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South African Folk-Lore Tales · South African Folk-Lore Tales

• 0:00
  South African folklore tales by Sanni Mettler, camp glossary, avaskin skin slung across
• 0:10
  the back to carry babies in avaskin Askokies, cakes baked in the ash askokis,
• 0:23
  bas Master bas Basi, little master, Bassi, Babian, baboon,
• 0:36
  Babian, berskulpad, mountain, tortoise, berscilpad, Bilton, strips of sun
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  dried meat, Bilton, bolmakissie head over heels bolmakissie, bossies, bushes,
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  brewer brother breh boohoo an aromatic felt herb boohoo, Carbonacci, grilled chop,
• 1:15
  Carbonacci, dassy rock rabbit, dassy aintchee an edible felt root, aintchi,
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  hassantite your health, hassantite, harsy, little hare, hassy hummel a weather
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  harmel, jacalstry, tricky turns, jacalstry, caross a skin rug, caros,
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  kiri a thick stick, kiri, climing, little king, klein,
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  conning, kneer, halterred, hobbled, knear, haltred, kopduc turban kopduc
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  copy hill copy, grantz a precipice, krantz, kraal an enclosure, kraal
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  lamar funger an ego, lamar funger, Lieu a lion, liu manhah a
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  main manhar mens averretta a cannibal, menceeverretta nief nephew, nief noi lady or
• 2:59
  miss stress, nui noni young lady or miss nonni um uncle um Ota,
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  old man or prefix to the name of old natives. Ota, pronk to
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  show off, pronk rye her a heron ry, her reem a leather thong
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  reem, rustband a couch rustband. Sassabi or sesbie a South African antelope sassabi
• 3:46
  or sesbe. Scalm a rogue or sly scalem, skilpad a tortoise, skilpad,
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  shamboc a whip of rhino or hippo hide shamboc, scral windi a fine,
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  cutting, wind scrawl, windy scric to be startled, also fright scric,
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  shlim, cunningly, clever shlim. Smootherer a peddler smootherer, soupy a
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  tot suipy thaie, tough, thaie, tanta aunt, tanta, tarrental a
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  guinea fowl tarrental, tover o, tovarai witchcraft, tover or tovarai fabond,
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  a vagabond farbond, flachter a plane flachta forstead jumping aside suddenly and violently forstead
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  folk, colored, farm laborers, folk falstrace, an ostrich falstrace, fro
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  wife fro Fromen's woman fromens zand craper a sand crawler zandcraper. End of the
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  glossary, the place and the people. It was winter in the great Carew.
• 5:58
  The evening air was so crisp and cutting that one seemed to hear the
• 6:02
  quick crack of the frost as it formed on the scant vegetation. A scralvidie
• 6:10
  blew from the distant mountains, springing with it a mingled odor of karou bush,
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  sheep growls, and smoke from the kaffa huts, none perhaps desirable in
• 6:21
  itself, but all so blent and purified in that rare, clear atmosphere,
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  and so subservient to the exhilarating freshness that pity. Vandermrvha took several sniffs of
• 6:35
  pleasure as he peered into the pale moonlight over the lower half of the divided
• 6:42
  door. Then with a little involuntary shiver, he closed the upper portion and
• 6:48
  turned to the ruddy warmth of the purring fire, which villain was feeding with
• 6:54
  melicobs from the basket. Beside him, Little Jan sat in the corner of
• 6:59
  the wire old fashioned roosbunk, his large gray eyes gazing wistfully into the red
• 7:04
  heart of the fire, while his hand absently stroked Torry, the fox terrier,
• 7:12
  curled up beside him. Mother, in her large madeira chair at the
• 7:17
  side table, yawned a little over her book for winter or summer. The
• 7:24
  mistress of a carew farm leads a busy life, and the end of the
• 7:29
  day finds her ready for a well earned rest. Pity held his hands towards
• 7:35
  the blaze, turning his head now and again towards the door at the far
• 7:40
  end of the room. Presently this opened, and Father appeared comfortably and leisurely,
• 7:46
  as if such things as shearing, dipping, and plowing were no part
• 7:51
  of his day's work. Only the healthy tan, the broad shoulders, the
• 7:58
  whole well developed physic, proclaimed his strenuous, open air life. His eye
• 8:03
  rested with pleasure on the scene before him, the bright fire throwing gleam and
• 8:09
  shadow on painted wall and polished woodwork, and giving a general air of coziness
• 8:16
  to everything, the table spread for the evening meal, the group at the
• 8:22
  fireside, and his dear helpmate, who was responsible for the comfort and happiness
• 8:28
  of his well appointed home. He was followed in a moment by cousin Minnie,
• 8:33
  the bright faced young governess. Their coming caused a stir among the children.
• 8:39
  Little Yan slowly withdrew his gaze from the fire, and, with more
• 8:45
  energy than might have been expected from his dreamy look, pushed and prodded the
• 8:48
  sleeping terrier along the roost bunk, so as to make room for cousin Minnie.
• 8:56
  Pity sprang to his father's side. Now, may I go and call
• 9:01
  otar Carroll, he asked eagerly, and at an acquiescent yes, my boy,
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  away he sped. It was a strange figure that came at his bidding,
• 9:13
  shuffling, stooping, halting, and finally emerging into the firelight. A
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  stranger might have been forgiven for fleeing in terror, for the new arrival looked
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  like nothing so much as an ancient and muscular gorilla in man's clothes and walking
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  uncertainly on its hind legs. He was not quite four feet in height,
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  with shoulders and hips disproportionately broad and long arms, the hands of which reached
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  midway between knee and ankle. His lower limbs were clothed in nondescript garments fashioned
• 9:50
  from wild cat and dussy skins. A faded brown coat, which from its
• 9:56
  size had evidently once belonged to his master, hung nearly to his knees,
• 10:01
  while when he removed his shapeless felt hat, a red kopduk was seen to
• 10:07
  be wound tightly round his head. No one had ever seen Notta Carrol without
• 10:13
  his kopduk, but it was reported that the head it covered was as smooth
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  and devoid of hair as an ostrich egg. His yellow brown face was a
• 10:24
  network of wrinkles across which his flat nose sprawled broadly between high cheek bones.
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  His eyes, sunk far back into his head, glittered dark and beady,
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  like the little, wicked eyes of a snake peeping from the shadow of a
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  hole in the rocks. His wide mouth twisted itself into an engaging grin which
• 10:48
  extended from ear to ear. As winking and blinking his bright little eyes,
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  he twirled his old hat in his claw like hands and tried to make obeisance
• 11:01
  to his master and mistress. The attempt was unsuccessful on account of the stiffness
• 11:07
  of his joints, but it never failed to amuse those who times without number
• 11:13
  had seen it. Repeated to those who witnessed it for the first time,
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  it was something to be remembered. The grotesque, disproportionate form, the apelike
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  face that yet was so curiously human, the humor and kindness that gleamed from
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  the cavernous eyes which seemed designed to express only malevolence and cunning, the long
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  waving arms and crooked fingers, the yellow skin for all the world like a
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  crumpled sheet of India rubber pulled in a dozen different directions. That he was
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  a consummate actor, and not to put too fine a point of it,
• 11:54
  an old humbug of the first water goes without saying, for these characteristics are
• 12:01
  inherent in the native nature. But in spite of this, and the uncanniness
• 12:07
  of his appearance, there was something about Otta Carroll that drew one to him
• 12:13
  of his real devotion to his master and the beautiful family funder Mirva, there
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  could be no question. While above everything was the feeling that here was one
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  of an outcast race, one of the few of the original inhabitants who had
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  survived a submerging tide of civilization, who knowing no law but that of possession,
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  had been scared and chased from their happy hunting grounds, first by the
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  Hottentots, and then by the powerful Bantu, and later by the still more
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  terrifying pale faced tribes from over the seas. Though the origin of the bushmen
• 12:56
  is lost in the mists of antiquity, the Hottentot conquest of him is a
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  matter of history, and it is well known that the victors were in the
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  habit while killing off the men, to take unto themselves wives from among the
• 13:11
  women of the vanquished race. Hence the fact that a perfect specimen of a
• 13:16
  bushman is rara Avis. Even in the localities where the last remnants are known
• 13:22
  to linger otar Carol could hardly be called a perfect specimen of the original race,
• 13:31
  for though he always spoke of himself as holy bushmen, there was a
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  strong strain of the Hottentot about him, chiefly noticeable in his build He spoke
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  in Dutch, in the curiously expressive voice belonging to these people. Just now,
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  honey, sweet with the deference he felt for his superiors. Achtoch night,
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  pass, knight, noi, knight NONI, and my little bassis,
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  excuse that this old bushman does not bend to greet you, though with is
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  there, but his knees are too stiff. Thank you, Thank you,
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  my bussy as Pity dragged a low stool covered with spring bok skin from under
• 14:16
  the desk in the recess and pushed it towards him. He settled himself on
• 14:20
  it slowly and carefully, with much creaking of joints and many strange native ejaculations.
• 14:30
  The little group had arranged itself. Anew cousin, Minnie, was in
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  the cozy corner of the roost bunk near the wall, Little Jan next her,
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  with his head against her and Torrey's head on his lap, this attention
• 14:43
  making up for his late seeming unkindness in pushing him away. Papa, with
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  his magazine, was at the other end of the roost bunk, where he
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  could, if he chose, speak to Mamma in a low voice, or
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  peeple over to see how her book was getting on. Billiam had pushed the
• 15:03
  basket away so as to settle himself more comfortably against cousin Minnie's knee as he
• 15:09
  sat on the floor, and Pity was on a small chair just in front
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  of the fire. The center of attention was the quaint old native, who,
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  having relegated his duties to his children and grandchildren, lived as a privileged
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  pensioner in the Vandermerva family he had served so faithfully for three generations. The
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  firelight played over his quaint figure with the weirdest effect, lighting up now one
• 15:39
  portion of it, now another, showing up his astonishingly small hands and crooked
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  fingers as he pointed and gesticulated incessantly. For these people speak as much by
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  gesture as by sound, and throwing exaggerated shadows on the wall. This was
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  the hour beloved by the children, when the short wintry day had ended,
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  and in the interval between the coming of darkness and the evening meal, their
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  dear Otar Carroll was allowed in to tell them stories and weird and wonderful stories.
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  They were tales of spooks and giants, of good and bad spirits,
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  of animals that talked, of birds, beasts and insects that exercised marvelous influence
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  over the destinies of unsuspecting mankind. But most thrilling of all, perhaps were
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  Ottar Carroll's personal experiences adventures by felt and cants with lion, tiger, jackal,
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  and crocodile, such as no longer fall to the lot of mortal man.
