Part 5

"'Kick, kick, kick, and stick fast,' said the little voice.

"So Jakhals kicked and kicked, and his hind feet stuck fast.

"There was a funny sound under the water, like water bubbling through a reed. It was the Water Tortoise laughing.

"'Nier-r-r! nier-r-r!' said Jakhals, getting very cross; 'I've still got a tail, and I'll beat you with it.'

"'Beat, beat, beat, and stick fast,' said the little voice.

"So Jakhals beat and beat, and his tail stuck fast.

"'Nier-r-r!' he said again, very angry; 'I've still got a mouth, and I'll bite you with it.'

"'Bite, bite, bite, and stick fast,' said the little voice.

"Jakhals opened his mouth, and bit and bit, and his mouth stuck fast. There he was, all in a bundle, sticking altogether fast to the black stone, and the more he tried to get free, the more he stuck fast.

"'Peep, peep!' said the Water Tortoise, poking up his head and laughing. Then he marched to the top of the dam-wall where everyone could see the strange sight, and there he sat, all quiet and good, till the other animals came.

"'Arré! they were glad when they saw Jakhals sticking to the Water Tortoise. They held a Council and ordered him to be killed, and Broer Hyena--old Brown Sister's husband--was to be the killer.

"They loosened Jakhal's mouth from the sticky stuff, so that he could talk for the last time. He was very sorry for himself. His voice was thick with sorriness, and he could hardly get the words out.

"'Thank you, Oom,' he said. 'I know I'm a wicked creature. It's better for me to die than to live and trouble everyone so much.'

"Oom Leeuw and the other animals were wondering what kind of death the Water-stealer should die.

"'Chop my head off,' said Jakhals; 'throw me in the fountain, but please, ach! please don't shave my tail and hit me on the big stone.'

"Oom Leeuw and the others were still putting their heads together.

"'Beat me with kieries, drown me in the dam,' said Jakhals, 'but don't, ach! please don't smear my tail with fat and hit me on the big stone.'

"Oom Leeuw and the others made as if they were taking no notice of him.

"'Chop me in little pieces, beat me with thorn branches,' said Jakhals, 'but please, ach! please don't take me by the tail and hit me on the big stone.'

"At last Oom Leeuw turned round.

"'Just as you say, it shall be done. Shave his tail,' he said to the others, 'smear it with fat, and hit his head on the big stone. Let it be done.'

"So it was done, and Jakhals stood very still and sad while his tail was being shaved and smeared. But when Hyena swung him round--one, two, three, pht!--away he slipped and ran over the veld as fast as he could. All the others ran after him, but they were only running to catch and he was running to live, so he went like the wind, and soon they were left far behind.

"He never stopped till he came to a mountain where a krantz hung over and made a kind of cave, and in he crept. The first to come after him was Oom Leeuw, who had run faster than the others. Jakhals watched Oom crawling in, and when Oom's head touched the top of the cave, he ran out, calling:

"'Oom, Oom, the krantz is falling. If you don't hold it up, you'll be crushed to death. I'll run and get a pole to prop it up, but Oom must please wait till I come back.'

"He left Oom plastering his head against the krantz to hold it up, while--pht!--he shot away, and never stopped till he got safe home, where he rolled bolmakissie over and over, laughing to think how he had cheated all the animals again."

XII.

THE FLYING LION.

"Once upon a time," remarked Outa, thoughtfully, "Oom Leeuw used to fly."

"O-o-o-oh!" said the children all together, and their eyes widened with terror at the picture called up by Outa's words.

"Yes, my baasjes, and then nothing could live before him. His wings were not covered with feathers: they were like the wings of Brother Bat, all skin and ribs; but they were very big, and very thick, and very strong, and when he wasn't flying they were folded flat against his sides. When he was angry he let the points down to the ground--tr-r-r-r--like Oubaas Turkey when he gobble-gobble-gobbles and struts before his wives--tr-r-r-r, and when he wanted to rise from the ground he spread them out and flapped them up and down slowly at first--so, my baasjes; then faster and faster--so, so, so--till he made a big wind with them and sailed away into the air."

Outa, flapping his crooked arms and puffing out his disproportionate chest, seemed about to follow suit, but suddenly subsided again on to his stool.

