“Well, he go on an’ on, carryin’ Ou’ Jackalse, till dey comes nigh home, an’ Ou’ Jackalse he cahnt hold in no longer for fear de laugh in his inside’ll bu’st him tryin’ to get out. He yust ha’ to get down an’ dance, an’ he gi’es one high ole kick an’ a yump, an’ over go Ou’ Wolf on his head, an’ den darie skellum he’s a-prancin’ an’ a-dancin’ all roun’ him, wid de same ole song a-goin’:—
“It’s de funniest ever you foun’.
When de sick he carry de soun’,
It never was done before
Dat de well he ride de sore.
“Ou’ Wolf he wantto get up an’ yust fight an’ bite, but what wid de bashin’ he had in de kraal, an’ de fashin’ he had carryin’ darie Ou’ Jackalse, he’s too fair gone in to get up agen. ‘But on’y wait till I get hold o’ you agen,’ ses he, ‘dat’s all!’
“‘Yes, yust wait,’ ses Ou’ Jackalse a-chucklin’.
“An’,” ended the old Hottentot, “as fur as I can make out he’s bin a-waitin’ ever since. Leastaways, I don’t hear yet as he’s ever done it. An’ de bettin’s all de oder way till now.”
Chapter Eight.
When the Birds would choose a King which tells also why the white owl only flies by night.
The three children were lounging with the dogs under the tall blue-gums by the house corner, when the old Hottentot stepped out of the kitchen to find a shady spot for his afternoon nap. Before he could settle anywhere, however, the eldest boy lifted his face and caught sight of a mere speck, far up in the still hot sky, where a vulture hung motionless in the blue.