Story: Annancy and Chim-Chim
Book: Annancy Stories
Author(s): Pamela Colman Smith
Published: 1899
Internet Archive link.

Notes: I have removed the eye-dialect but otherwise the wording is the same. Cassidy and LePage’s Dictionary of Jamaican English cannot identify the chim-chim bird. Pamela Colman Smith also did the illustrations.

Annancy and the Chim-Chim Bird

In a long before time in this country here live Chim-Chim Bird, and Chim-Chim Bird, him build him nest on the top of the grass so that it blow up and down with the wind. And in the evening when the north breeze blow, the nest go up and down and rock Brother Chim-Chim Bird to sleep.

Now in this same country there live a very clever man call Annancy, and him sometime make himself big, and sometime little. A sort of jumbie man.

Now these two, Brother Annancy and Chim-Chim, get to know each other in the bush. And they play cards together, and Brother Chim-Chim, he always win Annancy. Now, before they play they agree that whoever lose is to pay a fine to the other one. And the fine is to be a piece of flesh off the one that lose. So they play for many, many nights, and Chim-Chim, he always win. And each time he take a piece of flesh off Brother Annancy till Annancy get quite thin. So at last one night Brother Annancy say him would only play one time more. So the next night they play, and Brother Annancy, he win! And then him laugh, him was so please, and say, “Now, me Brother Chim-Chim, you must pay you fine.” But Chim-Chim only laugh and fly away.

Long time Annancy try to catch Chim-Chim all sort of way, by springs, by trap and lime, but all this time Chim-Chim was too clever for him.

So at last Brother Annancy go and tell Brother Tiger about it, and ask him for help him catch Brother Chim-Chim Bird. So Tiger, he listen, and when Annancy finish, he think and think for long time, and at last him say, “I tell you, Brother Annancy, what I will do. I will lie down and play I dead, and you get a bell, and you ring the bell all over the town, and say: Tiger dead! And then we will see if Chim-Chim will come to the funeral.”

Then Annancy say, “All right, Brother Tiger, and if I catch Brother Chim-Chim Bird, I give you a cow.” So it was agree that if Brother Annancy catch Chim-Chim, Tiger would get the cow. So they wrote the bargain out.

Next market day, Brother Chim-Chim Bird come to town for get some salt-fish and yams and tuppence of peas. And as him was going through the town, him hear a bell, and him ask what it is, and the people, they tell him, say, “The great Massa Tiger is dead!”

So Brother Chim-Chim go home and put on him long-tail-blue coat and him squeaky shoe, say, “Bonsoir! Bonsoir!” and he go to Brother Tiger house. And him ask, “Well, what Brother Tiger dead with?”

And they say, “Dead with the heat of the weather.”

And Chim-Chim say, “When him dead?”

And they say, “He dead yesterday forenoon.”

And then Chim-Chim say, “Well, I sorry, but is him laugh at all since dead?”

And they say, “No!”

And Chim-Chim Bird say, “You ever hear man dead and him no laugh?”

Then when Brother Tiger hear this, him give one big laugh.

Then Chim-Chim Bird say, “Hey-hey! Who ever hear dead man laugh yet?” And he fly away laughing.

And Annancy never catch him that time. And so Tiger didn’t get the cow.

Then Annancy say, “I gonna try one more time.” So he go and get in Brother Chim-Chim’s next and say, “I will see if I don’t catch him this time!”

After him lay there for long time, Brother Chim-Chim, he come home to him nest and him look and see the nest look funny — the nest never go down so low before — what is the matter with it? So Chim-Chim fly all about and at last say, “Good evening, me nest.”

And the nest no say nothing.

So Chim-Chim say, “Hi! Every evening I say good evening to me nest, and me nest say good evening to me, but tonight me nest won’t say nothing!”

So then Annancy say, “Good evening, Brother Chim-Chim Bird!”

And Chim-Chim say, “Why, me never hear nest talk yet!” And him fly away.

And Annancy never catch him to this day!