Jamaican Song and Story Part 7

An Miss Justina say:--"Me a come from Tomby yard, an' see de t'reepence he give me fe go buy youricky-yourk."

"Never you bodder with somet'ing 'tan' so. Gi' ahm back him fuppence because him goin' to turn trouble fe you."

"How I manage fe gi' him the fuppence?"

"When you go to the market come back tell him you no see no youricky-yourk."

"An' what you go go buy, Miss Princess?"

"Me go buy me little salt fish an' me little hafoo yam, t'reepence a red peas fe make me soup, quatty 'kellion, gill a garlic to put with me little nick-snack, quatty ripe banana, bit fe Gungo peas, an' me see if me can get quatty beef bone."

"Ah! me missis, Cocoanut cheap a market ya."

"Yes, me love, make me buy sixpence."

An' as they talking they get to market. They buy what they want an'

turn back, an' when they reach up Princess yard they tell goodbye an'

Justina call in to Tomby.

An' Justina bring back the t'reepence an' sing:--

[Music:

Me go to market, me look, Tomby; look oh! me look, Tomby, look oh!

me look, Tomby, see no youricky-yourk; Me went to Lingo Starban, 'cornful day, me went to Lingo Starban, 'cornful day, me went to Lingo Starban, 'cornful day.]

An' Tomby very vex as, being a old witch, he knew all what the gal do already. An' he answer:--

[Music:

Hm hm! hm hm! me have me mash-up side gee oh!

a him make you say Tatalingo ya you bit oh!

'cornful day.]

An' he won't take the t'reepence. Now the rule is that anybody take something from old-witch an' can't give it back, it give him power to catch him. An' so comes it that Tomby catch Justina an' send for Mr.

Annancy an' make him a present to be a wife. His name was Miss Sinclair, but she becomes now Mrs. Annancy Sinclair.

_Jack Mantora me no choose none._

NOTES.

=Old-witch=, a person of either s.e.x possessed of supernatural powers, not necessarily old in years, as will be seen in other stories. The name "white witch" applied to men is familiar to dwellers in the West of England.

='mash-up=, smashed up, wounded, lacerated.

=youricky-yourk=, a nonsense word for some kind of plaster.

=pa.s.s=, path.

=Miss Princess.= Prince and Princess are common names for boys and girls.

=good mornin'.= This broad =o= is always p.r.o.nounced =ah=.

=yard=, a house with its immediate surroundings.

=Never you bodder=, don't you bother with something which stands so, with that sort of commission.

=ahm=, frequently used for him.

=fuppence=, with Italian =u= having a turn towards =o=, fivepence in the old Jamaica coinage, equal to threepence English. Princess advises the return of the fuppence because it is going to get Justina (English =u= and Italian =i=) into trouble, coming as it does from an old-witch.

It would not be guessed that the Jamaica coinage is identical with that of England. Such is, nevertheless, the case in spite of these curious names:

3 farthings 1 gill.

2 gills 1 quatty (quarter of sixpence, p.r.o.nounced quotty).

2 quatties 1 treppence or fuppence (old coinage).

3 quatties 1 bit.

4 quatties 1 sixpence or tenpence (old coinage).

5 quatties, bit-o-fuppence.

7 quatties, bit-o-tenpence.

8 quatties 1 s.h.i.+lling or maccaroni.

10 quatties, mac-o-fuppence.

=go go buy.= It is not only Annancy who uses reduplications. The close English =o= is replaced in the Negro's mouth by an Italian open =o=.

=hafoo= (p.r.o.nounced hahfoo, really =afoo=, an African word), a kind of yam.

='kellion=, skellion or scallion, a kind of onion which does not bulb.

=Gungo=, Congo. This pea is not only excellent for soup, but the growing plant improves the soil by introducing nitrogen into it.

=ya=, do you hear? a common ending to any remark.

=tell goodbye.= They =tell= howdy (how do you do?) and goodbye.

=Lingo Starban.= This should probably be Lingo's tavern, Lingo's tahvern; =v= and =b= being indistinguishable as in Spanish and Russian.

='cornful day=, a day of scorning or flouting. Justina wishes Tomby to believe that she tried everywhere to get some youricky-yourk, but met only with flouts and jeers.

=Hm, hm=, grumbling.

=a him=, it is him, it is that which makes you say:--"Tatalingo, here's your bit," your three quatties. She only had a treppence but the Negro is above accuracy as the Emperor Sigismund was above grammar.

=Tatalingo.= Lingo's name is now transferred to Tomby. Italian vowels in Tata. In "Finger Quashy" we find Tatafelo as one of the cats' names.

=make him a present=, make her (Justina) a present to Annancy.

=Mrs. Annancy Sinclair.= They are not particular in the matter of surnames. A remarried widow is constantly called by the surname of her first husband.