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  The children would listen, wide eyed and breathless, and even their elders,
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  sparing a moment's attention from book or writing, would feel a tremor of
• 17:00
  excitement, unable to determine where reality ended and fiction began, so inextricably were
• 17:08
  they intermingled, as this old Iago of the desert wove his romancers. Now
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  otta tell us a nice story, the nicest you know, said little jan
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  nestling closer to cousin Minnie and issuing his command as the autocrat of the one
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  thousand and one Knights might have done. Ah, but Kline Bass, This
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  stupid old black one knows no new stories, only the old ones of Jacals
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  and you. And how can he tell even those? When his throat is
• 17:44
  dry, ach so dry with the dust from the kraals. He forced a
• 17:51
  gurgling cough, and his small eyes glittered expectantly. Then suddenly he started with
• 17:57
  well feigned surprise, and beamed on pity who stood beside him with the soupee
• 18:03
  in the glass kept for his especial use. This was a nightly performance.
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  The dubrication was never forgotten, but it was often purposely delayed in order to
• 18:15
  see what pretext Otar would use to call attention to the fact of it not
• 18:21
  having been offered. Sore throat, headache, stomach ache, cold heat,
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  rheumatism, old age, a birthday invented for the occasion, the killing of
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  a snake, or the breaking in of a young horse. Anything served as
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  an excuse for what was a time honored custom. Thank you, thank you,
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  mind klinknig chosantite to bas Noi Noni and the beautiful family Vandermerva. He
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  lifted the glass, gulped down the contents, and smacked his lips approvingly.
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  Ach, if a bushman only had a neck like an ostrich, how good
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  with the soupy taste all the way down. Now I am strong again.
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  Now I am ready to tell the story of yak As and uum Lieu.
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  About um Lieu carrying Jakols on his back, asked Philim, No Bassi,
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  this is quite a different one and with many strange gesticulations. Imitating every action
• 19:30
  and changing his voice to suit the various characters. The old man began and
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  of the place and the people, how yakuls fed uem Lieu. One day
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  in the early morning, before any people were awake, Jakus was prowling round
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  and prowling round, looking for something to eat. Jacarls is not fond of
• 20:02
  hunting for himself. Oh no, he likes to wait till the hunt is
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  over, so that he can share in the feast without having had any of
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  the work. He had just dragged himself quietly to the top of a copy
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  so my basis so, with his stomach close to the ground and his ears
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  moving backwards and forwards. O Ta's little hands on either side of the kokduk
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  suited the action to the word to hear the least sound. Then he looked
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  here, he looked there, He looked all round, And yes, truly,
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  whom do you think he saw in the cliff below? No other than
• 20:45
  um Lieu himself, clawing a nice big hummel. He had just killed a
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  boer rammel passis with a beautiful fat tail. Oh yes, um Lieu had
• 20:57
  picked out a good one houray, thought Jackos, this is luck and he
• 21:03
  sat still for a minute, wondering how he could get some of the nice
• 21:07
  meat for himself. He soon made a plan. A white thing fluttered in
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  a little bush near him. It was a piece of paper. He picked
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  it up and folded it so and so and so. The crooked fingers were
• 21:25
  very busy till it looked like a letter. Then he ran down the copy
• 21:30
  in a great hurry and called out, good morning, orm morning, Neuv,
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  I see Uim has killed a boor hammel, Yes, Neuv, a
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  big fat one. Well, here is a letter from Tanta, said Jackos,
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  giving the piece of paper to Lieu. As I was passing, She
• 21:51
  asked me to give it to Urim. Liu took it and turned it this
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  way and that way. He held it far from him. He held it
• 22:00
  close to his eyes, but he couldn't make it out at all. See
• 22:04
  bussies. Liu was one of the old fashioned sort. He grew up before
• 22:10
  there were so many schools and good teachers. Here. Otar's bright eyes winked
• 22:15
  and blinked flatteringly on cousin Minnie and her pupils. He was not clever.
• 22:22
  He could not read, but he didn't want any one to know it,
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  so he said, Jack als Uam has forgotten his spectacles. You had better
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  read it out um um um, said Jacars, pretending to read. Tanta
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  says, or must kill a nice fat, poor hamel and send it home
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  at once by me. She and the children are hungry. Well, that's
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  all right. Here is the very thing. Tante is not very well.
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  That juce Mussa's donkey she ate the other day. Disagree with her, so
• 23:00
  we must coax her a little. I don't want to say anything, but
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  you know a fromance is a dangerous thing when she's in a temper, so
• 23:10
  you had better take this harmel to her at once, and then you can
• 23:14
  have the Offal for your trouble. Thank you, noble ouam King of the
• 23:18
  Beasts, said Jacos in a fawning voice, promising himself at the same time
• 23:25
  that he would have something more than the offul. How fortunate am I,
• 23:30
  poor humble creature, to have the king for my uncle. And off he
• 23:34
  trotted with the sheep. Liu prowled further up the Clueff, waving his tail
• 23:41
  from side to side. Had ota a tail, he would have wagged it,
• 23:48
  but as he had not, his right arm was slowly flourishing to and
• 23:52
  fro. To give point to his description, here comes a little Steenbokie on
• 23:57
  its way to a felt damn water. Ah, but it is pretty.
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  It looks here, It looks there with its large soft eyes. One little
• 24:08
  front foot is in the air. Now it is down. The other goes
• 24:12
  up down again. On it comes slowly, slowly. Otar's hands bunched up
• 24:21
  to resemble the buxed feet, illustrated each step, the children following his movements
• 24:27
  with breathless interest. Now it stops to listen. Otar was rigid as he
• 24:33
  bent forward to catch the least sound. Suddenly he started violently, and the
• 24:38
  children involuntarily did the same. Hark, what was that? What is coming?
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  Ach? Haustian Bocky scrieks and shivers. A terrible form blocks the way.
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  Great eyes, cruel eyes burning with their fire. Now he knows it
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  is Liu Liu who stands in the path. He growls and glares at Steenboki.
• 25:03
  Steenboki cannot run away. They stare at each other, so just so
• 25:10
  Ota glares at each fascinated child In turn. Steenboki cannot look away, cannot
• 25:17
  move. He is stiff with fright, His blood is cold, his eyes
• 25:22
  are staring out of his head, and then whoops. The listeners jump as
• 25:26
  Otar's long arms suddenly swoop towards them one spring, and Liu is on him.
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  Steenboki blares may, may, may, but it is no good.
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  Liu tears him and claws him tip tip tip. The red blood drips down.
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  It runs out like a stream, and Liu licks it up. There
• 25:52
  lies pretty little Steenbokie, dead dead. Otar's voice trails away faintly. The
• 26:02
  children heave big sighs. Little Young's gray eyes are full of tears. The
• 26:07
  old native's graphic description as made them feel as though they had been watching round
• 26:14
  a death bed. Yes, basses, Liu killed Stienboki there in the cliff.
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  He tore the skin off scriff and bit through the bones, crunch scrinch
• 26:26
  scotch, and ate little Steenboki for his breakfast. Then he went to the
• 26:32
  crances to sleep, for the day was coming, and the light began to
• 26:37
  hurt his eyes. When he awoke, it was evening, and he felt
• 26:41
  refreshed and rather hungry. My passes No a Steenboki is nothing for a meal
• 26:48
  for um Liu. But before hunting again he thought he would go home and
• 26:53
  see how Tanta and the children were getting on, and whether they had feasted
• 26:57
  well on the nice fas rammel. But dear Land, what did poor Oumlieu
• 27:04
  find the children crying, Tanta spluttering and scratching with rage, everything upside down,
• 27:11
  and not even the bones of trammel to be seen? O he ough
• 27:18
  ough, cried Tanta, that bad, wicked Jacos ach the low felt dog.
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  But what is the matter, asked Liu. Where is Jacos? Where
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  is he? How should I know? He has run off with the nice
• 27:33
  fat rammel? And me, yes, me, the King's wife. Has
• 27:38
  he beaten with the entrails? O he oy and boxed my ears, cried
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  one of the cubs. Wha, wha wha, and pinched my tail,
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  roared the other where where where? And left us nothing but the awful,
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  oh, the cunning, smooth tongued vagabond. And all three fell to weeping
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  and wailing, while Liu roared aloud his anger. Wait a bit, I'll
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  get him, he said, before the world wakes to morrow, He'll see
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  whose bass. He waved his tail to and fro and stuck out his strong
• 28:18
  claws. His eyes glared like fire. In a dark cloth when there is
• 28:25
  no moon, and when he brooled, it was very terrible to hear oo
• 28:30
  oo, and Ota gave vent to several deep, blood curdling roars. Very
• 28:37
  early the next morning, when only a little gray in the sky showed that
• 28:42
  the night was rolling round to the other side of the world, Liu took
• 28:47
  his strongest chambok and started off to look for Jacas. He spied him at
• 28:52
  last on the top of a carntz, sitting by a fire with his wife
• 28:56
  and children. Ah, there you are, my fine fellow, he thought,
• 29:02
  well and happy are you? But wait, I'll soon show you.
• 29:07
  He began at once to try and climb the cruntz, but it was very
• 29:11
  steep and high and so smooth that there was nothing for him to hold to.
• 29:18
  Every time he got up a little way, his claws just scratched along
• 29:22
  the hard rock, and he came sailing down again. At last, he
• 29:26
  thought, well, as I can't climb up, I'll pretend to be nice
• 29:32
  and friendly, and then perhaps you Carls will come down. I'll ask him
• 29:37
  to go hunting with me. Here Otah's beady little eyes danced mischievously bases No,
• 29:45
  the only way to get the better of a skellum is to be skelem
• 29:48
  too. When anyone cheats, you must cheat more, or you will never
• 29:52
  be bas ah. Yes, that is the only way. Cousin Minnie would
• 30:00
  not disturb the course of the tale, but she mentally prescribed and stored up
• 30:03
  for future use an antidote to this pagan and worldly wise piece of advice to
• 30:10
  her pupils. So Liu stood at the foot of the cruntz and called out,
• 30:15
  quite friendly and kind good morning, near Fjakos mourning ougham. I thought
• 30:22
  you might like to go hunting with me, but I see you are busy.
• 30:26
  At any other time, Jacos would have skipped with delight, for it
• 30:30
  was very seldom he had the honor of such an invitation. But now he
• 30:36
  was blown up with conceit at having cheated ouim and tantelieu so nicely, thank
• 30:41
  you, ouum. But I am not in want of meat just now.
