Rabbit, Dry-Bone, and Anansi

Rabbit went hunting and met Dry-Bone. 
Rabbit grabbed Dry-Bone, shoved him in his bag, and headed home. 
The bag got heavier and heavier. 
"Can't put me down!" shouted Dry-Bone. "Pick me up, you pick up trouble!"
Anansi came along. "What's in your sack?" he asked.
"You can have it!" shouted Rabbit, and then Anansi was stuck with Dry-Bone.
Anansi carried Dry-Bone home. He had to get rid of him!
"What is smoother: your head or that rock?" asked Anansi.
"My head!" Dry-Bone replied.
"Let's see!" said Anansi.
He put Dry-Bone on the rock, called Hawk, and Hawk carried Dry-Bone away.


Inspired byJamaican Song and Story by Walter Jekyll
Notes: This is story 15 in the book.  In Jekyll's story, Rabbit is hunting with Guinea-Pig, and Guinea-Pig knows better than to pick up Dry-Bone, and he laughs at Rabbit's trouble. When Dry-Bone gets to Anansi's house, he pays the Cock to keep an eye on Anansi, so when Anansi sends Dry-Bone away he also promises to pay Cock. In Berry's version, it is Dog instead of Rabbit who picks up Dry-Skull: Anancy, Dog and Old Higue Dry-Skull. Jekyll has Anansi luring Dry-Bone out into the sun, while the motif of comparing its head to a smooth stone is in Wona's version. Here is Pamela Colman Smith's illustration for Anansi and Dry-Kull (Dry-Skull):




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