On examining my dictionary to get the Dutch idiom for ‘drive home’ I discovered three curious translations for drive: ‘rijden’, ‘drijven’ (used, I was informed, of ice) and ‘jagen.’
Now seeing that ‘rijden’, meant ‘to ride’, and ‘jagen,’ to ‘hunt,’ and the other word was restricted to icebergs, there really appeared to be a lack of the precise term I needed.
Obliged thus to circumscribe my meaning, I rapped on my green table and enquired, “Kellner, kan ik een paard hebben?”
The waiter mumbled inarticulately, coughed apologetically, and vanished like a shadow.
Presently he came back with a red-faced man who seemed to be the proprietor of the Uitspanning. What I wanted to say was, “Have you a horse disengaged to drive me to the Hague!” but owing to the defective character of the Dutch vocabulary this could not be said directly, and I was obliged to go round the point.
A DREADFUL INTERVIEW.
I went round it thus: “Mag ik beleefd vragen, Mynheer, heeft U paarden beschikbaar om my te dragen?”
This sounded diplomatic and neat, and was certainly clear; but the apoplectic proprietor looked askance.
He paused and endeavoured to transfix me with his beady eyes and read my inmost consciousness. This being impossible, he condescended to the gruff question: “Wou meneer een peerd koope?”
“Koopen?” I replied in astonishment, “oh niet koopen! Gunst! ashjeblieft niet.”