“‘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 was, he yust sit down an’ open his mouf an’ lick his chops. ‘Look at my teef,’ ses he. ‘Now I has you!’

“Young Leelikie tried to let a yell out o’ him for his daddy to come an’ he’p him, but his yaws was yust dat bunged up wid gum dere wahnt no openin’ dem needer. ‘Oh, ain’t you nice an’ fat,’ ses Ou’ Jackalse, watchin’ him an’ grinnin’. ‘Yust feel here where I’s gun’ to take de first bite,’ ses he, an’ he digs young Leelikie in de ribs wid his right han’.

“But yust about dat time he cahnt pull dat hand away to dig young Leelikie somewhere else. ‘You make los’ my hand,’ ses he, mighty snappy; ‘make it los’, or I’ll biff de pips off you,’ ses he, an’ he smacks his toder hand agen Leelikie’s ribses to give him a stand to get de oder away. An’ right dere dat’s fast too.

“Ou’ Jackalse’s years begin to stick up. ‘Allah Crachty!’ ses he, ‘if you don’t make los’ my fisties I’ll yust knock seven kinds o’ chicken feed out o’ you. Make los’, you skellum!’

“But young Leelikie on’y wished he could make los’, or do anytin’ else but yust sit an’ say nawtin’, an’ wish his daddy was comin’. Den Ou’ Jackalse’s eyes begin to stick out wid ’fraid o’ dis baviyàankie dat holds him an’ ses nawtin’. He tinks if he don’t get his hands loose sometin’s a-gun’ to happen, ‘By de jimminy!’ ses he, grindin’ his teef, ‘if you don’t lemme los’ dis minute, I’ll bite you’ bally head off!’

“Wid dat he makes a reg’lar dive, teef first, to scoff young Leelikie’s head off, but he’s in such a sweat he grabs de chunk o’ gum in de hand instead, an dere he is, bofe hands fast an’ his head fast, an’ here’s Ou’ Baviyàan and Leelikie’s broder yust a flyin’ dis way now dey’s got Ou’ Jackalse fast.

“Ou’ Jackalse sees ’em comin’ an’ he hears ’em car-rackin’ an’ bar-rackin’, an’ he yust puts every hair o’ him into one mighty ole wrench or else he’s done for. Sometin’ had to come—sometin’ did—de seat o’ young Leelikie’s hide. For Ou’ Jackalse gi’en such a terr’ble ole yank, an’ de stone set back wid such a terr’ble ole stick fast, dat young Leelikie flew one way wid Ou’ Jackalse, an’ de seat of his hide stayed de oder way wid de gum on de stone; tore off wid a rip like a yard o’ calico.

“De stone yust sot tight an’ shined like he’s smilin’, but Ou’ Jackalse he whirraloo round dere like a fireworks. An’ about dat time Ou’ Baviyàan an’ de oder young baviyàankie made deir dive for him.

“Well, you never did see no sich a mix up. For Ou’ Jackalse he see dat dive yust in time, an’ he yanks tings round so dey dives not into him but into young Leelikie, an’ dere dey is, yust as fast as he is, an’ all pullin’ de roots out to get loose agen in different