A sourced illustration has not yet been added. This gap is included in the coverage record.

Overview

Spider, Lizard and Chameleon meet while planning to travel to Freetown without a boat. They decide that Chameleon can provide one because his body resembles the needed vessel: his head serves as the bow, his hands as rowlocks, his tail as the place for the rudder and his interior as the load space. He agrees to turn over and lie flat while his companions sit on him. Spider takes command and steers, while Lizard rows with his four feet. The text explains the hand-as-rowlock arrangement through the position of fingers and thumb.

Spider repeatedly drives the living boat against stones, bruising Chameleon's back as Lizard pulls hard. Chameleon protests both the injuries and the evasive replies about how far they have traveled. When he threatens to turn out from beneath them and leave everyone to swim, Spider begs him to continue. Only after reaching the shore does the captain permit him to turn over. The ending says that Chameleon is left with one foot, one hand and a small nose because of the collisions, making the mistreated voyage an explanation for his slow movement. His bodily service as transport is therefore also the means through which the trickster damages him.

Living boat transformationHands used as rowlocksAnimal passengersRock injuriesThreat to abandon passengers
01

Origins & earliest records

Florence M. Cronise collected tales from children and adult employees of the Rotifunk mission in Sierra Leone. The 1903 preface credits Henry W. Ward with much of the arrangement and narrative setting; its named speakers are not assumed to be independently documented field informants.

02

Records & interpretation

Complete selected tale directly read, printed pp. 111-117. Preface and introduction separately inspected for collection and editorial mediation.

In the literature

“He han' nar de row-lock”
Florence M. Cronise, collector; Henry W. Ward, arranger · Cunnie Rabbit, Mr. Spider and the Other Beef
Chapter IV; pp. 111–117; Mr. Chameleon Is Transformed into a Boat; Agreement to the boat transformation · Historical Sierra Leone contact-English rendering

The narrator maps Chameleon’s hand onto a functional part of the boat.

Selected bibliography

Documented works and useful reading. This is not a list of every appearance.

  1. 01

    Cunnie Rabbit, Mr. Spider and the Other Beef

    Florence M. Cronise, collector; Henry W. Ward, arranger · 1903

    Mr. Chameleon Is Transformed into a Boat; pp. 111-117.

  2. 02

    Cunnie Rabbit, Mr. Spider and the Other Beef — Mr. Chameleon Is Transformed into a Boat

    Florence M. Cronise, collector; Henry W. Ward, arranger · 1903

    London, Swan Sonnenschein & Co.; New York, E. P. Dutton, 1903, visually verified title page. Selected Project Gutenberg 48828 transcription retains printed page markers and exact tale anchors. Preface pp. v–vi credits Cronise with collection and Ward with arrangement/setting; introduction pp. 1–4 describes Rotifunk mission children and adult employees as sources. Frame speakers are not independently verified individual informants.

Family & connections

A source-supported family tree or inspiration record has not yet been compiled for this profile. Related reading below indicates a connection in subject matter, not a proven lineage or creative influence.

Located primary passages

Specific passages supporting details in this entry, grouped by their published witness.

Cunnie Rabbit, Mr. Spider and the Other Beef

London, Swan Sonnenschein & Co.; New York, E. P. Dutton, 1903, visually verified title page. Selected Project Gutenberg 48828 transcription retains printed page markers and exact tale anchors. Preface pp. v–vi credits Cronise with collection and Ward with arrangement/setting; introduction pp. 1–4 describes Rotifunk mission children and adult employees as sources. Frame speakers are not independently verified individual informants.

  1. Chameleon agrees to become the boat, with hands as row-locks, tail as rudder and head as bow. Spider captains it and Lizard rows with four feet.

    Chapter IV; pp. 111–117; Mr. Chameleon Is Transformed into a Boat; Animal body arranged as boat for Freetown voyage

  2. Spider repeatedly steers into rocks, injuring Chameleon, who threatens to overturn and force the others to swim. Spider placates him until reaching Freetown; the injuries are offered as the tale’s explanation of slow walking.

    Chapter IV; pp. 111–117; Mr. Chameleon Is Transformed into a Boat; Collisions, threats to overturn and lasting injury

Complete named tale and relevant footnotes read. Editorial racial generalizations are not adopted. Frame speakers are literary witnesses, not verified informants; spirit/devil vocabulary belongs to this collected rendering and is not equated with Christian Satan or a universal African category.

References

Sources supporting this profile. Linked pages have their own scope and editorial standards.

  1. Collected primary narrative with editorial settingMr. Chameleon Is Transformed into a BoatResearch access: 2026-10-05

Image credits

A sourced illustration has not yet been added. This gap is included in the coverage record.

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