SURVIVAL OF AFRICAN MUSIC IN AMERICA. 669 



Creation and the Flood which are now current among their descend- 

 ants in this country. The same may be said of " Brer Rabbit " and 

 the " Tar baby/' " Brer Fox," " Brer Dog," " Brer Wolf," and all 

 that other wonderful fraternization with animal nature which sim- 

 ple savage life and unbridled childish imagination suggest. In 

 many instances they will be found absolutely identical with those 

 that are now told in the wilds of Africa. 



To show the existence of this belief among the negroes them- 

 selves, I will quote from an old negress, whom I know well, named 

 " Aunt Lucinda " : 



" Dis is an ole tale. Hit done come down since de Flood. Wliy, 

 chile, de Bible didn't git eberyting by a good deal — cose it didn't! 

 Us niggers done tole dis in Africk, and Moss John done say de 

 Bible say ef it got all de words Jesus say hit couldn't holt 'em. 

 And dere's lots of tales de Bible didn't git. Dis one now be 'bout 

 de hammer and de ark: 



" One time God done tole Moss ISTora to build him a ark, case de 

 people fo de Flood was a singin' and a cuttin' up and a givin' enter- 

 tainments, and God wanted to raise up a better people to a sarve 

 him, and so Moss ISTora had to build de ark tight, so de few people 

 wouldn't drown. God tole him to take a he and a she of every 

 kind and fix de jistes tight so de ark wouldn't leak water when de 

 Flood came. De people sat around on de benches a-pokin' fun at 

 him, and dey say, ' Moss ISTora, what you doin' ? ' 



" He say, ' Fs a-hammerin' de jistes tight.' 



" And de people say, ' What dat you doin' ? ' 



" And Moss ]S'ora say, ' I got this ark to build, and I gwine to 

 build it.' 



" And de people kep' a-pokin' fun. Dey say, ' Moss N'ora, what 

 dat hammer say? ' 



" And he say, ' What it sound to you like it say, humph ? ' 



" And de people laugh and say it soun' like it say nuffin but 

 * Tim — tam ! tim — tarn ! ' 



"And Moss l^ora say: ^ Dot's whar you foteh up wrong. I got 

 ter build this ark so tight de water won't leak thoo, and de people 

 won't fall out, and dat hammer don't say " Tim — tam," no sich 

 ting. Hit say ebery time I hits de jistes, " Repent ! repent ! " ' 



" Dere's a spiritual what goes long wid it too, honey, 'bout de 

 hammer an' de nails, but I don't know it. Hit's a ole, ole story 

 dat we been singin' since de Flood — jes come down from mouf to 

 mouf. Hist de Window is a ole tune, but not ole like dis one. Hit 

 done come jis like I tole you." 



In regard to one song, at least, I have irrefragable proof of its 

 African origin. Mrs. Jefferson Davis tells me her old nurse was 



