Emily Alexander, Mandeville.
Once Anansi went out to invite a friend to dinner. Little Molly May was
his servant, so he left her to roast a turkey for dinner. Anansi filled
the wine-jug, laid the table, put on his frock coat and his top hat,
took his walking-stick and went out for his friend. Molly May roasted
the turkey. Seeing that it looked so nice and charming, she thought
that she would take a piece; so she did, and it tasted so nice she took
another piece. That tasted so nice she took a next piece and a sip of
the wine, and she sipped and tasted till at last she had eaten up the
whole turkey and drunk the whole of the wine.
She saw the master coming; so she ran in swift haste, took up the
bones, fixed them nicely in the dish, covered the dish, and carried it
and laid it on the table. When the master came, he sent the visitor
into the house and said to Molly May, “Hullo, deh! everyt’ing all
right?” She said, “Yes, sah! all is right.” So the master took up the
carving-knife and went outside to sharpen it. Molly ran inside and told
the visitor that the master was sharpening the knife to cut off one of
his hands; the visitor in swift haste left the house. Then Molly went
outside and told the master that the visitor had eaten all the turkey
and drunk the wine. The master ran through one door and, seeing all the
bones on the table, went through the other. The visitor was running for
his life and Anansi went running after him, calling “Leave one! leave
one!” He meant leave one (side of) the turkey, but the visitor thought
he meant one of his hands, so he ran for his life.