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  I am busy grilling some nice fat mutton chops for breakfast. Won't you come
• 30:51
  and have some too? Certainly with pleasure, But this crunz is so steep.
• 30:56
  How can I get up? Ah, that is quite easy, wum,
• 31:02
  I'll pull you up in an eye. Wink herefro give me a nice
• 31:06
  thick rium, that old rotten one that is nearly rumped through, he said
• 31:11
  in a whisper to his wife. So missus Jackalles, who was as slim
• 31:15
  as her husband, brought the bad rum, and they set to work to
• 31:19
  pull umlo up. Oo ha oo ha, they sang as they slowly hauled
• 31:26
  away. When he was about ten feet from the ground, Jacals called out,
• 31:33
  aarrah, but worm is heavy. And he pulled the rum this way
• 31:37
  and that way along the sharp edge of the krantz otar vigorously demonstrated till it
• 31:44
  broke right through, and kabloops down fell um new to the hard ground below.
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  Oh my goodness, what a terrible fall. I hope worm is not
• 31:53
  hurt. How stupid can Afromans be to give me an old rum when are
• 32:00
  called for the best? Now here is a strong one. Ouum can try
• 32:05
  again. So Liu tried again and again and again many times over. But
• 32:13
  each time the rope broke, and each time his fall was greater because jack
• 32:17
  Als always pulled him up a little higher and a little higher. At last,
• 32:22
  he called out, it is very kind of you Jacus, But I
• 32:27
  must give it up. Ah, but that's a shame, said Jackals,
• 32:30
  pretending to be sorry. The carbonachies are done to a turn and to smell
• 32:37
  a ferralt it is fine. Shall I throw um down a piece of the
• 32:42
  meat? Yes, please, Jackals, said Liu, eagerly, licking his
• 32:46
  lips. I have a big hole inside me, and some carbonaches will fill
• 32:52
  it nicely. Ah, my bassies, what did cunning Jacals do? He
• 32:58
  carefully raked a red hot stone out o the fire and wrapped a big piece
• 33:02
  of fat around it. Then he peered over the edge of the crantz and
• 33:07
  saw Liu waiting impatiently. Now, orm he called, open your mouth wide
• 33:12
  and I'll drop this in. It's such a nice big one. I bet
• 33:16
  you won't want another. And when he said this, Jackals chuckled, while
• 33:22
  Missus, Jackos and the little ones doubled up with silent laughter at the great
• 33:25
  joke. Are you ready? Orm Er gurgled you. He had his mouth
• 33:32
  wide open to catch the carbonatchie, and he would not speak for fear of
• 33:37
  missing it. Jackars leaned over and took aim down, fell the tit bit
• 33:44
  and shluk, shluk, you had swallowed it, and then my bassis.
• 33:50
  There rose such a roaring and raving and groaning as had not been heard since
• 33:54
  the heels were made. The darsis crept along the rocky ledges far ap above,
• 34:00
  and peeped timidly down. The circling eagles swooped nearer to find out the
• 34:05
  cause. The mere cuts and ant bears, the porcupines and spring hares snuggled
• 34:10
  further into their holes, while the frightened spring bucks and elons fled swiftly over
• 34:16
  the plain to seek safety in some other felt only wicked Yuckles and his family
• 34:22
  rejoiced, with their bushy tails waving, and they pointed ears. Standing up,
• 34:29
  they danced round the fire, holding hands and singing over and over,
• 34:34
  Array, Who is stronger than the King of Beastland? Array? Who sees
• 34:38
  further than the King of birdland? Who but thick tailed yakuls? But the
• 34:45
  silver maned one, he the small but sly one, He, the wise
• 34:51
  plan maker, King of beasts would catch him, catch him, claw him,
• 34:55
  kill him. Ha Ha ha ha would catch jim ha ha would kill
• 35:01
  him. But he finds a way out. Grills the fat tail hammel feeds
• 35:07
  the King of beastland with juicy tit bits eats the fat tailed hamel, while
• 35:12
  the king lies dying. Ha ha ha lies dying, ha ha ha lies
• 35:19
  dead. Now o Tar croon the jackal's triumph song in a weird monotone,
• 35:24
  and on the last words, his voice quavered out, leaving a momentary silence
• 35:30
  among the small folk. Pity blinked as though the firelight were too much for
• 35:37
  his eyes. Little Yan sighed tumultuously Phillim cleared his throat. But how did
• 35:44
  jackals know that um Lu was dead? He asked. Suddenly, he peeped
• 35:49
  over the clants every time between the dancing and singing like this BASSI, just
• 35:54
  like this OTA's eyes, head and hands were at work. The first time
• 36:00
  he looked, he saw um Liu rolling over and over, the next time,
• 36:06
  Liu was scratching, scratching at the rocky crantz. Then he was digging
• 36:10
  into the ground with his claws. Then he was only blowing himself out so
• 36:16
  with long, slow breaths. But the last time he was lying quite still.
• 36:23
  And then jackals knew. Oh, I didn't want poor Steenboki to die,
• 36:30
  said Little Yanz. He was such a pretty little thing. Ota,
• 36:35
  this is not one of your nicest stories. It's all about killing, said
• 36:39
  Pete. First you killed poor Steenboki, who never did him any harm,
• 36:45
  and then jackals killed um Liu, who never did him any harm. It
• 36:51
  was very cruel and wicked. Ah yes, Bassis, explained Ota apologetically.
• 36:57
  We don't know why, but it is so. Sometimes the good ones are
• 37:01
  killed and the bad ones grow fat. In this old world, it goes
• 37:07
  not always so's it must go. It just go so's it goes. But
• 37:15
  persisted, pity. You oughtn't to have let yakuls kill umlu Umu was much
• 37:21
  stronger, so he ought to have killed naughty yakas OTA's eyes gleamed pityingly.
• 37:29
  These young things, what did they know of the ups and downs of a
• 37:32
  hard world where the battle is not always to the strong, nor the race
• 37:37
  to the swift. But my basi Ota did not make up the story.
• 37:44
  He only put in little bits, like the newspaper and the spectacles and the
• 37:49
  dew smooser that are things of to day. But the real story was made
• 37:53
  long long ago, perhaps when Basi's people went about in skins like the Rui
• 38:00
  Kaffers and Otar's people were still monkeys in the bushveldt. It has always been
• 38:06
  so, and it will always be so in the story and in the old
• 38:13
  wicked world. It is the head, my bussies, the head, he
• 38:17
  tapped his own, and not the strong arms and legs and teeth that makes
• 38:22
  one animal master over another. Ah. Yes, if the bushman's head had
• 38:29
  been the same as the white man's a rae, what a fight they would
• 38:32
  have been between them. And lost in the astonishing train of thought called up
• 38:38
  by this idea, he sat gazing out before him with eyes which saw many
• 38:44
  strange things, then rousing himself with a quick change of voice and manner.
• 38:50
  Ah please, nui, he said, in a wheedling tone. A span
• 38:54
  of tobacco, Just one little span for to night and to morrow. His
• 39:01
  mistress laughed indulgently, and unhooking the bunch of keys from her belt, handed
• 39:07
  them to cousin Minnie, the old sinner. She said, we all spoil
• 39:13
  him, and yet who could begin to be strict with him? Now?
• 39:16
  Only a small piece, Minnie, Thank you, thank you, my Nonni,
• 39:22
  said the old man, holding out both hands and receiving the coveted span,
• 39:28
  as if it were something very precious. That's my young lady NONI can
• 39:34
  have Outta's skeleton when he is dead. Yes, it will be a fine
• 39:38
  skeleton for Nonni to send far across the blue water where she sent the old,
• 39:43
  long dead bushman's bones. Ah foy, all of him went into a
• 39:49
  little soap boxy, just to think of it, a soap boxy he started
• 39:55
  as a young colored girl made her appearance. Whom liv here is lease already
• 40:02
  how the time goes when a person is with the basis and the noise.
• 40:07
  Knight Basi, Knight Noi, Knight Noni, and little masters sleep well.
• 40:15
  Ah. The beautiful family Vandermerva, his thanks, farewells and flatteries, grew
• 40:22
  fainter and fainter, and finally died away in the distance as his granddaughter led
• 40:28
  him away. And of how jakals fed wum Lieu, who was king.
• 40:43
  Once upon a time began o Ta Carol, and his audience of three looked
• 40:49
  up expectantly. Once upon a time wum Lieu droared, and the forest shook
• 40:55
  with the dreadful sound. Then from far away over the Flachta floated another roar,
• 41:04
  and the little lion cubs jumped about and stood on their heads tumbling over
• 41:07
  each other in their merriment. Here they said, it is false Trays old
• 41:15
  three sticks. He tries to imitate the king, our father. He roars,
• 41:20
  well, truly, there is no difference. When Liu heard this,
• 41:25
  he was very angry. So he roared again, louder than ever. Again
• 41:30
  came back. The sound over the felt as if it had been an echo.
• 41:36
  Ah. No, this will never do, thought Liu. I must
• 41:39
  put a stop to this impudence. I alone am king here, and imitators
• 41:45
  I want none. So he went forth and roamed over the flucta till he
• 41:52
  metled three sticks, the Ostrich. They stood glaring at each other. Liu's
• 41:58
  eyes flamed, his mane rose in a huge mass, and he lash'd his
• 42:04
  tail angrily. Falstrays spread out his beautiful wings and swayed from side to side,
• 42:12
  his beak open and his neck twisting like a whipsnake. Ah, it
• 42:16
  was pretty. But if Basis could have seen his eyes, Bassis No,
• 42:22
  Falstras's eyes are very soft and beautiful, like Noni's when she tells the Bible
• 42:29
  stories. But now there was only fierceness in them, and yellow lights that
• 42:35
  looked like fire. But there was no fight. Yet it was only their
• 42:40
  way of meeting. Liu came a step nearer and said, we must see
• 42:46
  who is bas you Falstras, please to roar a little. So Falstrace roared,
• 42:54
  blowing out his throat so ooo er. It was a fearsome sound,
• 43:02
  the sort of sound that makes you feel streams of cold water running down your
• 43:07
  back when you hear it suddenly and don't know what it is. Yes,
• 43:12
  bassies, if you are in bed, you curl up and pull the blankets
• 43:15
  over your head, and if you are outside, you run in and get
• 43:20
  close to the noi ord noni. A slight movement indicative of contradiction passed from
• 43:27
  one to another of his small hearers. But unless it was a free and
• 43:30
  easy conversational evening, they made it a point of honor never to interrupt Ota
• 43:37
  in full career, this, like other things, could wait the finish of
• 43:42
  the story. Then Liu roared, and truly the voices were the same.
