Old Hendrik's Tales. Arthur Owen Vaughan
‘I has dis gum a’ready. I can see it, an’ I knows it’s good. But I hasn’t got what you wants to give fo’ it, an’ I can’t see it, an’ I don’t know if it’s good. So I tink I’ll make sure o’ what I has,’ ses he, openin’ his mouf wide an’ lettin’ his tongue flop up an’ down, while he holds de gum a little way off his eye wid de one hand and rub his tummy wid de oder. ‘Yum, yum, yum,’ ses he.
“ ‘Well,’ ses Ou’ Jackalse, as if he yust couldn’ he’p it. ‘You is a bright sort, you is, by de jimminy!’
“Young Leelikie he grin back like he tinks a lot o’ dat ‘Allah Crachty!’ ses he, ‘won’t my ole mammy be pleased to hear dat.’
“Ou’ Jackalse sees he’s on de wrong side de fence dis time. ‘Well, I s’pose we’ll ha’ to do sometin’,’ ses he. ‘Now, you put de gum dere on dat stone at de tree root an’ I’ll stand off here an’ tell you.’
“ ‘Right-o,’ ses Leelikie. ‘Here’s de gum,’ an’ he swings down an’ plants it on de stone—but he don’t leave it.
“ ‘By jimminy!’ ses Ou’ Jackalse at dat. But he sees he’s on de spike a’ right, an’ he’ll hatto be honest if he’s a-gun’ to get dat gum. So he up an’ tell young Leelikie how he done wid Ou’ Wolf an’ de bessie berries when de Mensefreiter had ’em. ‘All you has to do den,’ ses he, ‘when you goes up into de tree wid you’ broder, is to eat all de gum you picks you’se’f an’ den swop you’ calabas’ fo’ his when he ain’t lookin’. Den you’ll be all right, an’ he’ll get de shambokkin, when you takes de calabashes down to you’ daddy.’
“ ‘Dat do sound mighty smart,’ ses Leelikie, like he’s admirin’ it immense. ‘But’—an’ yust as Ou’ Jackalse is makin’ one fair ole dive for him an’ de gum, he grabs it up an’ skips right up into de tree agen.
“Ou’ Jackalse look up at him, an he look down at Ou’ Jackalse. ‘T’ank you, Oom,’ ses he. ‘Here I t’ought I’d ha’ to pay dis gum for you tellin’ me sometin’, but now—well, now, I’ll scoff it myse’f.’
“Ou’ Jackalse yust had his mouf open to shout like mad when he see de gum go up de tree, but dat last words o’ young Leelikie ’stonish him dat much he stop right short. ‘What’s dat little lot fo’?’ ses he.
“ ‘What fo’? Oh, for instance,’ ses young Leelikie, bitin’ at de gum till de clear part run all down his chin.
“Ou’ Jackalse down below fair ramp on his hind legs agen at dat. ‘Didn’t I tell you what I said I’d tell you, you skellum?’
“ ‘Did you, billy-o!’ ses Leelikie, bitin’ some more gum. ‘You said you’d tell me how to get me all de gum an’ my broder all de shambokkins. But my broder ain’t no fool, Ou’ Wolf: dere ain’t no time when he ain’t a-lookin’, so dere ain’t no changin’ calabashes wid him. He’s yust as smart as rock aloes, an’ he’d about knock all de hair off me de first time I tried it. So here eats de gum I’s got an’ chance it fo more.’
“ ‘Didn’ you say you could knock de pips off him any day?’ shouts Ou’ Jackalse.
“ ‘Yes; but didn’ you notice dat he wahnt anywhere in hearin’ when I said it?’ ses Leelikie.
“ ‘Well, I’s got you, anyway,’ ses Ou’ Jackalse. ‘You’ll ha’ to come down out o’ dat tree sometime, an’ here I’ll be ready.’
“ ‘Dat’s yust all right,’ ses Leelikie. ‘My daddy an’ de rest o’ de baviyàans is comin’ dis way in a bit. Den p’r’aps you’ll stop some more dan you want to.’
“Ou’ Jackalse skip roun’ to look, an’ dere he ketch a glimp’ o’ de ruffy ole, snappy ole scout dat leads de baviyàans when dey’s feedin. An’ didn’ Ou’ Jackalse get out o’ dat, dat’s all.