"Ach, but it was a terrible sight! Then, when he was high above the earth, he would look down for something to kill. If he saw a herd of springbokke he would fly along till he was just over them, and pick out a nice fat one; then he would stretch out his iron claws, fold his wings and--woops!--down he would fall on the poor bokkie before it had time to jump away. Yes, that was the way Oom Leeuw hunted in the olden times.

"There was only one thing he was afraid of, and that was that the bones of the animals he caught and ate would be broken to pieces. No one knew why, and everyone was too frightened of Oom Leeuw to try and find out. He used to keep them all at his home in the krantzes, and he had crows to look after them, two at a time--not like the ugly black crows that build in the willow-trees near the dam, but White Crows, the kind that come only once in many years. As soon as a white crow baby was found it was taken to Oom Leeuw--that was his order; then he kept it in the krantzes of the mountains and let it grow big; and when the old White Crows died the next eldest became watchmen, and so there were always White Crows to watch the bones when Oom Leeuw went hunting.

"But one day while he was away Brother Big Bullfrog came along, hop-hop-hoppity-hop, hop-hop-hoppity-hop, and said: 'Why do you sit here all day, you Whitehead Crows?'

"And the White Crows said: 'We sit here to look after the bones for Oom Leeuw.'

"'Ach, but you must be tired of sitting!' said Brother Big Bullfrog, 'You fly away a little and stretch your wings. I will sit here and look after the bones.'

"The White Crows looked this way and that way, up and down and all round, but no! they couldn't see Oom Leeuw, and they thought: 'Now is our chance to get away for a fly.'

"So they said 'Cr-r-raw, cr-r-raw!' and stretched out their wings and flew away.

"Brother Big Bullfrog called out after them: 'Don't hurry back. Stay as long as you like. I will take care of the bones.'

"But as soon as they were gone he said: 'Now I shall find out why Oom Leeuw keeps the bones from being broken. Now I shall see why men and animals can live no longer.' And he went from one end to the other of Oom Leeuw's house at the bottom of the krantz, breaking all the bones he could find.

"Ach, but he worked quickly! Crack! crack, crack, crack! Wherever he went he broke bones. Then when he had finished he hopped away, hop-hop-hoppity-hop, hop-hop-hoppity-hop, as fast as he could. When he had nearly reached his dam in the veld, the White Crows overtook him. They had been to the krantz and, foei! they were frightened when they saw all the broken bones.

"'Craw, craw!' they said, 'Brother Big Bullfrog, why are you so wicked? Oom Leeuw will be so angry. He will bite off our nice white heads--craw, craw!--and without a head, who can live?'

"But Brother Big Bullfrog pretended he didn't hear. He just hopped on as fast as he could, and the White Crows went after him.

"'It's no good hopping away, Brother Bullfrog,' they said. 'Oom Leeuw will find you wherever you are, and with one blow of his iron claws he will kill you.'

"But old Brother Big Bullfrog didn't take any notice. He just hopped on, and when he came to his dam he sat back at the edge of the water and blinked the beautiful eyes in his ugly old head, and said: 'When Oom Leeuw comes tell him I am the man who broke the bones. Tell him I live in this dam, and if he wants to see me he must come here.'

"The White Crows were very cross. They flew down quickly to peck Brother Big Bullfrog, but they only dug their beaks into the soft mud, because Brother Big Bullfrog wasn't sitting there any longer. Kabloops! he had dived into the dam, and the White Crows could only see the rings round the place where he had made a hole in the water.

"Oom Leeuw was far away in the veld, waiting for food, waiting for food. At last he saw a herd of zebras--the little striped horses that he is very fond of--and he tried to fly up so that he could fall on one of them, but he couldn't. He tried again, but no, he couldn't. He spread out his wings and flapped them, but they were quite weak, like baasjes' umbrella when the ribs are broken.

"Then Oom Leeuw knew there must be something wrong at his house, and he was toch too angry. He struck his iron claws into the ground and roared and roared. Softly he began, like thunder far away rolling through the kloofs, then louder and louder, till--hoor-rr-rr-rr, hoor-rr-rr-rr--the earth beneath him seemed to shake. It was a terrible noise.

"But all his roaring did not help him, he couldn't fly, and at last he had to get up and walk home. He found the poor White Crows nearly dead with fright, but they soon found out that he could no longer fly, so they were not afraid of him.

"'Hoor-rr-rr-rr, hoor-rr-rr-rr!' he roared. 'What have you done to make my wings so weak?'

"And they said: 'While Oom was away someone came and broke all the bones.'