• 43:50
  No one could say this is a bigger voice, or that is a more
• 43:54
  terrifying voice. No, they were just equal. So Liu said to Falsetrace,
• 44:01
  our voices are alike. You are my equal in roaring. Let it
• 44:07
  then be so you will be king of the birds as I am king of
• 44:13
  the beasts. Now let us go hunting and see who is bas there out
• 44:20
  in the Flachta. Some sassaby were feeding big fat ones a nice clumpy so
• 44:27
  Liu started off in one direction and falsetrace in the other, but both kept
• 44:32
  away from the side the wind came from. Footnote Sassebe also spelt sessebe or
• 44:40
  bastard. Heartebiest are much smaller than the hartebiest proper and are found in open
• 44:46
  felt near the forest country. End of footnote. Wild bucks can smell ach
• 44:54
  toch so good, just one little puff when a hunter is creeping up to
• 45:00
  them, and at once all the heads are in the air. Sniff,
• 45:04
  sniff, sniff, and they are off like the wind. Dust is all
• 45:09
  you see. And when that has blown away, ah, No, there
• 45:14
  are no bucks. The whole felt is empty. Empty. Hotar stretched out
• 45:21
  his arms and waved them from side to side with an exaggerated expression of finding
• 45:24
  nothing but empty space, his voice mournful with a sense of irreparable loss.
• 45:32
  But he took up his tail with renewed energy. Liu and False Trace were
• 45:38
  old hunters. They knew how to get nearer and nearer, without letting the
• 45:43
  bucks know, Liu trailed himself along, slowly, slowly, close to the
• 45:50
  ground, and only when he was moving could you see which was lio and
• 45:54
  which was sand. The color was just the same. He pick'd out a
• 46:00
  big buck, well grown and fat, but not too old to be juicy.
• 46:06
  And when he got near enough, he hunched himself up very quietly,
• 46:10
  so my little masters, just so ready to spring. And then before you
• 46:17
  could whistle, he shot through the air like a stone from a catapult,
• 46:22
  and fell fair and square on to the sassape's back, his great tearing claws
• 46:27
  fastened on its shoulders, and his wicked teeth meeting in the poor thing's neck.
• 46:32
  Ah, the beautiful big buck. Never again would his pointed horns tear
• 46:37
  open his enemies. Never again would he lead the herd or pronk in the
• 46:43
  felt in mating time. Never again would his soft nostrils scent danger in the
• 46:47
  distance, nor his quick hoofs gived the signal for the stampede. No,
• 46:53
  it was rarely all up with him this time. When Umlieu gets hold of
• 46:59
  a thing, he doesn't let go till it is dead. The rest of
• 47:04
  the herd ach but they ran soon they were far away, only specks in
• 47:10
  the distance, all except those that Falstrace had killed. Truly, Falstras was
• 47:17
  clever basses. No, he can run fast, faster even than the sasserby.
• 47:23
  So when he saw Liu getting ready to spring, he raced up wind
• 47:28
  as hard as he could, knowing that was what the herd would do.
• 47:32
  So there he was waiting for them, And didn't he play with them,
• 47:37
  see bussies, He stood just so. In his excitement, Ota rose and
• 47:43
  struck an attitude, And when they streaked past him, he jumped like this,
• 47:47
  striking at them with the hard sharp claws on his old two toes.
• 47:52
  Ota hopped about like a fighting bantam, while the children hugged themselves in silent
• 47:58
  delight whoots. There was one dead o, Ta kick'd to the right foots.
• 48:04
  There was another he kicked to the left, till there was a clump
• 48:07
  of bucks lying about the felt giving their last blare. Yes, old two
• 48:13
  toes did his work well that day. When Liu came up and saw that
• 48:19
  Falstrace had killed more than he had, he was not very pleased. But
• 48:23
  Falstrace soon made it all right. Liu said, you have killed most so
• 48:29
  you rip open and begin to eat. Oh no, said Falstras. You
• 48:35
  have comes to share the food with, So you rip open and eat.
• 48:38
  I shall only drink the blood. This put Liu in a good humor.
• 48:44
  He thought Falstrace a noble, unselfish creature. But truly, as I said
• 48:50
  before, Falstrace was clever. Bassis. See he couldn't eat meat he had
• 48:55
  no teeth, but he didn't want Liu to know. Therefore, he said,
• 49:01
  you eat, I will only drink the blood. So Liu ripped open,
• 49:07
  scree sk and called the cubs, and they all ate till they were
• 49:13
  satisfied. Then Falstras came along in a careless fashion, pecking pecking as he
• 49:20
  walked, and drank the blood. Then he and Liu lay down in the
• 49:23
  shade of some trees and went to sleep. The cubs played about, rolling
• 49:30
  and tumbling over each other. As they played. They came to the place
• 49:34
  where Falstrace lay. Aha, said one, he sleeps with his mouth open.
• 49:40
  He peeped into Falstrace's mouth. Ah ha, he said, again,
• 49:45
  I see something. Another cub came and peeped a le kracht. He said,
• 49:52
  I see something too. Let us go and tell our father. So
• 49:55
  they ran off in great excitement and woke Liu. Come, Come quickly,
• 50:01
  they said. Falstrace insults you by saying he is your equal. He lies
• 50:07
  sleeping under the trees with his mouth wide open, and we have peeped into
• 50:12
  it, and behold, he has no teeth. Come and see for yourself.
• 50:19
  Leu bounded off quick quick, with the cubs at his tail near.
• 50:23
  He growled, waking Falstrace near. What is the meaning of this? You
• 50:30
  pretend you are my equal and you haven't even got teeth, teeth or no
• 50:37
  teeth, said Falstrace, standing up wide awake. I killed more bucks than
• 50:42
  you did to day, teeth or no teeth. I'll fight you to show
• 50:45
  whose pass. Come on, said Liu, who's afraid. I'm just ready
• 50:52
  for you. Come on, No, wait a little, said Falstras.
• 50:57
  I've got a plan. You see that ante deep over there, Well,
• 51:01
  you stand on one side of it, and I'll stand on the other side,
• 51:06
  and we'll see who can push it over first. After that we'll come
• 51:09
  out into the open and fight. That seems an all right plan, said
• 51:14
  Leo, And he thought to himself, I'm heavier and stronger. I can
• 51:20
  easily send the and hep flying on to old three sticks and then spring over
• 51:24
  and kill him. But wait a bit. It was not as easy as
• 51:30
  he thought. Every time he sprang at the ant heap, he clung to
• 51:35
  it as he was accustomed to king to his prey. He had no other
• 51:38
  way of doing things. And then Falstrace would take the opportunity of kicking high
• 51:45
  into the air, sending the sand and stones into Liu's face and making him
• 51:50
  howl and splutter with rage. Sometimes he would stand still and roar, and
• 51:55
  Falstrace would send a raw back from the other side. So they went on
• 52:00
  till the top of the ant heap was quite loosened by the kicks and blows.
• 52:06
  Liu was getting angrier and angrier, and he could hardly see. His
• 52:10
  eyes were so full of dust. He gathered himself together for a tremendous spring,
• 52:16
  but before he could make it, fALS thrice bounded into the air and
• 52:21
  kicked the whole top off the ant heap a ray, but the dust was
• 52:25
  thick. When it cleared away. There lay Lio groaning and coughing, with
• 52:30
  the great heap of earth and stones on top of him. O hey,
• 52:36
  o hay, wailed the cubs get up, my father. Here he comes,
• 52:40
  the toothless one, he who has teeth only on his feet, Get
• 52:45
  up and slay him. Liu shook himself free of the earth and sprang at
• 52:50
  falstras, but his eyes were full of sand. He could not see properly,
• 52:54
  so he missed. As he came down heavily. Falstray shot out his
• 53:00
  strong right leg and caught Liu in the side. Screa went the skin and
• 53:06
  goops, goops, over fell poor um Liu. With False TRACE's terrible claws,
• 53:13
  the teeth of old two toes fastened into him. False Thrace danced on
• 53:17
  him, flapping and waving his beautiful black and white wings and tearing the life
• 53:23
  out of um Liu. When it was all over, he cleaned his claws
• 53:30
  in the sand and walst away slowly over the felt to where his mate sat
• 53:35
  on the nest. Only the cubs were left wailing over the dead king of
• 53:39
  the forest. The usual babble of questions and comment broke out at the close
• 53:45
  of the story, till at last Pity's decided young voice detached itself from the
• 53:50
  general chatter. Ota, what made you say that about pulling the blanket over
• 53:55
  one's head? And running to get near mammy if one heard Falstrace bellowing at
• 54:00
  night, you know quite well that none of us would ever do it.
• 54:05
  Yes, yes, my bassy, I know, said Ota soothingly. I
• 54:09
  never meant any one who belongs to the land of Falsethrace. But other little
• 54:14
  masters who did not know the voice of old Threesticks, they would run to
• 54:19
  their mammas if they heard him. Oh, I see, said Pete,
• 54:22
  accepting the apology graciously. I was sure you could not mean a carew farm
• 54:29
  boy. Is your story a parable? Ota asked little Jan, who had
• 54:34
  been doing some hard thinking for the last minute. Ah and what is that,
• 54:39
  my little master, A kind of fable, Otta, Yes, that
• 54:45
  is what it is, bussy, said Ota, gladly, seizing on the
• 54:49
  word. He understood. A fable, A sort of nice little fable.
• 54:54
  But a parable is an earthly story with a heavenly meaning. And when cousin
• 55:00
  Minnie tells us parables, she always finds the meaning for us. What is
• 55:06
  the heavenly meaning of this, Ota? Little Yan's innocent gray eyes were earnestly
• 55:12
  fixed on OTA's face, as though to read from it the explanation he sought
• 55:17
  for once the old native was nonplussed. He rubbed his red kopduk, laid
• 55:23
  a crooked finger thoughtfully against his flat nose, scratched his sighs monkey fashion,
• 55:30
  and finally had recourse once more to the kopduk. But all these expedients failed
• 55:36
  to inspire him with the heavenly meaning of the story He had just told,
• 55:40
  ah, these dear little ones to think of such strange things. There they
• 55:45
  all were waiting for his next words. He must get out of it somehow,
• 55:52
  Bassis, he began smoothly. There is a beautiful meaning to the story,
• 55:57
  but Ota hasn't got time to tell it. Now. Another time,
• 56:01
  Otah broke in villain reprovingly, you know you only want to get away so
• 56:07
  that you can go to the old tramp floor where the folk are dancing to
• 56:10
  night. No, my BASSI, truly no, And I wouldn't be surprised
• 56:16
  to hear that you had danced too, after the way you have been jumping
• 56:21
  about here. Yes, that was fine, said Pete with relish foots.
