The story furnishes a good instance of local setting for an old tale, the pine-apple being well known in Jamaica. It takes two forms, that of leaving behind an implement necessary for the enjoyment for some food-supply, and that of throwing it away, in both cases under the impression that the adviser has done the same, as in number [13].
Compare, for both spoon and knife episodes, Theal’s Hlakanyana cycle, 105–107; for the knife, Nassau, 85; 90; for the spoon, Chatelain, 17 (incomplete); Tremearne, 231–233. In Dayrell, 51, the abandoned implement is a drinking-horn. In the Bahama versions of the same story (Parsons, Andros Islands, 70–74; Edwards, 80–82) the episode does not appear.
12. Grace before Meat. [[Story]]
The same story is told in Jekyll, 77. For the introduction, compare Tremearne, FL 21: 502, and many Berber trick stories, e.g. Basset 1: 1, 3; 2: 12, 18, 76, 87. A version from Henry Spence, the Bog song leader, exactly follows the Aesopic model of Grimm 75 discussed in Bolte u. Polívka 2: 119–121.
De Fox ax de cat how much trick him got. Puss say, “I have one.” De Fox say him have ten time ten. So one day Dog start de Cat an’ de Fox. So after [[240]]de Cat run fe de tree, never miss de tree at all, run to de top an’ sit down look upon Fox now an’ de dog. An’ all de trick de Fox got, de Dog ketch him.
For Monkey’s helping Tiger out of the hole and Tiger’s ingratitude, compare Tremearne, FL 21: 362.
For the escape by saying grace, compare: Bleek, 23; Jones, 109–110; Harris, Nights, 152–153 and see number [59b].