"And Oom Leeuw said: 'You were put here to watch them. It is your fault that they are broken, and to punish you I am going to bite your stupid white heads off. Hoor-rr-rr-rr!'

"He sprang towards them, but now that they knew he couldn't fly they were not afraid of him. They flew away and sailed round in the air over his head, just too high for him to reach, and they called out: 'Ha! ha! ha! Oom cannot catch us! The bones are broken, and his wings are useless. Now men and animals can live again. We will fly away and tell them the good news.'

"Oom Leeuw sprang into the air, first to one side and then to the other, striking at them, but he couldn't reach them, and when he found all his efforts were in vain, he rolled on the ground and roared louder than ever.

"The White Crows flew round him in rings, and called out: 'Ha! ha! ha! he can no longer fly! He only rolls and roars! The man who broke the bones said: "If Oom Leeuw wants me he can come and look for me at the dam." Craw, craw,' and away they flew.

"Then Oom Leeuw thought: 'Wait, I'll get hold of the one who broke the bones. I'll get him.' So he went to the dam, and there was old Brother Bullfrog sitting in the sun at the water's edge. Oom Leeuw crept up slowly, quietly, like a skelm, behind Brother Bullfrog.

"'Ha! now I've got him,' he thought, and made a spring, but Brother Bullfrog said, 'Ho!' and dived in--kabloops!--and came up at the other side of the dam, and sat there blinking in the sun.

"Oom Leeuw ran round as hard as he could, and was just going to spring, when--kabloops!--Brother Bullfrog dived in again and came up at the other side of the dam.

"And so it went on. Each time, just when Oom Leeuw had nearly caught him, Brother Bullfrog dived in--kabloops!--and called out 'Ho!' from the other side of the dam.

"Then at last Oom Leeuw saw it was no use trying to catch Brother Bullfrog, so he went home to see if he could mend the broken bones. But he could not, and from that day he could no longer fly, only walk upon his iron claws. Also, from that day he learned to creep quietly like a skelm after his game, and though he still catches them and eats them, he is not as dangerous as he was when he could fly.

"And the White Crows can no longer speak. They can only say, 'Craw, craw.'

"But old Brother Big Bullfrog still goes hop-hop-hoppity-hop round about the dam, and whenever he sees Oom Leeuw he just says 'Ho!' and dives into the water--kabloops!--as fast as he can, and sits there laughing when he hears Oom Leeuw roar with anger."

XIII.

WHY THE HERON HAS A CROOKED NECK.

The flames leapt gaily upward in the wide fireplace, throwing strange shadows on the painted walls and gleaming on the polished wood of floor and beam and cupboard. Little Jan basked contentedly in the warmth, almost dozing--now absently stroking the terrier curled up beside him, now running his fingers through the softer fur of the rug on which he lay. It was made of silver-jackal skins--a dozen of them, to judge from the six bushy tails spread out on either side; and as Outa Karel's gaze rested on them, he remarked reminiscently--

"Arré! but Oom Jakhals was a slim kerel! No one ever got the better of him without paying for it."

In an instant little Jan was sitting bolt upright, every symptom of sleep banished from his face; the book from which Willem had been laboriously trying to gain some idea of the physical features of Russia was flung to the far end of the rustbank; while Pietie, suspending for a brief moment his whittling of a catapult stick, slid along the floor to get within better sight and sound of the story-teller.

"Yes, my little masters, sometimes it was Oom Leeuw he cheated, sometimes it was Oubaas Babiaan or Oom Wolf, and once it was the poor little Dove, and that is what made me think of how he was cheated himself."

"Did the little Dove cheat him?" asked Pietie eagerly.

"No, baasje, the Dove is too frightened--not stupid, baasje, but like people are when they are too gentle and kind and believe everything other people tell them. She was sitting on her nest one day singing to her little children, 'Coo-oo, coo-oo coo-oo,' when Oom Jakhals prowled along under the tree and heard her.

"'Alla wereld! Now I'll have a nice breakfast,' he thought, and he called out, 'Good morning, Tante. I hear you have such pretty little children. Please bring them down for me to see.'

"But the Tante was frightened of Jakhals, and said, 'I'm sorry, Oom, they are not well to-day, and I must keep them at home.'

"Then Jakhals lost his temper, and called out, 'Nonsense, I'm hungry and want something to eat, so throw down one of your little children at once.'