• 56:27
  There is one dead foots there is another. Ota. You always say you
• 56:32
  are so stiff, but you can still kick well. Ahya, Bassi returned
• 56:38
  Ota modestly. In my day I was a great dancer. No one could
• 56:44
  do the fast rup better. And the Honda Club and the false Revere Horey,
• 56:50
  those were the times he gave a little hop at the remembrance of those
• 56:54
  mad and merry days. And yet another and another, always towards the passage
• 57:00
  leading to the kitchen. But the meaning, Ota, the heavenly meaning,
• 57:06
  cried little jan you haven't told us, No, my little mouse, not
• 57:10
  to night. Ask the Nonnie, She will tell you. Here she comes,
• 57:16
  And as cousin Minnie entered the room, the wily old native, with
• 57:21
  an agility not to be expected from his cramped and crooked limbs, skipped away,
• 57:27
  leaving her to bear the brunt of his inability to explain his own story.
• 57:34
  End of who was king? Why the Hyaena is lame? It was
• 57:47
  Tante Hyena that Jakos cheated more than any one, said Ota. She always
• 57:53
  forgot about the last time he had played a trick on her, so she
• 57:58
  was quite ready to belie leave him when he came along with another story.
• 58:04
  Some people are so, my bassies. Perhaps it is kindness, perhaps it
• 58:09
  is only stupidness. Ota doesn't know. One day yuckles and Hyena were out
• 58:17
  walking together when a white cloud came up behind the copies and floated over the
• 58:23
  felt quite close to them. It was a nice thick cloud, just like
• 58:30
  white fat, and Jacals climbed onto it and sat looking down over the edge.
• 58:37
  Then he bit pieces out of it and ate them away. But this
• 58:42
  white fat is nice, he said, yum yum yum, and he chewed
• 58:46
  round the cloud like a caterpillar chews a leaf. Hyena licked her lips and
• 58:52
  looked up at him. Throw me down some please, she said, Ah,
• 58:59
  my brown siest will I then be so greedy as to throw you down
• 59:02
  little bits? Wait till I get down, and then I'll help you up
• 59:07
  to eat for yourself. But come a little nearer so that you can catch
• 59:13
  me when I jump. So Hyena stood ready, and Jacus jumped in such
• 59:19
  a way that he knocked her into the sand. He fell soft because he
• 59:23
  was on top. But FOI, poor Hyena had all the breath knocked out
• 59:29
  of her, and she was covered with dust. Ah, but I am
• 59:34
  clumsy, said Juckus. But never mind, now I'll help you. So
• 59:40
  when she had got up and dusted herself, he helped her to climb on
• 59:45
  to the cloud. There she sat biting pieces off and eating them. Yum,
• 59:52
  yum, yum, It's just like white fat. After a time,
• 59:57
  she called out, Gray Brother, I've had enough. I want to come
• 1:00:01
  down. Please catch me when I jump. Ah, certainly, Brown Sister,
• 1:00:07
  come on, just see how nicely I'll catch you. So he held
• 1:00:13
  out his arms, but just as Hyena jumped, he sprang to one side,
• 1:00:17
  calling out, ulla Ullah, a thorn has pricked me. What shall
• 1:00:22
  I do? What shall I do? And he hopped about, holding one
• 1:00:27
  leg up. Whoops, Down fell Brown Sister, And as she fell she
• 1:00:32
  put out her left leg to save herself, but it doubled up under her
• 1:00:37
  and was nearly broken. She lay in a bundle in the sand, crying,
• 1:00:43
  my leg is cracked, My leg is cracked. Jacos came along very
• 1:00:49
  slowly, jump jump on three legs. Surely the thorn that wasn't there was
• 1:00:57
  hurting him very much. Ooh ooh, cried Hyena. Help me up,
• 1:01:02
  Gray brother. My leg is broken and mine has a thorn in it.
• 1:01:08
  Fetoch, my poor sister. How can the sick help the sick? The
• 1:01:14
  only plan is for us to get home in the best way we can.
• 1:01:17
  Good bye, and I will visit you to morrow to see if you are
• 1:01:22
  all right. And off he went jump jump on three legs very slowly,
• 1:01:30
  But as soon as old Brown Sister could not see him, he put down
• 1:01:34
  the other one and sh He shot over the felt and got home just in
• 1:01:38
  time to have a nice supper of young ducks that missus Jakos and the children
• 1:01:44
  had caught at Obasvannikirk's dam. But poor Brown Sister lay in the sand crying
• 1:01:51
  over her sore places. And from that day she walks lame because her left
• 1:01:57
  hindfoot is smaller than the right one. Footnote. The Hyaena on first starting
• 1:02:04
  appears lame in the hind legs, a fact accounted for by the Hottentots in
• 1:02:09
  the foregoing fable end A footnote end of why the hyaena is lame? Who
• 1:02:24
  was the thief? Yes, my basis, so was Umyakas. He always
• 1:02:32
  made as if he forgot all about what he had done, and he made
• 1:02:37
  as if he thought all the others forgot too quick quick. He is marsa
• 1:02:43
  skellum here Otar took full advantage of the pinch of snuff he held between his
• 1:02:50
  right forefinger and thumb sneezed with evident enjoyment two or three times and continued.
• 1:02:59
  When Yak thought Hyena was quite well, he went to visit her. It's
• 1:03:05
  very dull here in the felt, he said, and food is so scarce.
• 1:03:10
  So I'm going to hire myself to a farmer. He'll give me lots
• 1:03:15
  to eat and drink, and when i'm nice and fat, i'll come home
• 1:03:20
  again. Would you like to go too, Brown sister Hyaena smacked her lips
• 1:03:27
  when she heard about the nice things to eat. She thought it a very
• 1:03:30
  good plan. So they went to a farm, and jack Alls talked so
• 1:03:37
  nicely that the farmer hired them both to work for him. Ah, it
• 1:03:43
  was a beautiful place, lots of chickens and little ducks and afrikander sheep with
• 1:03:50
  large fat tails that could be melted out for soap, and candles and eggs
• 1:03:54
  and doves and pigeons, all things that jackulls like. He just felt in
• 1:04:01
  his stomach that he was going to have a jolly life. During the day,
• 1:04:09
  Jackals peeped all about in this corner in that corner, and he found
• 1:04:14
  out where the farmer kept the nice fat that was melted out of the sheep's
• 1:04:18
  tails. In the middle of the night, when all the people were fast
• 1:04:24
  asleep, he got up and went quietly my basis, quietly, like a
• 1:04:30
  shadow on the ground, to the place where the fat was. He took
• 1:04:36
  a big lump and smeared it all over brown sister's tail while she was asleep.
• 1:04:43
  Then he ate all that was left n yum yum yum, and went
• 1:04:48
  to sleep in the wagon house. Early in the morning, when the farmer
• 1:04:54
  went out to milk the cows, he missed the fat. Liefhalant, here
• 1:05:00
  is all my fat, he said. It must be that vagabond Jakos.
• 1:05:04
  But wait, I'll get him. He took a thick rium and his shambok
• 1:05:10
  and went to the wagon house to catch Jakos and give him a beating.
• 1:05:15
  But when he asked about the fat, Yakov spoke in a little little voice,
• 1:05:20
  ach, no bass, Would I then do such an ugly thing?
• 1:05:26
  And look at my tail? There's no fat on it. The one whose
• 1:05:30
  tail is full of fat is the thief. He turned round and waved his
• 1:05:36
  tail in the farmer's face, and any one could easily see that there was
• 1:05:42
  no fat on it. But the fat is gone, said the farmer.
• 1:05:46
  Some one must have stolen it, and he went on hunting, hunting in
• 1:05:51
  the wagon house. At last he came to where Hyena was sleeping, just
• 1:05:58
  like a baby. Bassi's so nicely and snoring a little, Not the loud
• 1:06:03
  snoring like sawing planks, war er, ar er, but nice, soft
• 1:06:11
  snoring like people do when they sleep very fast. See you, see you.
• 1:06:18
  It is the deepest sleep when a person snores, see you, see
• 1:06:25
  you. Hyena's head was on some chaff, and her tail was sticking out
• 1:06:30
  behind her stiff with fat. Aha, here's the thief, said the farmer,
• 1:06:36
  and he began to tie the rim round her. Old brown sister sat
• 1:06:42
  up and rubbed her eyes. What's the matter, she asked. I had
• 1:06:46
  a beautiful dream. I dreamt I was eating fat the whole night, and
• 1:06:51
  and so you were my fat, said the farmer, And he pulled the
• 1:06:57
  rope tighter. And now I'm going to teach you not to steal again.
• 1:07:02
  Poor old brown sister jumped about. When she found out what he was going
• 1:07:06
  to do. She ran round and round the wagon house trying to get away.
• 1:07:12
  She called out, and she called out that she did not know about
• 1:07:15
  the fat, that she had never tasted it, and had never even seen
• 1:07:20
  it. But it was no good. Look at your tail, said the
• 1:07:26
  farmer. Will you tell me that your tail went by itself and rubbed itself
• 1:07:30
  in the fat. So he tied her to the wagon wheel and beat her
• 1:07:35
  and beat her. Ah. She was quite sore, and she screamed and
• 1:07:41
  screamed, and at last he drove her away from the farm. Poor old
• 1:07:46
  brown sister. She didn't even have the fat from her tail to eat,
• 1:07:51
  because sparsees. See, with the running round and the beating, it was
• 1:07:57
  all rubbed off. But she ever went to live on a farm again.
• 1:08:01
  The felt was quite good enough for her. Is that the end Ota asked
• 1:08:08
  villain, Yes, my bassy, it's a bad end but otta can't help
• 1:08:14
  it, it does mar end So and where was jakas all the time,
• 1:08:20
  inquired pity severely, Jakols. My bassy was sitting on the wagon saying his
• 1:08:27
  prayers. So my bassis Oda put his crooked hands together and cast his twinkling
• 1:08:33
  eyes upward till only the yellows showed Bezi bezy brahma ho yohandi Sama. Footnote
• 1:08:45
  berry berry, BlackBerry, hold your hands together. End of footnote and every
• 1:08:53
  time Hyaena screamed, Jakuls begged her not to steal again, but to try
• 1:08:59
  and behave like a good Christian. But Jacus was the thief, said little
• 1:09:04
  Young indignantly. He was always the wicked one, and he was never punished.
