Gullah Folktales from the Georgia Coast

XX. De Po Man an de Snake

XX. DE PO MAN AN DE SNAKE. One po Man bin er mek eh libbin long split shingle an cut timber in de swamp. Him hab wife, but no chillun. Ebry day, from sunrise tel sundown, eh day in de swamp der cut. Try eh bes, eh scacely kin mek bread fuh eat. One berry big Snake—de farruh er all dem tarruh snake wuh lib in de swamp— notus de po man. Eh see how hard eh wuk an how little eh mek, and eh tek pity on um. One ebenin, dis befo de po man knock off wuk, dis snake crawl up ter de log way de man bin er chop, an eh say: "Budder, how you der mek out?" De man mek answer: "Me yent mek out wut. Me der wuk in dis swamp from sunrise tel dark, day een an day out, an try me bes, me scacely kin mek bittle nough fuh me an me wife fuh eat/' Den de snake, him say: "Me sorry fuh you, an me willin fuh help you/9 De man tenk um, an ax um how eh guine help um. De snake say: "You got any chillun?" De man say: "No." De snake quire: "You hab wife?" De man say: "Yes." De snake say: "Kin you keep secret from you wife?" 46 De man mek answer say eh kin. Buh Snake tell um eh faid fuh truss um; but wen de man bague de snake berry hard fuh try um, de snake gree fuh do so. Den de snake tell um eh guine gen um some money nex day, but eh mussne tell eh wife way eh git de money. De man mek strong prommus, and so dem part. De nex day, jis befo de po man done task, de snake crawl up. Eh belly an eh mouf puff out. Eh spit two quart er silber money on de groun dist in front er de po man, an eh say: "You member wuh me bin tell you las ebenin? Well, yuh some money me fotch fuh help you. Tek um, but member ef you tell you wife way you git um, er who gen um ter you, eh yent guine do you no good, an you guine dead a po man/' De man so glad fuh git de money eh say: "Tenky, tenky, tenky, me budder; me neber guine tell nobody way me git all dis money. Arter eh leff de swamp fuh gone home, de snake spicion say eh bin guine go back on eh prommus an tell eh wife: so eh mek up eh mine fuh foiler um an see wuh happne. Eh bin dark wen eh retch de man house. Eh crawl up, an eh leddown dist onder de winder, way him kin yeddy all de wud wuh 47 talk in de house. De man wife bin a tun roun an der cook supper. Arter him an eh husbun done eat, eh husbun say: "Me bin hab big luck ter-day: looker dis money/' Den eh pull out de silber and spread um on de table. Eh wife stonish. Eh wife glad, an eh say: "Tell me way you bin git all dis money." De man say: "Fren gen um ter me." Eh wife say: "Wuh fren?" De man say him prommus no fuh tell. De wife say but eh mus tell um, an eh bague so hard tel de man done furgit eh prommus, an eh up an mek um sensible how de ting all happne. Den eh wife say: "Dat snake must hab eh belly full er silber money, an me tell you wuh you do ter-morruh. Wen de snake come fuh talk long you, you pick you chance an chop eh head off long you ax, an tek all de money outer um." Eh husbun gree fur do dist is him say. Buh Snake, him yeddy ebry wud dem talk, an eh gone to him house in de swamp berry bex case de man wuh eh bin befren shouldder gone back on eh prommus and mek bad bargain fuh kill um. De nex day de man watch fuh de snake. Wen de sun duh lean fuh down, an de man bin a try fuh split one big log, Buh Snake 48 crawl up long aider de log an show ehself ter de man. Dem talk togerrur; an de snake ax...