There was a Haitian twist on the theme: the Clever-Thief-Scoundrel protaganist fills a bottle half full of water and approaches a rum-seller, asking him to fill the bottle. When told the price, he refuses to pay, and allows the rum-seller to pour off half of the contents of the then-full bottle. Visits to five or six other rum-sellers provide him with a half-bottle of almost straight rum.