



Produced by Nick Hodson of London, England




Old Hendrik's Tales, by Captain Arthur Owen Vaughan.

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OLD HENDRIK'S TALES, BY CAPTAIN ARTHUR OWEN VAUGHAN.



CHAPTER ONE.

WHY OLD BABOON HAS THAT KINK IN HIS TAIL.

The day was hot, and the koppies simmered blue and brown along the Vaal
River.  Noon had come, dinner was done.  "Allah Mattie!" said the grey
old kitchen boy to himself, as he stretched to sleep in the shade of the
mimosa behind the house.  "Allah Mattie! but it near break my back in
dem tobacco lands dis mawnin'.  I sleep now."

He stretched himself with a slow groan of pleasure, settling his face
upon his hands as he lay, soaking in comfort.  In three minutes he was
asleep.

But round the corner of the house came the three children, the eldest a
ten-year-old, the youngest six.  With a whoop and a dash the eldest
flung himself astride the old Hottentot's back, the youngest rode the
legs behind, while the girl, the eight-year-old with the yellow hair and
the blue eyes, darted to the old man's head and caught him fast with
both hands.  "Ou' Ta'!  Ou' Ta'!" she cried.  "Now you're Ou' Jackalse
and we're Ou' Wolf, and we've got you this time at last."  She wanted to
dance in the triumph of it, could she have done it without letting go.

Old Hendrik woke between a grunt and a groan, but the merry clamour of
the little girl would have none of that.  "Now we've got you, Ou'
Jackalse," cried she again.

The old man's yellow face looked up in a sly grin.  "Ah, Anniekye," said
he unctuously; "but Ou' Wolf never did ketch Ou' Jackalse.  He ain't
never bin slim enough yet.  He make a big ole try dat time when he got
Oom Baviyaan to help him; but all dey got was dat kink in Ou' Baviyaan's
tail--you can see it yet."

"But how _did_ old Bobbyjohn get that kink in his tail?  You never told
us that, Ou' Ta'," protested Annie.

The old Hottentot smiled to the little girl, and then straightway sighed
to himself.  "If you little folks only knowed de Taal," said he
plaintively.  "It don't soun' de same in you' Englis' somehow."  He
shook his head sadly over English as the language for a Hottentot story
handed down in the Boer tongue.  He had been long enough in the service
of this "English" family (an American father and Australian mother) to
know enough of the language for bald use; though, being a Hottentot, he
had never mastered the "th," as a Basuto or other Bantu might have done,
and was otherwise uncertain also--the pronunciation of a word often
depending upon that of the words next before and after it.  But English
was not fond enough, nor had diminutives enough, for a kitchen tale as a
house Kaffir loves to tell it.

None the less, his eyes brightened till the smile danced in his face as
his words began.  "Ou' Wolf--well, Ou' Wolf, he'd a seen a lot less
trouble if he ha'n't had sich a wife, for Ou' Missis Wolf she yust had a
temper like a meer-cat.  Folks use' to won'er how Ou' Wolf manage' wid
her, an' Ou' Jackalse use' to say to him, `Allah man! if she was on'y my
wife for about five minutes she'd fin' out enough to tink on as long's
she keep a-livin'.'  An' den Ou' Jackalse, he'd hit 'is hat back on to
de back of his head an' he'd step slouchin' an' fair snort agen
a-grinnin'.

"But Ou' Wolf ud look behind to see if his missis was hearin', an' den
he'd shake his head, an' stick his hands in his pockets an' walk off an
tink.  He'd see some mighty tall tinkin' yust up over his head, but he
couldn' somehow seem to get a-hold of it.

"Well, one mawnin' Missis Wolf she get up, an' she look on de hooks an'
dere ain't no meat, an' she look in de pot an' dere ain't no mealies.
`Allah Crachty!' says she, `but dat Ou' Wolf is about de laziest skellum
ever any woman wore herse'f out wid.  I'll ketch my deat' of him afore
I's done.'

"Den she look outside, an' dere she seen Ou' Wolf a-settin' on de stoop
in de sun.  He was yust a-waitin', sort o' quiet an' patient, for his
breakfas', never dreamin' nothin' about bein' banged about de yead wid a
mealie ladle, when out flops Missis Wolf, an' fair bangs him a biff on
one side his head wid de long spoon.  `You lazy skellum!' ses she, an'
bash she lams him on his t'other year.  `Where's darie [that there] meat
for de breakfas' I don' know?' ses she, an' whack she smack him right on
top his head.  `Off you go an' fetch some dis ver' minute,' ses she, an'
Ou' Wolf he don' say no moh, but he yust offs, an' he offs wid a yump
too, I can tell you.

"Ou' Wolf as he go he won'er how he's goin' to get dat meat quick
enough.  `I tink I'll get Ou' Jackalse to come along a-huntin' too,' ses
he.  `He's mighty slim when he ain't no need to be, an' p'raps if he'd
be slim a-huntin' dis mawnin' we'd ketch somet'in' quicker.'  An' Ou'
Wolf rub his head in two-t'ree places as he tink of it.

"Now Ou' Jackalse, he was a-sittin' in de sun agen de wall of his house,
a-won'erin' where he's gun' to get breakfas', 'cause he feel dat hungry
an' yet he feel dat lazy dat he wish de grass was sheep so he could lie
down to it.  But grass ain't sheep till it's inside one, an' so Missis
Jackalse, inside a-spankin' little Ainkye, was a-won'erin' where she's
gun' to get some breakfas' to stop it a-squallin'.  `I yust wish you'
daddy 'ud tink a bit oftener where I's gun' to get bones for you,' ses
she.

