Sapadilli Tam - James Martinez

You want to hear of of w’at I know,
About de fish day tark of so,
De one dat people use to see,
Outside o’ Sapadilli Caye?

Now list’n don’t y’u be supprise;-
I seen dat shark wid my own eyes;
Not only once but time a score,
W’en I was tradin’ to Omoa.

De fust time dat I seen dat shark,
De evenin jus was getting dark;
De sea was smude, de win’ was low:
De schooner “Jane” was driftin’ slow.

Spadilli Tam - whale shark (Rhincodon typus)
Source: Wikipedia

Jus’ den dere came in sight a sail,
(we t’ought t’was one) an’ so we hail;
but it was goin’ fas’, it seem
as if it was p’opell wid steam.

But w’en it get to us quite near.
We all was full wid awful fear,
For now we could plainly see,
It was a monster of de sea.

He check his speed den round us swim;
But we did not quite care fo’ him.
We t’ink how we could mek him go,
So overboa’d some pork we t’row.

He start at once de food to eat,
An’ den we try to mek retreat.
For now de win’ commence to blow,
We put de boat to’ near de sho’.

An’ so it was we get away,
As bes’ respec’ to him we pay;
An’ pray ne’ermo’ to have a calm,
W’en nearin’ Sapadilli Tam.

Dere’s some strange story dat I hear,
De trut’ of dem I cannot swear.
But I am stric’ly now compel,
To give to you as how dey tell-

A dorey once was coming o’er,
Wid Waika from Masquiter Shore-.
Dey saw a caye (Dey t’ought ’twas one)
An’ so dey went to it to lan’.

So we’n dey went asho’ an’ look,
Dey mek a fire an’ start to cook;
But w’en de pot was bubblin’ free,
De shark sink undeneat’ de sea.

‘Tis also tol’ dat coc’nut tree,
upon his back some people see,
but dere is some mistake I fear,
for I had never seen it dere.

But many a time about dat sea,
W’en nearin’ Sapadilli Caye,
De sailor heart would beat fo’ fear,
Dat Sapadilli Tam is near.

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James Sullivan Martinez (fl. 1914-1926) Belize
Source: Belize Audobon Society Newsletter Vol. 32 No. 4 – (January 2001) [on My Belize.net]