• 1:09:10
  How was that? Ota? A whimsical smile played over the old man's
• 1:09:15
  face, and though his eyes danced as wickedly as ever, his voice was
• 1:09:21
  sober as he answered, Ah, my little master, how can Ota tell
• 1:09:29
  it is Marceau? In this old world? It's like the funny thing bass
• 1:09:33
  villem saw in the carp that runs down a place so quickly that it just
• 1:09:39
  runs up on the other side, and then it can't stop, but it
• 1:09:43
  has to run down again, and so it keeps on up and down,
• 1:09:47
  up and down. Footnote the carp is cape town and a footnote you mean
• 1:09:57
  the switchback, asked villain. Ah, yes, Bussy, Ota means so.
• 1:10:03
  And in the world it is the same up and down, up and
• 1:10:08
  down, And often the good ones are down and the bad ones are up.
• 1:10:14
  But the thing Ota can't get the name right, goes on and it
• 1:10:19
  goes on and by and by the good ones are up and the bad ones
• 1:10:25
  are down, but Jakuls seems always to be up, remarked villain. Yes,
• 1:10:31
  my bassy, said the old man soberly. Yakul seems always to be
• 1:10:36
  up. It goes so, sometimes it goes so. But his eyes suddenly
• 1:10:44
  had a far away look, and one could not be certain that he was
• 1:10:48
  thinking of yak All's and of who was the thief the sun a bushman legend.
• 1:11:04
  Otar, having disposed of his nightly tot, held his crooked hands towards
• 1:11:11
  the cheerful blaze and turned his engaging smile alternately on it and his little masters.
• 1:11:18
  Ah, what it is to keep a bit of the sun even when
• 1:11:23
  the sun is gone. Long ago, Otar's people, the bushmen, did
• 1:11:28
  not know about fire. No, my bussies. When the big fire that
• 1:11:33
  makes the world warm and bright walked across the sky, they were happy.
• 1:11:39
  They hunted and danced and feasted. They shot the fine big bucks with their
• 1:11:45
  little poisoned arrows, and they tore pieces off and ate the flesh with the
• 1:11:48
  red blood dripping from it. They had no fire to make it dry up.
• 1:11:55
  And the roots and nineties that they dug out with their sharp stones,
• 1:11:59
  those too, they ate, just as they were. They did not cook,
• 1:12:03
  for they did not know how to make fire. But when the white
• 1:12:09
  man came, then they learnt Basi's sea. OTA's head is big, bigger
• 1:12:15
  than the Basa's head, but that does not help. It's the inside that
• 1:12:21
  matters, and the white man's head inside. Here Ota tapped his wrinkled forehead
• 1:12:28
  allah, but it can hold a lot. In the olden days, when
• 1:12:33
  OTA's people were cold, they crept into caves and covered themselves with skins,
• 1:12:39
  for they had no fire to sit by. Yes, they were sorry when
• 1:12:44
  the old man in the sky put down his arms and lay down to sleep.
• 1:12:48
  What old man asked, pity? Do you mean the sun? Ah
• 1:12:54
  Ya? Doesn't Basi then know that the sun was once a man. It
• 1:12:59
  was long long ago before Otta's people lived in the world, perhaps in the
• 1:13:04
  days of the Irly race that were before even the flat bushmen, who were
• 1:13:10
  the first people we really know anything about. In those days, at a
• 1:13:15
  certain place lived a man from whose armpits brightness streamed. When he lifted one
• 1:13:21
  arm, the place on that side of him was light. When he lifted
• 1:13:26
  the other arm, the place on that side of him was light. But
• 1:13:30
  when he lifted both arms the light shone all around him, but it only
• 1:13:35
  shone around the place where he lived. It did not reach to other places.
• 1:13:42
  Sometimes the people asked him to stand on a stone so that his light
• 1:13:45
  could go farther, And sometimes he climbed on a copy and lifted up his
• 1:13:50
  arms. Ah Then the light streamed out far far and lighted up the felt
• 1:13:57
  for miles and miles. For the higher he went, the farther the light
• 1:14:02
  shone. Then the people said, we see now, the higher he goes,
• 1:14:09
  the farther his light shines. If only we could put him very high,
• 1:14:14
  his light would go out over the whole world. So they tried to
• 1:14:18
  make a plan, and at last a wise old woman called the young people
• 1:14:24
  together and said, you must go to this man, from whose armpits the
• 1:14:29
  light streams. When he is asleep. You must go, and the strongest
• 1:14:33
  of you must take him under the armpets and lift him up, and swing
• 1:14:38
  him to and fro so so, and throw him as high as you can
• 1:14:44
  into the sky, so that he may be above the copies, lifting his
• 1:14:48
  arms to let the light stream down, to warm the earth and make green
• 1:14:54
  things to grow in summer. So the young men went to the place where
• 1:14:59
  the man lay sleeping. Quietly, they went my bassies, creeping along in
• 1:15:04
  the red sand, so as not to wake him. He was in a
• 1:15:09
  deep sleep, and before he could wake the strong young men took him under
• 1:15:14
  the armpits and swung him to and fro, as the wise old woman had
• 1:15:18
  told them. Then as they swung him, they threw him into the air,
• 1:15:25
  high high, and there he stuck. The next morning, when he
• 1:15:30
  awoke and stretched himself, lifting up his arms, the light streamed out from
• 1:15:35
  under them and brightened all the world, warming the earth and making the green
• 1:15:42
  things grow. And so it went on day after day. When he put
• 1:15:47
  up his arms it was bright. It was day. When he put down
• 1:15:51
  one arm, it was cloudy. The weather was not clear. And when
• 1:15:57
  he put down both arms and turned over to go to sleep, there was
• 1:16:00
  no light at all. It was dark. It was night. But when
• 1:16:06
  he awoke and lifted his arms, the day came again, and the world
• 1:16:12
  was warm and bright. Sometimes he is far away from the earth, then
• 1:16:16
  it is cold, it is winter. But when he comes near, the
• 1:16:21
  earth gets warm again. The green things grow and the fruit ripens. It
• 1:16:28
  is summer, And so it goes on to this day. My basis the
• 1:16:33
  day and night, summer and winter, and all because the old man with
• 1:16:39
  the bright armpits was thrown into the sky. But the sun is not a
• 1:16:45
  man, Ota said, downright, villain, he hasn't any arms, No,
• 1:16:50
  my Bassy, not now he is not a man any more. But
• 1:16:56
  Bassis must remember how long he has been up in the sky, spans and
• 1:17:01
  spans and spans of years, always rolling round and rolling round, from the
• 1:17:08
  time he wakes in the morning till he lies down to sleep at the other
• 1:17:12
  side of the world. And with the rolling busses he has got all rounder
• 1:17:17
  and rounder, and the light that at first came only from under his arms
• 1:17:21
  has been rolled right round him till now he is a big ball of light,
• 1:17:28
  rolling from one side of the sky to the other. Cousin Minnie,
• 1:17:32
  who had been listening in a desultory way to the fireside chatter as she wrote
• 1:17:38
  at the side table, started and leant towards the little group. But a
• 1:17:43
  single glance was enough to show that so interested were the children in the personal
• 1:17:47
  aspect of the tale, that there was no fear of confusion arising in their
• 1:17:53
  minds from OTA's decided subversion of an elementary fact which she had been at pains
• 1:18:00
  to get them to understand and accept. And his arms. Ota inquired little
• 1:18:05
  Yan in his earnest way. Do they never come out now? Ota beamed
• 1:18:13
  upon him proudly. Ah, that is my little master, always to ask
• 1:18:19
  a big thing. Yes, Bassy, Sometimes they come out when it is
• 1:18:26
  a dark day, when he has put his arms out, he is holding
• 1:18:30
  them down and spreading his hands before the light so that it can't shine on
• 1:18:34
  the world. And sometimes just before he gets up in the morning, and
• 1:18:41
  before he goes to sleep at night. Haven't Passy seen long bright stripes coming
• 1:18:46
  from the round ball of light? Yes, yes, assented his little listeners
• 1:18:53
  eagerly. Those are the long fingers of the sun. His arms are rolled
• 1:18:59
  up inside a fiery ball, but he sticks his long fingers out and they
• 1:19:03
  make bright roads into the sky, spreading out all round him. The old
• 1:19:10
  man is peeping at the earth through his fingers. Passies, must count them
• 1:19:15
  next time he sticks them out, and see if they are all there.
• 1:19:19
  Eight long ones those are the fingers, and two short ones for the thumbs.
• 1:19:26
  Otar's knowledge of arithmetic was limited to the number of his crooked digits and
• 1:19:30
  the smile with which he announced the extent of his mathematical attainments was a ludicrous
• 1:19:36
  cross between proud triumph and modest reluctance. When he lies down, he pulls
• 1:19:44
  them in. Then all the world grows dark and the people go to sleep.
• 1:19:49
  But Otta, it isn't always dark at night, Pete reminded him.
• 1:19:55
  There are stars and the moon, you know, lah, Yes, the
• 1:20:00
  little stars and the lady Moon. Oto will tell the basis about them another
• 1:20:06
  night. But now he must go quick, quick, and let Lise rub
• 1:20:12
  his back with boohoo. When friend old age comes, the back bends and
• 1:20:17
  the bones get stiff, and the rheumatism foi, but it can pinch.
• 1:20:25
  Therefore, my bassies Ota Cook's bosses from the felt to rub on boohoo and
• 1:20:31
  Cooka Makranka and Caru bosses. They are all good, but boohoo is the
• 1:20:38
  best. Yes, Booho for the outside, and the basa's fire water for
• 1:20:44
  the inside. He looked longingly at the cupboard. But wood and glass are
• 1:20:49
  unresponsive until acted on by human agency. So possessing no open sesame for that
• 1:20:57
  unyielding lock, Otak contented himself by smacking his lips as he toddled away,
• 1:21:05
  and of the sun a bushman legend. The stars and the stars rode darkly
• 1:21:19
  blue and illimitable. The arc of the sky hung over the great carew like
• 1:21:26
  a canopy of softest velvet, making a deep, mysterious background for the myriad
• 1:21:32
  stars which twinkled brightly at a frosty world. The three little boys gathered at
• 1:21:40
  the window pointed out to each other the constellations with which cousin Minnie had made
• 1:21:45
  them familiar, and were deep in a discussion as to the nature and number
• 1:21:49
  of the stars composing the Milky Way. When Ota shuffled in Ota, do
• 1:21:57
  you think that there are a billion stars up there in the Milky Way,
• 1:22:00
  asked villain. A billion, you know, explained pity, is a thousand
• 1:22:06
  million, and it would take a month to count even one million. Ah
• 1:22:13
  yah bassy, said the old man, readily seizing with native adroitness the unknown
• 1:22:18
  word and making it his own. Then there will surely be a billion stars
• 1:22:26
  up there, perhaps, he added, judiciously, considering the matter, two
• 1:22:30
  billion, But no one knows, because no one can ever count them.
