Story: The Gub-gub Peas
Book: Jamaica Anansi Stories
Author(s): Martha Warren Beckwith
Storyteller: George Parkes (Mandeville, Jamaica)
Published: 1924
Internet Archive link.

Notes: I have removed the eye-dialect while leaving the story in Jamaican English, along with editing for punctuation and paragraphing. Goober (gub-gub) peas are peanuts. Beckwith notes that when Anansi spits, he “claims the power of a sorcerer.”

Why Lion Lives in the Jungle

A man plant a big field of goober peas. He got a watchman put there. This watchman can’t read.

The peas grow lovely and bear lovely; everybody pass by, in love with the peas. Anansi himself pass and want to have some. He beg the watchman, but the watchman refuse to give him.

Anansi went and pick up an old envelope, present it to the watchman and say the master say to give the watchman.
The watchman say, “The master know that I cannot read and he send this thing come and give me?”

Anansi say, “I will read it for you.” He said, “Hear what it say! The master say, ‘You must tie Mr. Anansi at the fattest part of the goober peas and when the belly full, let him go.'”

The watchman did so; when Anansi belly full, Anansi call to the watchman, and the watchman let him go.

After Anansi gone, the master of the peas come and ask the watchman what was the matter with the peas. The watchman told him. Master say he see no man, no man came to him and he send no letter, and if a man come to him like that, he must tie him in the peas but no let him away till he come.

The next day, Anansi come back with the same letter and say, “Master say, give you this.” Anansi read the same letter, and watchman tie Anansi in the peas. And when Anansi belly full, him call to the watchman to let him go, but watchman refuse.

Anansi call out a second time, “Come, let me go!”

The watchman say, “No, you don’t go!”

Anansi say, ‘If you don’t let me go, I spit on the ground and you rotten!”

Watchman get frighten and untie him.

Few minutes after that the master came; and told him if he come back the next time, no matter what he say, hold him.
The next day, Anansi came back with the same letter and read the same story to the man. The man tie him in the peas, and, after him belly full, he call to the man to let him go; but the man refuse — all that he say he refuse until the master arrive.

The master take Anansi and carry him to his yard and tie him up to a tree, take a big iron and put it in the fire to hot.

Now while the iron was heating, Anansi was crying. Lion was passing then, see Anansi tie up underneath the tree, ask him what cause him to be tied there. Anansi said to Lion from since him born he never hold knife and fork, and the people want him now to hold knife and fork.

Lion said to Anansi, “You too worthless man! Me can hold it. I will loose you and then you tie me there.” So Lion loose Anansi and Anansi tied Lion to the tree.

So Anansi went away, now, far into the bush and climb upon a tree to see what taking place.

When the master came out, instead of seeing Anansi he see Lion. He took out the hot iron out of the fire and shove it in in Lion ear. And Lion make a plunge and pop the rope and away gallop in the bush and stand up underneath the same tree where Anansi was.

Anansi got frighten and begin to tremble and shake the tree. Lion then hold up his head and see Anansi. He called for Anansi to come down. Anansi shout to the people, “See the man who you looking for! See the man underneath the tree!”

And Lion gallop away and live in the bush until now, and Anansi get free.

Peanut photo by UGA CAES/Extension at Flickr https://www.flickr.com/photos/ugacommunications/48781705116