212 CAMPS IN THE CARIBBEES. 



'Like you life you lub me?' ' Yes.' Well, he say, 

 f I try you : Ef you lub- me, so ; ef you no lub me an' 

 no mine me, I kill you dead to-day.' So he go to ketch 

 some mouse — how he was to do dat I do' know ; but 

 he ketch urn mice an' put him under calbash on de 

 groun'. Den he call um sweetheart an' say, f I go to 

 leabe you now. You see dat calbash ! Under dat cal- 

 bash is my life, my lub. Ef you lif um up he make 

 um go ; ef you lub me, you no lif um up.' So he go 

 'way. When he gone, she walk all 'bout, she cannot 

 to stay still ; she mus' to see under de calbash ; so she 

 lif ' um up. Shi! out pop de mice an' runned away 

 with heself. 



" When time come fo' dinnah, her lubah come back 

 'gin. She set down sad, sad, sad ; no tell him howdy. 

 He say, ' What de mattah? ' She no speak. He say, 

 ' Raima, myiga' (go and eat). She no go. He say, 

 f Raima, goora' (go and drink). She no go. She no 

 make talk, but take de big calbash, and go to de 

 ribah fo' watah. He say, 'Ah, my lub is out ob de 

 calbash.' lie lif um up; no mice no pop out agin. 

 Den he go to de ribah — bam! when she lif up de 

 watah, he mash he head with stone. 



" When Carib court he sweetheart he must not to 

 see her too often, only but once a month ; an' den 

 when he courtin' he must to sweep all de yard clean, 

 clean, clean, by first cockcrow ; ef he to be see after 

 dat he cannot court dat girl no mo'. Ef he ketch fish 

 he must to bring um to her father's house ; an' he no 

 see he sweetheart, only hes father ; and he no see hes 

 mother-law 'tall, [great deprivation.] When he to get 

 married, he must go to de wood an' cut down tall 

 gommier an' make six-oar boat." 



