every tree, every stump got to be cut and piled up and burnt before twelve o’clock.”
Jack went on down there and went to work; then he begin to cry and de devil’s youngest daughter come down wid his breakfast. She says, “Whut’s de matter, Jack?”
“Your father gimme a hard task. I can’t clean all dis off by twelve o’clock.”
“Eat yo’ breakfast, Jack, and lay yo’ head in my lap and go to sleep.”
Jack done so, and when he woke up every bush, every tree, every stump was cut and piled up and burnt. So Jack went on back to de house.
“I got one more little hard task for you to do. If you do, you kin have my daughter; if you don’t, I’ll hafta take yo’ life. I got a well three thousand feet deep—I want every drop of water dipped out and bring me whut you find on the bottom.”
Jack went to dipping the water out de well, but it run in faster then he could dip it out; so he set down and went to crying. Here come de devil’s daughter and ast him, “Whut’s de matter, Jack?”
“Your father have give me another hard task. I can’t do this work.”
“Lay down and put your head in my lap and go to sleep.”
Jack done so and after while she woke him up and hand him a ring and tole him: “Heah, take dis to papa. That’s whut he want. Mama was walking out here de other day and lost her ring.”
Devil says, “I got one more task for you to do and you kin have my youngest daughter. If you don’t, I’ll hafta take your life.” De devil had some coconut palms three hundred fifty feet high. He tole Jack, “You kill these two geeses and go up dat palm tree and pick ’em and bring me back every feather.”
Jack took de geeses and went on up de tree and de wind was blowing so strong he couldn’t hardly stay up there. Jack started to cry. Pretty soon here come de devil’s daughter. “Whut’s de matter, Jack?”
“Your father have give me too hard a task. I can’t do it.”
“Just lay your head in my lap and go to sleep.”
Jack done so and she caught the feathers that had got away from Jack and when he woke up she hand him every feather and de geese and says: Heah, take ’em to papa and let’s get married.”
So de devil give them a house to start housekeeping in.
That night the girl woke up and says: “Jack, father is coming after us. He’s got two horses out in the barn and a bull. You hitch up de horses and turn their heads to us.”
He hitched up de horses and she got in and off they went.De devil misses ’em and run to git his horses. He seen they was gone, so he hitched up his bull. De horses could leap one thousand miles at every jump and de bull could jump five hundred. Jack was whipping up dem horses but de devil was coming fast behind them and de horses could hear his voice one thousand miles away. One of ’em was named Hallowed-Be-Thy-Name and the other one Thy-Kingdom-Come.
De devil would call, “Oh, Hallowed-Be-Thy-Name, Thy-Kingdom-Come! don’t you hear your Master calling you? Jump Bull, jump five hundred miles.” Every time he’d holler de horses would fall to their knees and de bull would gain on ’em.
De girl says, “Jack, get out de buggy and drag your heel nine steps backward and throw dirt over your left shoulder and git back in and let’s go.”
They did this three times before de horses got so far off they couldn’t hear their master’s voice. After dat they went so fast they got clean away. De devil kept right on coming and so he passed an old man and ast: “Did you see a girl black as coal, with eyes of fire, wid a young man in a buckboa’d?” He tole him yeah. “Where did you hear ’em say they were going?”
“On de mountain.”
“I know ’tain’t no use now, I can’t ketch ’em. (Chant) Turn, bull, turn clean around, turn bull, turn clean around.”
De bull turnt so short till he throwed de devil out and kilt him and broke his own neck.”
That’s why they say, “Jack beat the devil.”
—J ERRY B ENNETT.
The Woman
Jack went on down there and went to work; then he begin to cry and de devil’s youngest daughter come down wid his breakfast. She says, “Whut’s de matter, Jack?”
“Your father gimme a hard task. I can’t clean all dis off by twelve o’clock.”
“Eat yo’ breakfast, Jack, and lay yo’ head in my lap and go to sleep.”
Jack done so, and when he woke up every bush, every tree, every stump was cut and piled up and burnt. So Jack went on back to de house.
“I got one more little hard task for you to do. If you do, you kin have my daughter; if you don’t, I’ll hafta take yo’ life. I got a well three thousand feet deep—I want every drop of water dipped out and bring me whut you find on the bottom.”
Jack went to dipping the water out de well, but it run in faster then he could dip it out; so he set down and went to crying. Here come de devil’s daughter and ast him, “Whut’s de matter, Jack?”
“Your father have give me another hard task. I can’t do this work.”
“Lay down and put your head in my lap and go to sleep.”
Jack done so and after while she woke him up and hand him a ring and tole him: “Heah, take dis to papa. That’s whut he want. Mama was walking out here de other day and lost her ring.”
Devil says, “I got one more task for you to do and you kin have my youngest daughter. If you don’t, I’ll hafta take your life.” De devil had some coconut palms three hundred fifty feet high. He tole Jack, “You kill these two geeses and go up dat palm tree and pick ’em and bring me back every feather.”
Jack took de geeses and went on up de tree and de wind was blowing so strong he couldn’t hardly stay up there. Jack started to cry. Pretty soon here come de devil’s daughter. “Whut’s de matter, Jack?”
“Your father have give me too hard a task. I can’t do it.”
“Just lay your head in my lap and go to sleep.”
Jack done so and she caught the feathers that had got away from Jack and when he woke up she hand him every feather and de geese and says: Heah, take ’em to papa and let’s get married.”
So de devil give them a house to start housekeeping in.
That night the girl woke up and says: “Jack, father is coming after us. He’s got two horses out in the barn and a bull. You hitch up de horses and turn their heads to us.”
He hitched up de horses and she got in and off they went.De devil misses ’em and run to git his horses. He seen they was gone, so he hitched up his bull. De horses could leap one thousand miles at every jump and de bull could jump five hundred. Jack was whipping up dem horses but de devil was coming fast behind them and de horses could hear his voice one thousand miles away. One of ’em was named Hallowed-Be-Thy-Name and the other one Thy-Kingdom-Come.
De devil would call, “Oh, Hallowed-Be-Thy-Name, Thy-Kingdom-Come! don’t you hear your Master calling you? Jump Bull, jump five hundred miles.” Every time he’d holler de horses would fall to their knees and de bull would gain on ’em.
De girl says, “Jack, get out de buggy and drag your heel nine steps backward and throw dirt over your left shoulder and git back in and let’s go.”
They did this three times before de horses got so far off they couldn’t hear their master’s voice. After dat they went so fast they got clean away. De devil kept right on coming and so he passed an old man and ast: “Did you see a girl black as coal, with eyes of fire, wid a young man in a buckboa’d?” He tole him yeah. “Where did you hear ’em say they were going?”
“On de mountain.”
“I know ’tain’t no use now, I can’t ketch ’em. (Chant) Turn, bull, turn clean around, turn bull, turn clean around.”
De bull turnt so short till he throwed de devil out and kilt him and broke his own neck.”
That’s why they say, “Jack beat the devil.”
—J ERRY B ENNETT.
The Woman
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