"Little Ainkye, she stop an' listen to dat, an' den she tink awhile, but
she fin' she don't get no fatter on on'y talk about bones, an' fus'
t'ing her mammy know she puts her two han's up to her eyes an' fair
dives into squallin' agen.

"Missis Jackalse she ketches hold o' Ainkye an' gives her such a shakin'
till her eyes fly wide open.  `I's yust about tired o' hearin' all dat
row,' ses she.  An' while Ainkye's quiet considerin' dat, Missis
Jackalse she hear Ou' Wolf come along outside, axin' her Ou' Baas ain't
he comin' huntin' dis mawnin'?  Den she hear Ou' Jackalse answer back,
sort o' tired like.  `But I cahnt come.  I's sick.'

"Den Ainkye lets out a squall fit to split, an' her mammy she biffs her
a bash dat s'prise her quite quiet, before she stick her head out o de
doh an' say, mighty tremblin' like--`I don't tink we got no meat fo'
breakfas' at all, Ou' Man'.

"But Ou' Jackalse he ain't a troublin' hisse'f about no women's talk.
He don't turn his 'ead nor not'in'.  He yust hutch hisse'f closer to de
wall to bake hisse'f some more, an' he say agen--`I tell you I's sick,
an' I cahnt go huntin' dis mawnin', nohow'.

"Missis Jackalse she pop her head inside agen mighty quick at dat, an'
Ou' Wolf he sling off down de spruit wid his back up.  Ou' Jackalse he
yust sit still in de sun an' watch him go, an' he ses to hisse'f ses he:
`Now dat's big ole luck fo' me.  If he ha'n't a come along like dat I
don' know but I'd a had to go an' ketch somet'in' myse'f, I'm dat
'ongry.  But now it'll be all right when he come back wid some sort o'
buck.'

"Den he turn his head to de doh.  `_Frowickie_,' ses he to his missis
inside, soft an' chucklin', `tell Ainkye to stop dat squallin' an'
bawlin'.  Ou' Wolf's gone huntin', an' yust as sure as he come back
we'll have all de breakfas' we want.  Tell 'er if she don't stop anyhow
I'll come inside to her.'

"Missis Jackalse she frown at Ainkye.  `You hear dat now,' ses she, `an'
you better be quiet now 'less you want to have you' daddy come in to
you.'  An' Ainkye she say, `Well, will you le' me play wid your tail
den?'  An' her mammy she say, `All right,' an' dey 'gun a-laughin' an'
a-goin' on in whispers.  But Ou' Jackalse he yust sit an' keep on bakin'
hisse'f in de sun by de wall.

"By'n'by here comes Ou' Wolf back agen, an' a big fat Eland on his back,
an' de sweat yust a-drippin' off him.  An' when he comes past de house
he look up an' dere he see Ou' Jackalse yust a-settin' an' a-bakin', an'
a-makin' slow marks in de dust wid his toes now an' agen, an' lookin'
might comfy.  An' Ou' Wolf he feel darie big fat Eland more bigger an
heavier dan ever on his back, an he feel dat savage at Ou' Jackalse dat
he had to look toder way, for fear he'd let out all his bad words
_Kerblob_ in one big splosh on darie Ou' Jackalse head.  But Ou'
Jackalse he say nawt'in'; he yust sit an' bake.  But he tink inside
hisse'f, an' his eye kind o' 'gun to shine behind in his head as he
watch darie meat go past an' go on, an' he feel his mouf run all water.

"But he ha'n't watched dat breakfas' out o' sight, an' he ha'n't quite
settle hisse'f yust how he's goin' to get his share, when up hops Klein
Hahsie--what you call Little Hare.

"`Mawnin', Klein Hahsie,' ses Ou' Jackalse, but yust so high an'
mighty's he know how, 'cause little Hahsie he's de runner for Big Baas
King Lion, an Ou' Jackalse he tink he'll show him dat oder folks ain't
no chicken feed, too.

"`Mawnin', Ou' Jackalse,' ses Little Hahsie, kind o' considerin' him
slow out of his big shiny eyes.  Den he make a grab at one of his own
long years as if it tickle him, an' when he turn his face to look at de
tip o' darie year he sorto' wunk at it, kind o' slow and solemn.  `Darie
ou' year o' mine!' ses he to Ou' Jackalse.

"Den he sort o' remember what he come for, an' he speak out mighty
quick.  `You yust better get a wiggle on you mighty sudden,' ses he.
`Ou' King Lion he's a roarin' for darie Ou' Jackalse fit to tear up de
bushes.  "Where's darie Ou' Jackalse?  If he don't get here mighty quick
he'll know all about it," roars he.  "What's de use o' me makin' him my
doctor if he ain't here when he's wanted?  Dis claw I neah tore out
killin' a Koodoo yeste'day--he'd better be yust lively now a-gittin'
here to doctor dat.  Fetch him!" roars he, an' here I am, an' I tell you
you yust better git a move on you,' ses Hahsie.

"Ou' Jackalse he tink, but he don't let on nawthin' but what he's yust
so sick as to split.  `I's dat bad I cahnt har'ly crawl,' ses he--`but
you go 'long an' tell King Lion I's a-comin' as soon's ever I get some
medicine mix'.'

"`Well, I tol' you--you better be quicker'n blue lightnin' all de same,'
ses Hahsie, an' off he flicks, as if he's sort o' considerin' what's de
matter wid Ou' Jackalse.

"Well, Ou' Jackalse he tink,