404
Martinique
Sketches.
Then they all got up. Then he pointed to all the plates and dishes full of dirt, and said to them :—* —"Gobe-moin ça!" And they had to gobble it all up, as he told them. After that it was no use trying to eat anything. Every time anything was cooked, the Devil would do the same thing. It was thus the next day, and the next, and the day after, and so every day for a long, long time. #
Y é did not know what to do ; but his wife said she did. If she was only a man, she would soon get rid of that Devil. " Y é , " she insisted, " go and see the BonDié [the Good-God], and ask him what to do. I would go myself if I could ; but women are not strong enough to climb the great morne." So Y é started off very, very early one morning, before the peep of day, and began to climb the Montagne Pelée. He climbed and walked, and walked and climbed, until he got at last to the top of the Morne de la Croix.f Then he knocked at the sky as loud as he could till the Good-God put his head out of a cloud and asked him what he wanted :— —"Eh bien !—ça ou ni, Yé? ça ou lè?" When Y é had recounted his troubles, the Good-God said :— —"fauv ma pauv ! I knew it all before you came, Yé. I can tell you what to do ; but I am afraid it will be no use—you will never be able to do it ! Your gluttony is going to be the ruin of you, poor Yé ! Still, you can try. Now listen well to what I am going to tell you. First of all, you must not eat anything before you get * I n the o r i g i n a l : — " Y té k a m o n t é assous tabe-là, épi y té k a fai c a c a adans toutt plats-à, adans toutt zassiett-là." f A p e a k l e t rising a b o v e the verge of the ancient crater n o w filled w i t h water.