yump for where Ou’ Jackalse live.’

“Ou’ Wolf he scratch his ear wid his back foot, but Ou’ Baviyàan he scratch his tummy wid his front han’. ‘Now you do dis, Oom Wolf,’ ses he; ‘you le’ me tie our tails togedder good’n fast so I know dey won’t come undone, den I’ll know you cahnt up an’ dust it out o’ dat an’ leave me when de time comes. You say yes to dat, an’ I’ll come.’

“Ou’ Wolf yust laugh right out. If he’d axed for it hisse’f he cou’dn’t a done better. Dat way he’s sure hisse’f dat Ou’ Baviyàan can’t skip out an’ leave him needer, an’ he know Ou’ Baviyàan he’s pretty full o’ prickles to meddle wid in a tight corner. ‘Dere’s my tail,’ ses Ou’ Wolf; ‘you tie it fas’, an’ you yust keep on a-tyin’ till you’s satisfied.’

“So off dey starts.

“Well, I tole you Ou’ Jackalse he yust keep his eye a-rollin’ all dese days, an’ dis mawnin’ he was out in front of his house a-choppin’ out yokeskeys, an’ you believe me darie axe in his han’ was yust so sharp an’ yust so bright in de sun dat it flashed like streaks o’ hot lightnin’ when he chop an’ chip, an’ keep on chip-a-choppin’. An’ all de time his eye was yust a-smokin’ an’ a-burnin’, till a long an’ a long way off he sees Ou’ Wolf an Ou’ Baviyàan a-comin’ a-wobblin’, terr’ble close alongside each oder, an’ mighty awk’ard.

“‘Well, dat’s about de funniest commando I ever did see,’ ses he to hisse’f, wid his ear a-cockin’ out, an’ his nose a-cockin’ up. An’ den his tail begun to wilt a bit while he tink what he’s goin’ to do now.

“Den he scratch his ear, an’ his tail begin to stick out agen, an’ he wink one eye to his nose end. ‘Ou’ Frow!’ ses he, back over his shoul’er to Missis Jackalse in de house.

“‘Ya, daddy!’ ses Missis Jackalse, stickin’ her nose half an inch out o’ de door.

“‘Now you be careful an’ do yust what I tells you,’ ses he. ‘When I stop choppin’ den you pinch Ainkye, an’ you pinch her till she fair bawls agen. An’ when I shouts out for you to stop her a-squallin’, den you answer up on you’ top note an’ say—“It’s all you’ own fault. You would bring you’ baby up on nawtin’ but wolf meat, an’ now you shouts ’cause it cry fo’ mo’.” You hear me now, don’t you forget,’ ses Ou’ Jackalse.

“‘Dat’s all right,’ ses his ole missis.

“Well, along come Ou’ Wolf an’ his commando—one Baviyàan—an’ Ou’ Wolf he say, ‘What’s dat flashin’ like lightnin’ in Ou’ Jackalse han’? Hyere; I don’t know what’s a-gun’ to happen,’ ses he, an’ he ain’t a comin’ on so fast as he has bin.

“But Ou’ Baviyàan he answer pretty scornful like, ‘Dat’s yust a axe he’s a-choppin’ out yokeskeys wid. You ain’t a-gun’ to turn afeard, huh?’

“‘Who’s afeard?’ ses Ou’ Wolf, in yust such a bi-ig voice. ‘But it do look like a terr’ble sharp axe,’ ses he. ‘Why don’t he use a rusty ole, gappy ole axe, like anyb’dy else a-choppin’ out yokeskeys, I wantto know?’ An’ Ou’ Wolf he ’gun a-movin’ slower an’ slower. ‘I tink dat’s mo’en yust a axe,’ ses he.

“‘No backin’ out now,’ ses Ou’ Baviyàan, kind o’ rough.