“Well, he slink off over de rise an’ sit him down to tink how he’s a-gun’ to get even wid young Leelikie. But young Leelikie he yust swings down out o’ de mispyl tree an’ slants off to de rest o’ de baviyàans, an’ ’gins to turn over de stones fo’ scorpions an’ tarantulas an’ all de rest o’ de tit-bits de baviyàans likes.
“By’n’by dey comes to a place where dere’s some big ole Doorn trees, fair sticky wid de gum runnin’ out o’ ’em. Young Leelikie he looks up at de gum an’ he looks at his daddy, an’ he tinks here’s yust a good ole chance fo’ gum if he can work it. Den he tink an’ he study an’ he won’er, till at last he smack hisse’f in de ribses—he’s got it.
“ ‘Daddy,’ ses he to Ou’ Baviyàan, ‘you’d like to get a chance at darie Ou’ Jackalse, wouldn’ you?’
“ ‘Wouldn’ I yust,’ ses his daddy, his eyes fair shinin’ red.
“ ‘Well, daddy,’ ses young Leelikie, an’ he look as slim as nex’ week, ‘here’s you’ chance. You sees all dis gum; now if you gets it all an’ smears it all over me, yards t’ick, an’ den gi’es me a big ole lump of it in my hand an’ sets me on a stone in de sun, while all de rest o’ you feed away till you gets over de rise; well, I’ll soon get Ou’ Jackalse for you.’
“ ‘How’ll you do dat?’ ax de ole daddy, sort o’ tryin’ to guess where de young fella’s tryin’ to sell him.
“ ‘You’ll see a’ right enough, if you watches,’ ses Leelikie. ‘An’ you’ll ha’ to watch like t’ieves, an’ come a-scootin’ an’ a-boundin’ when I shouts. Dere won’t be no time to catch tings out o’ you’ tail on de way.’
“Well, Ou’ Baviyàan he look at young Baviyàan, an’ he weigh it all up an’ he won’er, an’ while he’s a-doin’ dat young Leelikie sort o’ knock up against dat sore tail of his daddy’s. Dat settle it. Ou’ Baviyàan he wants Ou’ Jackalse, an he wants him very bad, an if de young fella tinks he knows of a plan—why, he’s about as smart a young baviyàan as dere is in de koppies, so he’ll let him try anyway.
“So dey gets all dis gum, sticky ole gum, an’ dey rubs it into young Leelikie’s hair, an’ dey daubs an’ dey plasters an’ dey piles it on till at last he’s yust dat tick wid de gum he cahnt stir. Den dey sits him nice an’ comfy on a nice big stone, an’ dey puts a whackin’ ole chunk o’ half baked gum in his hand in front of his mouth, an’ dere dey leaves him.
“Now dis is de time young Leelikie ’xpected to get in his work on de gum. He reckoned he’d be yust wolfin’ down dat gum, first de big chunk in his hand an’ nex’ to scrape hisse’f clean o’ what’s on him. But ole sun had a say in dis f’m above, an’ de hot stone had a say in it f’m below, till ’fore de rest o’ de baviyàans had got out o’ sight, de gum was dat sticky dat he couldn’ stir hand or leg; not so much as wiggle his head. An’ dar’s Ou’ Jackalse a-creepin’ an’ a-peepin’ an’ a-watchin’ him.
“For Ou’ Jackalse he’d bin yust dat mad he’d follo’d on ahter de baviyàans, yust as young Leelikie made de rest tink he would. But Leelikie ha’n’t reckoned he was a-gun’ to be stuck like dis. He’d reckoned he’d be finis’ eatin’ de gum while Ou’ Jackalse ’ud be waitin’ for de rest to get far enough off, an’ dat ’ud give him yust de right time to be skippin’ back out o dat. Whereas—here he wuz.
“An’ here was Ou’ Jackalse too, yust a-dancin’ an a-prancin’. ‘I’s got you dis time!’ ses he. ‘I’s got you at last, gum an’ all! Won’t I yust teach you!’
“Young Leelikie nearly busted a-tryin’ to loose hisse’f, an’ when Ou’ Jackalse seen how fast he