Anansi kept saying Tiger was his father's riding-horse.
This made Tiger angry!
Tiger went to Anansi's house.
"Come with me!" Tiger said. "You're going to tell everybody the truth."
"I'm sick!" groaned Anansi. "I'm too weak to walk."
"Then get on my back," said Tiger.
Anansi fetched his saddle and bridle and spurs.
"What do you need all that for?" asked Tiger.
"To keep from falling off," Anansi said. "I feel so weak."
Anansi got in the saddle, and he spurred Tiger.
Tiger ran.
"Just like I said!" Anansi shouted. "Tiger was my father's riding-horse. And now he's mine too!"
Inspired by: Jamaica Anansi Stories by Martha Warren Beckwith
Notes: This is story 3 in the book. Beckwith heard this story from William Forbes; additional information in Beckwith's notes. In the original story, Tiger and Anansi are courting the same women, and Anansi boasts to the women about his father riding Tiger. Tiger then insists that Anansi go with him to see those women; I couldn't get all that in the story, so I just had Anansi boasting in general. Here is an illustration from Pamela Colman Smith's version of the story:
Similar to Brer Rabbit using Brer Fox as his riding horse. In both cases the small and cunning animal cons the big but gullible animal into being their riding horse :-)
ReplyDeleteI'd rather be honest but gullible any day of the week rather than being a trickster.
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