B'WHALE AND B'ELEPHANT

An adaptation of a Bahamian Folktale

Now this day, B'Rabby was walking through the woods. He walked and walked and on his way he found a long rope lying on the ground. B'Rabby picked up the rope, threw it over his shoulder, and continued on his way until he reached the deepest part of the woods where he met up with B'Elephant. Now you know this fellow B'Rabby is a fairly smart fellow and he said to B'Elephant, "Good mornin' B'Elephant, how you doin' dis mornin'?"
B'Elephant looked at B'Rabby and said,
"Hey there B'Rabby, I'm doin' just fine today, how 'bout you.?"
B'Rabby was always looking for ways to play tricks on his friends said,
"Well B'Elephant, today I feel strong. In fact I feel so strong that I want to make a bet with you. I bet you that I can tie this end of the rope around you and pull you all the way over to the ocean."
B'Elephant laughed and said to B'Rabby,
"B'Rabby, I know you are smart but you are certainly not strong enough to pull me anywhere. Look at me, even my ears are bigger than you. So tell me how you think you can pull me all the way to the ocean."
B'Rabby looked at B'Elephant and said to him," Well B'Elephant, if you're scared to take to bet I'll go and tell everyone how you were afraid to bet with me."
"Scared?" said B 'Elephant, "scared? I'm not scared of anything. I'm too big to be scared. If you want to bet with me, fine because I'm stronger than you and I'm sure to win this bet."
"OK" said B'Rabby, "I'll tie the rope around you and when I get to the ocean I'll blow my horn and when you hear the horn blow start to pull "
"Go right ahead" said B'Elephant, "I'll wait to hear your signal and we'll see who is strongest."
B'Rabby walked over to the ocean and looking out across the ocean he saw B'Whale swimming. B'Rabby called out to B'Whale,
"B'Whale, B'Whale, it's me B'Rabby." When B'Whale saw his friend B'Rabby he came swimming close to land. When he got close he called out to B'Rabby, "Hey B'Rabby, how you doing today."
B'Rabby called back, "Well B'Whale, I'm doin' fine and I feel good too. In fact I feel strong today. I feel so strong that I want to make a bet to make with you. You see this rope. I bet if I tied this rope around you I could pull you out of the ocean and onto land."
Well B'Whale just laughed and said to B'Rabby, "B'Rabby, you see how big I am? I'm so big that one of my fins is bigger than you."
And B'Rabby said. "I know you are much bigger than me but I still think I can pull you up on land. However, if you're too scared to take the bet, I'll go and tell everyone that B'Whale was afraid to bet with B'Rabby."
B'Whale said, "Me scared, I'm not scared of anything. I'm too big to be scared. If you want to bet with me, fine because I'm stronger than you and I'm sure to win this bet."
So B'Rabby tied the rope around B'Whale and said to B'Whale.
"Listen for my signal. I'll blow my horn to let you know I'm ready to start. When you hear that sound, start to pull. "
"Go right ahead" said B'Whale, "I'll wait to hear your signal and we'll see who is strongest."
B'Rabby went to the woods and climbed a tall pine tree where he could see the woods to the left of him and the ocean to the right. He had with him a conch shell with the end cut off so he could blow into it. This is what all the people in the islands used to send signals over long distances.
B'Rabby put the shell to his lips and he blew a long note. The sound of the shell could be heard far away.
B'Elephant, who heard the note first because of the direction of the wind, began to pull at the rope. But he got a big surprise. He had expected it to be easy to pull B'Rabby but instead to rope did not budge. He pulled again, this time a little harder all the while thinking to himself,
"Hmm, B'Rabby sure is strong today, he must have had grits and boiled fish for breakfast to help him build up his strength."
Now B'Elephant leaned into the rope and pulled with all his strength. Meanwhile, B'Whale, who was lying out in the ocean sunning himself, felt the tug of the rope and thought to himself,
"Hmm, B'Rabby sure is strong today".
And before he could realize anything he found himself being pulled and pulled until he landed right up on land. B'Whale looked around and when he saw that he was on land he grabbed the rope and he began to pull and pull and B'Elephant found himself flying through the air and before he could say anything he found himself standing on the bottom of the ocean. He looked all around him and saw fish and turtles and all kinds of sea things swimming around him and he took the rope and he began to pull until he pulled B'Whale out of the water and back on land. So B'Elephant and B'Whale pulled each other back and forth from the land to the sea and B'Rabby, he just
sat up in that pine tree and watched and laughed. He was having a great time seeing how he had fooled his old friends.
Finally the rope broke and B'Elephant landed in the middle of the woods and B'Whale landed in the ocean and B'Rabby climbed down the tree and went to find B'Elephant. When he saw B'Elephant, B'Elephant said to him,
"Man, B'Rabby I didn't know you were so strong. You certainly are stronger than me. I guess you win the bet."
Then B'Rabby went to the ocean and called out to B'Whale and when B'Whale came over to B'Rabby he said to him, "Man B'Rabby I didn't know you were so strong. You certainly are stronger than me. I guess you're the winner of this bet."
B'Rabby laughed and said,
"Well my friends, better luck next time. And next time you'll think twice about making a bet with B'Rabby."
And so , from that day to this, Elephants never like going into the ocean and Whales never like coming up on land.

e bo ben my story done end