Oleemah leaned back against the side of the boat, and gave himself up to a train of memories that had been awakened by the story just ended. The men, less meditative, renewed their enjoyment by various comments on Spider and his guileful ways.
"Aintee now dat rascal trick wey Spider do heen boat Chameleon?" asked Dogbah, and his broad grin showed that Spider's rascality was not looked upon with any great disfavor. "Dat rascal trick" recalled the time when Spider was worsted in his encounter with the Wax Girl, and again the men shook with merry laughter.
Sobah, feeling a little hurt by some of the rude jests at Spider's expense, had been turning over the leaves of his memory in search of some exploit of that little hero, more than usually clever, in order to offset the somewhat inglorious part he had played in the two other tales.
"Well, Spider he 'trong man," he finally retorted to the slighting comment of Dogbah.
Challenged for proof of his assertion, Sobah began to relate Mr. Spider's marvellous achievement in a trial of strength with Elephant and Hippopotamus.
[SPIDER, ELEPHAN' EN PAWPAWTÁMUS.]
"Hangry tem (famine) done ketch dis Africa.[26] All dem beef no get no yeat, de country dry too much. Well, Spider he en Elephan' meet up one day. Spider tell Elephan', 'How do.' Elephan' answer um, 'Tankee,' en he say:
"'Fren', how yo' do fo'get yeat? Mese'f no get notting, de country dry too much.'
"Spider hese'f done po'; hangry duh ketch um bad, but wey (since) he cunnie, he answer Elephan', he say:
"'Nar true de place dry, but I t'ink I go soon be able fo' fine yeat fo' mese'f en me famble.'