Browse:Bone that Goes Upstream (Volume 1, entries 259–260)
Bone that Goes Upstream
Volume 1, entries 259–260. Source context: SPIRITS → BLACK CAT BONE. Entries listed under this heading in the source volume.
Entries
Entry 259
Yo' take a black cat - a real black cat, ain't got nary a spot on him nowhere. Yo' take him outside of [beside] a stream of runnin' water, an' yo' git a iron pot an' put this cat in that iron pot, an' fill it up wit water an' boil de cat - boil him till all de meat come off his bones, till every bone come apart. An' take dis pot an' jest throw de whole pot of bones all ovah in de watah. An' de bone dat goes up de stream - dat's de bone. An' it will make yo' invisible. Yo' use dat bone. Ah've heard of people havin' black cat bones an they could walk in banks - jest like walkin' in dis house heah an' yo' couldn't see'em.
Entry 260
A fellah he was born way back in slavery times. Well, yo' know, he's sittin' down talkin' to me an' so he tole me, say, once when he sold hisself to de devil. Say he went out an' got him a real black cat an' after he got dis real black cat, den he'd taken 'im an' he'd boiled 'im till he come tuh boil all tuh pieces. He'd taken him down to a branch where it was runnin' water an' throwed that ovah in dat water an' say an' den a bone, if hit went up de stream - said an' de one dat went up de stream he got dat an' kept it in his pocket an' then he come tuh be whut chew call a half-a-devil - yo' know, a witchcraft. An' says then he went out an' went tuh doin' things yo' know an' says stuff lak dat, so finally one day he tole a fellah, says, "Yo' bettah not leave home." says, "if yo' leave home today yo' gon'a git killed." He says, "Well, why yo' know it?" He says, "Ah jes' seen dat yo' gon'a git killed." An' so - he say dis fellah didn't pay him no 'tention. So he went on an' left home an' said he went out to a picnic. An' when he went out to this picnic, well then - see, him an' a gurl went out to have some intercourse with her an' so he layed down an' so a rattlesnake bit dis couple. An' when de rattlesnake bit him, said, den it killed him. Says den all de people told her dat he's de one dat told him dat he's gon'a git killed if he'd a-went out to dis picnic. So den dey locked him up in jail an' when dey locked him up in jail, why den says dems wanta know why he knowed it. He tole 'em, says, "Well," it jest come to him "jest in a dream dat he's gon'a git killed." "[They] say, "Well, if yo' go home tonight an' if yo' dream anything heah in dis town gon'a happen tomorrow,"' says, "well, we'll let chew loose." So he went on home dat night an' says, when he went back he tole 'em, he says, "Well, de high sheriff in dis town is gon'a git killed tomorrow." An' says - well, dey locked him up 'bout dat an' so when dey locked him up about dat, well, den - said de high sheriff went out to make arrest an' when he went out to make arrest on one brother, said the other brother shot him, says. An' it happened so dey loosed him. So dat's all ah know 'bout dat.