“‘Ain’t my tail tied fast enough?’ savages Ou’ Wolf. ‘Di’n’t you tie it yourse’f?’ ses he, trying to stop still an’ argue de point.

“Ou’ Baviyàan he give a yank. ‘Come on now,’ ses he.

“‘Ain’t I?’ ses Ou’ Wolf, an’ he come yust half a step—to easy de pull on his tail. An’ while dey start to quar’lin’, Ou’ Jackalse he stop choppin’ an’ he lift up, an’ right den his Ou’ Missis she pincht Ainkye so she fair opens out a-bawlin’ till her eyes shut tight. You could hear it a mile off.

“Den Ou’ Jackalse he shout out, ‘If you don’t stop dat Ainkye a-squallin’ like dat den I’ll come inside dere, an’ she’ll get somet’in’ to squall for,’ ses he.

“‘It’s all you’ own fault,’ screams Ou’ Missis (an’ don’t she yust like to say it! It makes her feel good an’ good to talk back to her Ou’ Baas once, i’stead of on’y tinkin’ back). ‘You goes an’ brings up you’ chile on nawtin’ but wolf meat, an’ den you ’gins to shout when she’s yust so hungry fo’ mo’ dat she cahnt hold quiet.’

“‘Dat’s all right,’ ses Ou’ Jackalse, (‘an’ don’ you get too high, Ou’ Missis,’ he puts in on de quiet, ’cause he hears what’s in her mind). ‘I send Ou’ Baviyàan out t’ree days back to bring some wolf meat, an’ here he comes now wid yust an ole scrag of a one. It look a bit flyblow a’ready, but it’ll do better’n nawtin’ I s’pose,’ ses he, an’ he pick up his axe, an’ he gin it a swing up an’ roun’ as if he’s a-openin’ his chest to slaughter lots.

“Ou’ Wolf he hear dat an’ he yust make one yump an’ land right roun’ wid his head where his tail was. He tinks it’s nawtin’ else but Ou’ Baviyàan is drawed him on an’ in to it, as Ou’ Jackalse ses. ‘Dat’s why you wanted my tail tied so fast, is it?’ ses he. ‘Dat’s it, is it?’ an’ he ramp an’ he yerk, an’ car’ on.

“‘It ain’t, fathead! big fathead!’ ses Ou’ Baviyàan, rearin’ an’ yankin’ to pull Ou’ Wolf roun’ again to face it. ‘Dat’s yust Ou’ Jackalse’s lies to scare you.’

“But Ou’ Wolf he see Ou’ Jackalse comin’, a-skippin’ an’ a-runnin’, wid de axe a-frolicin’ in his han’, an’ he yust gi’es one yank an’ lan’s Ou’ Baviyàan a yard back. Baviyàan he try to hold him, but about dat time Ou’ Jackalse gets dere, an’ he ’gins to yump an’ dodge roun’, an’ all de time he’s shoutin’ out, ‘Stan’ over a bit, Nief Baviyàan; stan’ wide a bit till I gets a cle’r biff at him. Yust shift you’ head de oder side till I gaps him one wi’ dis yere axe.’

“Den dere was de fuss. De more Ou’ Baviyàan try to hol’ back de more Ou’ Wolf yerks him away, an’ de wusser Ou’ Jackalse sings out, till at last Ou’ Wolf he get dat ter’fied he fair yanks Ou’ Baviyàan right into de air an’ over an’ over, an’ den streaks out straight for de koppies, wid him on de end of him like a dog an’ a kettle.

“‘I tink dat’s about de finish to dat little lot,’ ses Ou’ Jackalse, watchin’ de dust an’ de hair fly.”

Old Hendrik paused, looked the little girl very seriously in the eye; and then concluded, using his most impressive tones: “An’ if you don’ b’lieve me, den you yust look at Ou’ Baviyàan’s tail nex’ time he comes stealin’ in de garden—you’ll see de kink yet where it ain’t never straighten out f’m dat day to this.”