• 1:22:36
  They are too many. And to think that that bright road in the sky
• 1:22:42
  is made of wood ashes after all, he settled himself on his stool,
• 1:22:48
  and his little audience came to attention. Yes, my basis, he went
• 1:22:55
  on. Long long ago. The sky was dark at night when the old
• 1:23:00
  man with the bright armpits lay down to sleep. But people learnt in time
• 1:23:05
  to make fires to light up the darkness. And one night a girl who
• 1:23:12
  sat warming herself by a wood fire played with the ashes. She took the
• 1:23:16
  ashes in her hands and threw them up to see how pretty they were when
• 1:23:21
  they floated in the air. And as they floated away, she put green
• 1:23:28
  bushes on the fire and stirred it with a stick. Bright sparks flew out
• 1:23:32
  and went high high, mixing with the silver ashes, and they all hung
• 1:23:39
  in the air and made a bright road across the sky. And there it
• 1:23:44
  is to this day. Passies call it the milky Way, but Ota calls
• 1:23:49
  it the stars Road. Aye. But the girl was pleased. She clapped
• 1:23:57
  her hands and danced, shaking herself like OTO's people do when they are happy,
• 1:24:02
  and singing. The little stars, the tiny stars, they make a
• 1:24:08
  road for other stars. Ash of wood fire, dust of the sun.
• 1:24:13
  They call'd a dawn when night is done. Then she took some of the
• 1:24:18
  roots she had been eating and threw them into the sky, and there they
• 1:24:24
  hung and turned into large stars. The old roots turned into stars that gave
• 1:24:30
  a red light, and the young roots turned into stars that gave a golden
• 1:24:34
  light. There they all hung, winking and twinkling and singing, yes,
• 1:24:41
  singing my basis. And this is what they sang. We are children of
• 1:24:46
  the sun. It's so, it's so. It's so him we call when
• 1:24:53
  night is done. It's so, it's so. It's so bright. We
• 1:25:00
  sail across the sky by the star's road, high, so high, and
• 1:25:04
  we twinkling smile at you as we sail across the blue. It's so.
• 1:25:12
  It's so. It's so. Bases know when the stars twinkle up there in
• 1:25:17
  the sky, they are like little children, nodding their heads and saying,
• 1:25:21
  it's so. It's so, it's so. At each repetition, Otar nodded
• 1:25:29
  and winked, and the children, with antics of approval, followed suit.
• 1:25:34
  Bases have sometimes seen a star fall, three little heads nodded in concert.
• 1:25:41
  When a star falls, said the old man, impressively, it tells us
• 1:25:45
  some one has died. For the star knows when a person's heart fails and
• 1:25:51
  the person dies, and it falls from the sky to tell those at a
• 1:25:57
  distance that someone they know has died. Footnote. It is both curious and
• 1:26:04
  interesting to find the identical belief obtaining among races so widely different as the Scandinavians
• 1:26:12
  of Northern Europe and the Bushmen of South Africa. See Hans Andersen's Little match
• 1:26:17
  Girl. Her grandmother had told her that when a star fell down, a
• 1:26:24
  soul mounted up to God and a footnote. One star grew and grew till
• 1:26:30
  he was much larger than the others. He was the Great Star, And
• 1:26:35
  singing he named the other stars. He called each one by name, till
• 1:26:42
  they all had their names. And in this way they knew that he was
• 1:26:46
  the Great Star. No other could have done so. Then when he had
• 1:26:53
  finished, they all sang together and praised the great Star who had named them.
• 1:27:00
  Footnote when the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God
• 1:27:06
  shouted for joy job chapter thirty eight, verse seven end a footnote. Now,
• 1:27:17
  when the day is done, they walk across the sky on each side
• 1:27:21
  of the stars road. It shows them the way, and when night is
• 1:27:27
  over they turn back and sail again by the stars road to call the daybreak
• 1:27:31
  that goes before the sun. The star that leads the way is a big,
• 1:27:38
  bright star. He is called the Dawn's Heart Star. And in the
• 1:27:43
  dark dark hour before the stars have called the dawn, he shines achbasies.
• 1:27:49
  He is beautiful to behold. The wife and the child of the Dawn's Heart
• 1:27:56
  Star are pretty too, but not so big an bright as he. They
• 1:28:01
  sail on in front, and then they wait, wait for the other stars
• 1:28:06
  to turn back and sail along the stars road, calling calling the dawn,
• 1:28:13
  and for the sun to come up from under the world where he has been
• 1:28:16
  lying asleep. They call and sing, twinkling as they sing. We call
• 1:28:24
  across the sky, Dawn, come dawn, You that are like a young
• 1:28:30
  maid, newly risen, rubbing the sleep from your eyes. You that come
• 1:28:35
  stretching bright hands to the sky, pointing the way for the sun. Before
• 1:28:41
  who smile. The stars faint and grow pale, and the stars road melts
• 1:28:45
  away. Dawn, come dawn, we call across the sky, and the
• 1:28:51
  Dawn's Heart Star is waiting. It's so, it's so, it's so so
• 1:29:00
  so. They sing basses because they know they are soon going out. Then
• 1:29:04
  slowly, the dawn comes, rubbing her eyes, smiling, stretching out bright
• 1:29:11
  fingers, chasing the darkness away. The stars grow faint, and the stars
• 1:29:17
  road fades, while the dawn makes a bright pathway for the sun. At
• 1:29:24
  last, he comes with both arms lifted high, and the brightness streaming from
• 1:29:29
  under them makes day for the world and wakes people to their work and play.
• 1:29:35
  But the little stars wait till he sleeps again before they begin their singing.
• 1:29:42
  Summer is the time when they sing best. But even now, if
• 1:29:45
  basses look out of the window, they will see the stars twinkling and singing.
• 1:29:51
  The children ran to the window and gazed out into the starlit heavens.
• 1:29:57
  The last sight Ota had as he drained the souping glass the bus was just
• 1:30:01
  in time to hand him, was of three little heads bobbing up and down
• 1:30:06
  in time to the immemorial music of the stars, while Little Yan's excited treble
• 1:30:13
  rang out, Yes, it's quite true, Ota, they do say,
• 1:30:17
  it's so, it's so, it's so, end of the stars, and
• 1:30:25
  the stars rowed why the hare's nose is slit. The curtains had not yet
• 1:30:38
  been drawn, nor the shutters closed, and little Yan looked with wide,
• 1:30:43
  serious eyes at the full moon sailing serenely in the cold sky. Then he
• 1:30:49
  sighed, as though thoughts too big for expression stirred within him, and turned
• 1:30:56
  absently towards the purring fire. And why does the big man make such a
• 1:31:02
  sighing, asked Toto Carrol. It is like the wind in the mealy land
• 1:31:08
  at sun under Little Yan's eyes slowly withdrew their gaze from some inward vision and
• 1:31:16
  became conscious of the old native Ota. He said, why is the moon
• 1:31:23
  so far away and so beautiful and so golden? Ach to hear him?
• 1:31:30
  Now, how can Ota tell it is Mars? So just like grass is
• 1:31:36
  green and fire is hot, so the moon is far away and beautiful and
• 1:31:43
  golden. But she is a cruel lady sometimes too, And it is through
• 1:31:48
  her that the poor little hare runs about with the slit in his nose.
• 1:31:53
  To day tell us Sota. Little Yan dropped on to the rug beside them,
• 1:32:00
  basket of Meacob's and the others edged nearer. And why do you call
• 1:32:05
  the moon a lady, asked pity of the inquiring mind. But doesn't barsy
• 1:32:13
  know that the moon is a lady? Oh? Yes, And for all
• 1:32:16
  her beauty, she can be cross and cruel sometimes, like other ladies,
• 1:32:23
  as you will hear, Long long ago, when the world was quite young,
• 1:32:29
  the lady Moon wanted some one to take a message to men. She
• 1:32:33
  tried first one creature and then another, but no, they were all too
• 1:32:39
  busy they couldn't go. At last she called the crocodile. He is very
• 1:32:45
  slow and not much good. But the lady Moon thought she would pinch his
• 1:32:50
  tail and make him go quickly. So she said to him, go down
• 1:32:56
  to men at once and give them this message. As I die and dying
• 1:33:02
  live, so also shall you die and dying live. Parsi knows how the
• 1:33:10
  moon is sometimes big and round, So and Otar's diminutive hands described a wide
• 1:33:16
  circle and remained suspended in the air, like she is now in the sky.
• 1:33:24
  Then every night she gets smaller and smaller, so so so so so
• 1:33:33
  till the crooked fingers come together with a bang. There's no more moon.
• 1:33:41
  She is dead. Then one night a silver horn hangs in the sky,
• 1:33:47
  thin, very thin. It is the new moon that grows and grows and
• 1:33:55
  gets beautiful and golden by the aid of the small claw like hands. The
• 1:34:01
  moon grew to the full before the children's interested eyes. And so it goes
• 1:34:08
  on, always living and growing and dying and living again. So the lady
• 1:34:15
  Moon pinched old worm crocodile's tail, and he gave one jump, and off
• 1:34:21
  he started with the message. He went quickly while the moon watched him.
• 1:34:27
  But soon he came to a bend in the road. Round he went with
• 1:34:31
  a great turn. For a crocodile's back is stiff like a plank, he
• 1:34:35
  can't bend it. And then when he thought he was out of sight,
• 1:34:41
  he went slower and slower. Drift druff, drippity drift, druff, drift
• 1:34:47
  draft, drippety drift druff Like at near haltered horse. He was toch too
• 1:34:54
  lazy. All of a sudden there was a noise sh and there was the
• 1:35:00
  little hare ha ha ha, you laughed. What is the meaning of this
• 1:35:04
  drift draft, rippety drift draft? Where are you going? In such a
• 1:35:10
  hurry, worm crocodile, I can't stop to speak to you, nief hussy,
• 1:35:15
  said worm crocodile, trying to look busy and to hurry up. The
• 1:35:20
  Lady Moon has sent me with a message to men. And what is the
• 1:35:25
  message? Worm? Crocodile, it is a very important one. As I
• 1:35:30
  die and dying live, so also shall you die and dying live. Ah,
• 1:35:39
  But that is a stupid message. And you can't ever run, worm,
• 1:35:43
  You are so slow. You can only go drift draft, drippity,
• 1:35:47
  drift draft, like a near haltered horse. But I go sh like the
• 1:35:54
  wind. Give the message to me, and I will take it very well,
• 1:36:00
  said the lazy crocodile. But you must say it over first and get
• 1:36:03
  it right. So nea FARSI said the message over and over, and then
• 1:36:10
  sh He was off like the wind. Here he was, there he was,
• 1:36:16
  and you could only see the white of his tail and his little behind
• 1:36:20
  legs getting smaller in the distance. At last he came to men, and
• 1:36:27
  he called them together and said, listen, sons of the Baboon, a
• 1:36:31
  wise man comes with the message by the Lady Moon. I am sent to
• 1:36:36
  tell you, as I die and dying perish, so shall you also die
• 1:36:43
  and come wholly to an end. Then men looked at each other and shivered.
