Jamaican Song and Story Part 78

The boy has run up a score at the shop and professes astonishment at the items and the total. Black trusts White more than Brown.

CXCVI.

We end with the pretty flowing melody:--

[Music: _Schottische._

Mahngoose a come, Dory, Mahngoose a come.

All them gal are dead fe Dory, Mahngoose a come.

Come back me dear Dory, Come back me dear.

All them gal are dead fe Dory, Mahngoose a come.]

The mongoose was introduced into Jamaica to kill the rats.

Unfortunately rats sleep in the day and the mongoose sleeps at night, so they never met. How the mongoose took instead to killing chickens has been often told. Dory is having a private interview with a girl who has another admirer. This man has announced his intention of chastising Dory. "Mongoose has come" is a preconcerted formula which means, "the other man has come, Dory, look out!" When a gang of labourers is working and one of them catches sight of his master in the distance, he will sing this song and the others understand that they must pretend to be busy.

THE END.