"Baasjes know, sometimes crossness drives away frightenness; and Tante was so cross with Oom Jakhals for wanting to eat one of her little children that she called out, 'No, no, you bad Jakhals, I shall do nothing of the sort. Go away and look for other food.'

"'If you don't, I'll fly up and eat them all,' said Jakhals. 'Throw one down at once.' And he stamped about and made such a horrible noise that the poor Tante thought he was really flying up. She looked at her babies: there wasn't one she wanted to give, but it was better to lose one than have them all eaten; so she shut her eyes and fluttered about the nest till one of them fell out, and Jakhals caught it in his mouth and carried it off to his hole to eat.

"Ach! but the poor Tante was sad! She spread her wings over her other children and never slept all night, but looked about this way and that way with her soft eyes, thinking every little noise she heard was Oom Jakhals trying to fly up to her nest to gobble up all her babies.

"The next morning there was Oom Jakhals again. 'Tante, your child was a nice, juicy mouthful. Throw me down another. And make haste, do you hear? or I'll fly up and eat you all.'

"'Coo-oo, coo-oo, coo-oo,' said Tante, crying, 'no, I won't give you one.' But it was no use, and in the end she did what she had done before--just shut her eyes and fluttered round and round till a baby fell out of the nest. She thought there was no help for it, and, like some people are, she thought what the eye didn't see the heart wouldn't feel; but her heart was very sore, and she cried more sadly than ever, and this time she said, 'Oo-oo, oo-oo, oo-oo!' It was very sad and sorrowful to listen to 'Oo-oo, oo-oo, oo-oo!'

"Here came old Oom Reijer. He is a kind old bird, though he holds his neck so crooked and looks like there was nothing to smile at in the whole wide world.

"'Ach! why do you cry so sadly, Tante? It nearly gives me a stitch in my side.'

"'Oo-oo! I'm very miserable. Oom Jakhals has eaten two of my little children, and to-morrow he will come for another, and soon I shall have none left.'

"'But why did you let him eat them?'

"'Because he said if I didn't give him one he would fly up and eat them all. Oo-oo-oo!'

"Then Oom Reijer was very angry. He flapped his wings, and stretched out his long neck--so, my baasjes, just so" (the children hugged themselves in silent delight at Outa's fine acting)--"and he opened and shut his long beak to show how he would like to peck out Oom Jakhals's wicked eyes if he could only catch him.

"'That vervlakste Jakhals!' he said. 'To tell such lies! But, Tante, you are stupid. Don't you know Oom Jakhals can't fly? Now listen to me. When he comes again, tell him you know he can't fly, and that you won't give him any more of your children.'

"The next day there came Oom Jakhals again with his old story, but Tante just laughed at him.

"'Ach, no! you story-telling Bushytail!' she said, 'I won't give you any more of my little children, and you needn't say you'll fly up and eat them, because I know you can't.'

"'Nier-r-r, nier-r-r!' said Oom Jakhals, growling, 'how do you know that?'

"'Oom Reijer told me, so there!' said Tante. 'And you can just go to your mother!'

"My! but Tante was getting brave now that she knew she and her little children were safe. That was the worst insult you can ever give a grown-up jakhals, and Oom Jakhals growled more than ever.

"'Never mind,' he said at last, 'Tante is only a vrouwmens; I won't bother with her any more. But wait till I catch Oom Reijer. He'll be sorry he poked his long nose into my business, the old meddler,' and he trotted off to look for him.

"He hunted and hunted, and at last he found him standing on one leg at the side of the river, with his long neck drawn in and his head resting on his shoulders.

"'Good day, Oom Reijer,' he said politely. 'How is Oom to-day?'

"'I'm all right,' answered Oom Reijer shortly, without moving an inch.

"Jakhals spoke in a little small voice--ach! toch so humble. 'Oom, please come this way a little: I'm so stupid, but you are so wise and clever, and I want to ask your advice about something.'

"Oom Reijer began to listen. It is maar so when people hear about themselves. He put down his other leg, stretched out his neck, and asked over his shoulder, 'What did you say, eh?'

"'Come toch this way a little; the mud over there is too soft for me to stand on. I want your valuable advice about the wind. The other people all say I must ask you, because no one is as wise as you.'

"Truly Jakhals was a slim kerel! He knew how to stroke Oom Reijer's feathers the right way.

