The two episodes do not, so far as I know, occur in African
collections, and in American collections they belong to a single story.
Compare: (Mexico), Boas, JAFL 25: 205; Parsons, Andros Island 82–85;
Sea Islands, 40–43; Edwards, 63; JAFL 30: 229; Backus, JAFL 13: 22–24;
JAFL 32: 400–402; Harris, Nights, 12–17; 179–185; Uncle Remus 140–145;
Hichiti Indians, JAFL 26: 214.
In Edward’s and Parsons’s versions, the two episodes of tying in the
garden and tying up while the water is scalding belong together; one is
the conclusion of the other. In Mrs. Parsons’s version, the boy says
when he finds Boukee tied in place of Rabby, “O pa! de leetle man grow
beeg!” Edward’s version says, “Pa, dey big one here!”—“Don’t care if ’e
big one or little one, I goin’ to scal’ him!” is the answer. In Boas’s
Mexican Rabbit cycle, Rabbit is caught in a woman’s chile-garden by
means of the tar-baby, is hung in a net while water is heating,
pretends he is to marry, and persuades Coyote into his place. The “dear
old woman” says “Ah! How did the Rabbit turn into a coyote?”
The story is related to Grimm 8, discussed by Bolte u. Polívka 1: 68.
In Boas’s Mexican cycle, Rabbit escapes from Coyote by leaving him
playing the guitar for a marriage couple. Anansi is represented as an
accomplished fiddler in numbers 4, 10b, 14, 15, 20, 40, 43, 44, 47b,
93, 94, 131, 141. See numbers 1 and 21b and Boas’s discussion, JAFL 25:
248–250.