marters en hear de complaints, en w'en de day come dey wuz on han'.

De Lion, he wuz dar, kase he wuz de king, en he hatter be der. De Rhynossyhoss, he wuz dar, en de Elephant, he wuz dar, en de Cammils, en de Cows, en plum' down ter de Crawfishes, dey wuz dar. Dey wuz all dar. En w'en de Lion shuck his mane, en tuck his seat in de big cheer, den de sesshun begun fer ter commence.

I can't skacely call to mine 'zackly w'at dey did do, but dey spoke speeches, en hollered, en cusst, en flung der langwidge 'roun' des like w'en yo' daddy wuz gwineter run fer de legislater en got lef'. Howsomever, dey 'ranged der 'fairs, en splained der bizness.

Bimeby, w'ile dey wuz 'sputin' 'longer one er nudder, de Elephant trompled on one er de Crawfishes. Co'se w'en dat creetur put his foot down, w'atsumever's under dar wuz boun' fer ter be squshed, en dey wa'n't nuff er dat Crawfish lef' fer ter tell dat he'd bin dar.

Dis make de udder Crawfishes mighty mad, en dey sorter swarmed tergedder en draw'd up a kinder peramble wid some wharfo'es in it, en read her out in de 'sembly. But, bless grashus! sech a racket wuz a gwine on dat nobody ain't hear it, 'ceppin' maybe de Mud Turkle en de Spring Lizzud, en dere enfloons wuz pow'ful lackin'.

Bimeby, w'iles de Nunicorn wuz 'sputin' wid de Lion, en w'ile de Hyener wuz a laughin' ter hisse'f, de Elephant squshed anudder one er de Crawfishes, en a little mo'n he'd er ruint de Mud Turkle. Den de Crawfishes, w'at dey wuz lef' un um, swarmed tergedder en draw'd up anudder peramble wid sum mo' wharfo'es; but dey might ez well er sung Ole Dan Tucker ter a harrycane.

De udder creeturs wuz too busy wid der fussin' fer ter 'spon' unto de Crawfishes. So dar dey wuz, de Crawfishes, en dey didn't know w'at minnit wuz gwineter be de nex'; en dey kep' on gittin madder en madder en skeerder en skeerder, twel bimeby dey gun de wink ter de Mud Turkle en de Spring Lizzud, en den dey bo'd little holes in de groun' en went down outer sight.

De Crawfishes, dey bo'd inter de groun' en kep' on bo'in twel dey onloost de fountains er de yeth; en de waters squirt out, en riz higher en higher twel de hills wuz kivvered, en de creeturs wuz all drownded; en all bekaze dey let on 'mong deyselves dat dey wuz bigger dan de Crawfishes.