How Malice Ruined the Bocor's Dance


 Now the bocor had to take his pots off the fire, for
those of his household who had gone after water, and those
who went after wood for the fire had not come back.
 Only the bocor and his wife were at home.
 <It is late at night, and still not a soul has come to our
dance; and our children and servants went to the spring
this morning and now it is midnight and none of them have
come back.,
 I'm going to find out what is keeping them,, said the
wife.
 <Go ahead,D said the bocor. cIf I did not have to stay
here to watch the meats and things I'd go to the spring
with my cocomacaque and drive them back here like cattle.D
 Meanwhile, at the crossroad, Bouqui said, aMalice 6,
you got everybody in Haiti at your dance, including the
bocor's wife, all good and drunk with aromatic tafia, and
full of food. But all this food you have borrowed for them
to eat, how are you going to pay back?,
 cOnly a knife knows what's in the heart of a yam,,
said Malice. cI have plans.>
 cHa-ha, Bouqui laughed. cYou break my back! Give
me a grog. Two fingers oh, make it four.)
 *Help yourself, and sprinkle some on the bocor's wife.)
 It was almost dawn. When the food and drink of Malice
was getting low, the people went home and brought their
own back.
 The bocor saw it was almost daylight and no one had
come! He was desperately angry! He took his long coco-
macaque and started to the'crossroad, intending to beat
everybody in his household and everyone else who came