"Oom Reijer came slowly over the mud--a person mustn't show he is too pleased: he even stopped to swallow a little frog on the way, and then he said, carelesslike, 'Yes, I can tell you all about the wind and weather. Ask what you like, Jakhals.' His long neck twisted about with pride.

"Oom, when the wind is from the west, how must one hold one's head?'

"'Is that all?' said Oom Reijer. 'Just so.' And he turned his head to the east.

"'Thank you, Oom. And when the wind is from the east?'

"'So.' Oom Reijer bent his neck the other way.

"'Thank you, Oom,' said the little small voice, so grateful and humble. 'But when there is a storm and the rain beats down, how then?'

"'So!' said Oom Reijer, and he bent his neck down till his head nearly touched his toes.

"My little masters, just as quickly as a whip-snake shoots into his hole, so Jakhals shot out his arm and caught Oom Reijer on the bend of his neck--crack!--and in a minute the poor old bird was rolling in the mud with his neck nearly broken, and so weak that he couldn't even lift his beak to peck at the false wicked eyes that were staring at him.

"O! how glad was cruel Jakhals! He laughed till he couldn't any more. He screamed and danced with pleasure. He waved his bushy tail, and the silver mane on his back bristled as he jumped about.

"'Ha! ha! ha! Oom thought to do me a bad turn, but I'll teach people not to interfere with me. Ha! ha! ha! No one is as wise as Oom Reijer, eh? Then he will soon find out how to mend his broken neck. Ha! ha! ha!'

"Jakhals gave one last spring right over poor Oom Reijer, and danced off to his den in the kopjes to tell Tante Jakhals and the little Jakhalsjes how he had cheated Oom Reijer.

"And from that day, baasjes, Oom Reijer's neck is crooked: he can't hold it straight; and it's all through trying to interfere with Jakhals. That is why I said Jakhals is a slim kerel. Whether he walks on four legs or on two, the best is maar to leave him alone because he can always make a plan, and no one ever gets the better of him without paying for it in the end."

XIV.

THE LITTLE RED TORTOISE.

"No Jakhals story to-night, please, Outa," said little Jan, as they gathered round the fire. "We all think Jakhals was a cruel horrid creature, eating the poor little Doves and cracking the good Heron's neck."

"Yes," chimed in Pietie, "he was always playing wicked tricks, so no more Jakhals for us. What will you tell us to-night, Outa?"

"Something really nice," suggested Willem, "and not unkind."

Outa's beady black eyes twinkled from one to another of his little masters, while an affectionate smile spread over his yellow face, accentuating the wrinkles which criss-crossed it in every direction.

"Ach! the soft young hearts! Outa's heart was like that once, too, but"--he shook his head--"if the heart doesn't get a little taai like a biltong, it is of no use to a person in this old hard world." He deposited his shapeless hat on the floor, tapped his red kopdoek with a clawlike forefinger, and waited for an inspiration. It came from an unexpected quarter, for suddenly there was a commotion at the end of his old coat, the tails of which hung down nearly to the floor, and, diving into his pocket, the old man triumphantly produced a squirming tortoise.

"See what Outa caught for the baasjes near the Klip Kop this afternoon--a nice little berg schilpad. [9] Now Baas Willem can put it in his kraal with the others and let it lay eggs. It is still young, but it will grow--yes, so big." A cart-wheel might have been comfortably contained in the circle described by Outa's arms.

It was a knobbly, darkly-marked tortoise, quite unlike those the little boys generally found in the veld near the house, and they took possession of it with delight and suggestions as to a name. After discussion, honours were equally in favour of "Piet Retief" and "Mrs. Van Riebeeck," and it was decided that the casting vote should be left to Cousin Minnie, the children's governess.

For a long time they had kept tortoises of all sorts and sizes in their schilpad-kraal, and so tame and intelligent had some of these creatures grown that they would come when called, and big old "Woltemade" roamed about at will, often disappearing for a time, and returning to his companions after a few days in the veld.

Outa turned the new acquisition on its back on the jackalskin rug, where it lay wriggling and going through the strangest contortions. "Ach! the wise little man. Is it there its mother sprinkled it with buchu, [10] there, just under its arm?" He touched the skinny under-side of one of its forelegs. "Here, Baas Willem, put it in the soap-boxie till to-morrow. Ach! if only it had been a red tortoise, how glad Outa would have been!"

"A red tortoise!" echoed Pietie and little Jan, while Willem hurried back from the passage to hear all about it.