• 1:36:48
  All of a sudden, The flesh on their arms was like goose flesh.
• 1:36:53
  What shall we do? What is this message that the lady Moon has
• 1:36:57
  sent as I die, and dying perish, So shall you also die and
• 1:37:02
  come wholly to an end? They shivered again, and the goose flesh crept
• 1:37:09
  right up their backs and into their hair, and their hair began to rise
• 1:37:13
  up on their heads just like ach. No, but Outa forgets these passes
• 1:37:18
  don't know how it is to feel so. And the wide smile which accompanied
• 1:37:25
  these words hid the expression of sly teasing which sparkled Inota's dancing black eyes,
• 1:37:31
  for he knew what it was to be taken to task for impugning the courage
• 1:37:35
  of his young listeners. But Nevasi did not care. He danced away on
• 1:37:42
  his behind legs and laughed and laughed to think how he had cheated men.
• 1:37:47
  Then he returned again to the moon, and she asked, what have you
• 1:37:53
  said to men? Oh lady Moon, I have given them your message like
• 1:37:59
  as I die and dying perish, so also shall you die and come wholly
• 1:38:04
  to an end? And they are all stiff with fright. Pa Hsi laughed
• 1:38:10
  at the thought of it. What cried the lady Moon, What did you
• 1:38:15
  tell them, that, child of the Devil's donkey, you must be punished
• 1:38:21
  footnote According to a hottentot legend. The hare is related to the donkey end
• 1:38:30
  a footnote ah, But the lady Moon was very angry. She took a
• 1:38:36
  big stick, a kirie, much bigger than the one Ota used to kill
• 1:38:41
  lions with when he was young. And if she could have hit him,
• 1:38:45
  then Otar shook his head hopelessly. There would have been no more little hare.
• 1:38:51
  His head would have been cracked right through. But he is a slim
• 1:38:57
  carol. When he saw the big stick coming near one two three, he
• 1:39:01
  ducked and slipped away, and it caught him only on the nose. Fay,
• 1:39:08
  But twas sore neer Farsi forgot that the moon was a lady. He
• 1:39:14
  yelled and screamed. He jumped high into the air. He jumped with all
• 1:39:18
  his four feet at once, and scratch, scratch, scratch. He was
• 1:39:24
  kicking and hitting and clawing the Moon's face till the pieces flew. Then he
• 1:39:30
  felt better and ran away as hard as he could, holding his broken nose
• 1:39:33
  with both hands. And that is why to day he goes about with a
• 1:39:39
  split nose. And the golden face of the Lady Moon has long dark scars.
• 1:39:45
  Yes, Bassis fighting is a miserable thing. It does not end when
• 1:39:51
  the fight is over. Afterwards, there is a saw place ach for so
• 1:39:57
  long, and even when it is well, the ugly marks remained to show
• 1:40:02
  what has happened. The best, my little masters, is not to fight
• 1:40:08
  at all. And of why the hare's nose is slit? How the jackal
• 1:40:20
  got his stripe? The sun was a strange little child, said Otta.
• 1:40:29
  He never had any papa or mamma. No one knew where he came from.
• 1:40:33
  He was just found by the roadside. In the olden days, when
• 1:40:39
  the men of the ancient race, the old old people that lived so long
• 1:40:44
  ago, were trekking in search of game, they heard a little voice calling
• 1:40:49
  calling. It was not a spring bokie, It was not a tarantah,
• 1:40:56
  it was not a little ostrich. They couldn't think what it was. But
• 1:41:00
  it kept on, It kept on. OTA's head nodded in time to his
• 1:41:05
  repetitions. Why didn't they go and look, asked villain. They did,
• 1:41:12
  my bassy. They hunted about among the milk bushes by the roadside, and
• 1:41:17
  at last, under one of them, they found a nice brown baby.
• 1:41:23
  He was lying quite still, looking about him, not like a baby.
• 1:41:28
  Bassis but like an old child, and sparks of light as bright as the
• 1:41:33
  sparks from OTA's tinder box seemed to fly out of his eyes. When he
• 1:41:40
  saw the men, he began calling again, carry me, carry me,
• 1:41:45
  pick me up and carry me. Aarrah, he can talk, said the
• 1:41:50
  man, What a fine little child. Where have your people gone? And
• 1:41:57
  why did they leave you here? But the little son wouldn't answer them.
• 1:42:02
  All he said was put me in your of our skin and tired, I
• 1:42:08
  can't walk. One of the men went to take him up, but when
• 1:42:13
  he got near he said, schwei, but he's hot. The heat comes
• 1:42:17
  out of him. I won't take him. How can you be so silly?
• 1:42:23
  Said another man. I'll carry him, But when he got near he
• 1:42:29
  started back, Allah what eyes, fire comes out of them, and he
• 1:42:34
  too turned away. Then a third man went. He is very small,
• 1:42:41
  he said, I can easily put him in my ofvaskin. He stooped and
• 1:42:45
  took the little son under his arms. O he, o hey, o
• 1:42:49
  hey, he cried, dropping the baby on to the red sand. What
• 1:42:56
  is this for, teuvay? It is like fire under his arm? He
• 1:43:00
  burns me when I take him up. The others all came round to see.
• 1:43:05
  They didn't come too near my busses because they were frightened. But they
• 1:43:11
  wanted to see the strange brown baby that could talk, and that burned like
• 1:43:15
  a fire. All on a sudden he stretched himself, He turned his head
• 1:43:20
  and put up his little arms. Bright sparks flew from his eyes, and
• 1:43:27
  yellow lights streamed from under his arms, And here skier. The men of
• 1:43:31
  the early race fell over each other as they ran through the milk bushes back
• 1:43:35
  to the road. My, but they were frightened. The women were sitting
• 1:43:41
  there with their babies on their backs, waiting for their husbands. Come along.
• 1:43:45
  Hurry, hurry, see that you get away from here, said the
• 1:43:48
  men, without stopping. The women began to run too. What was it?
• 1:43:54
  What did you find? A terrible something, said the men, still
• 1:43:59
  running. It pretends to be a baby, but we know it is immense
• 1:44:02
  avretta. There it lies in the sand, begging one of us to pick
• 1:44:06
  it up and put it in his vaskin. But as soon as we go
• 1:44:11
  near it tries to burn us. And if we don't make haste and get
• 1:44:15
  away from here, it will certainly catch us. Then they ran faster than
• 1:44:19
  ever Bassis. No Ah No, corrected Ota with a sly smile. O,
• 1:44:27
  Tamians, basses don't know how frightenedness makes wings grow on people's feet,
• 1:44:33
  so that they seemed to fly. So the men of the early race and
• 1:44:39
  the women with their babies on their backs flew, and very soon they were
• 1:44:43
  far from the place where the Little Sun was lying. But some one had
• 1:44:48
  been watching my bassies watching from a bush near by. It was jak Als,
• 1:44:56
  with his bright eyes and his sharp nose, and his stomach close to
• 1:45:00
  the ground. When the people had gone, he crept out to see what
• 1:45:04
  had made them run Hardly a leaf stirred, not a sound was heard.
• 1:45:12
  So softly he crept along under the milk bushes to where the little Sun lay.
• 1:45:18
  Ah, what a fine little child has been left behind by the men,
• 1:45:23
  he said. Now, that is really a shame that none of them
• 1:45:28
  would put it into his avaskin. Carry me, carry me, put me
• 1:45:33
  in your ravaskin, said the little Sun. I haven't got navaskin, BASSI,
• 1:45:39
  said Jakos, But if you can hold on, I'll carry you on
• 1:45:43
  my back. So Jakals lay flat on his stomach, and the Little Sun
• 1:45:48
  caught hold of his manhar and rolled round on his back. Where do you
• 1:45:55
  want to go, asked Jakos. There were it far is, said the
• 1:46:00
  baby sleepily. Jack Als trotted off with his nose to the ground and a
• 1:46:05
  sly look in his eye. He didn't care where the baby wanted to go.
• 1:46:12
  He was just going to carry him off to the crantz where Tant and
• 1:46:15
  the young jacalcers lived. If Bassies could have seen his face, Allah verralt,
• 1:46:21
  he was smiling, and when Jakal smiles, it is the wickedest sight
• 1:46:28
  in the world. He was very pleased to think what he was taking home.
• 1:46:32
  Fat brown babies are as nice as fat sheep tails. So he went
• 1:46:38
  along quite jolly, but only at first. Soon his back began to burn
• 1:46:44
  where the baby's arms went round it. The heat got worse and worse,
• 1:46:48
  until he couldn't hold it out any longer. Swish, why passy burns me?
• 1:46:55
  He cried, Sail down a little further, Bassy, so that my
• 1:46:59
  neck can get cool. The little son slipped further down and held fast again,
• 1:47:05
  and Yakas trotted on. But soon he called out again, soey sway,
• 1:47:13
  now the middle of my back burns. Sailed down a little further.
• 1:47:17
  The little Sun went further down and held fast again, and so it went
• 1:47:23
  on. Every time Jakos called out that he was burning, the baby slipped
• 1:47:28
  a little further and a little further, till at last he had hold of
• 1:47:31
  Jakos by the tail. And then he wouldn't let go, even when Jakos
• 1:47:38
  called out. He held on, and Jakos's tail burnt and burnt. My
• 1:47:44
  it was quite black. Help help, he screamed, ach you, devil's
• 1:47:48
  child, get off, let go. I'll punish you for this. I'll
• 1:47:54
  bite you, I'll gobble you up. My tail is burning. Help help.
• 1:47:59
  And he jumped and bucked and rushed about the felt till at last the
• 1:48:02
  baby had to let go. Then Yakuls foot steaded round and ran at the
• 1:48:09
  Little Sun to bite him and gobble him up. Footnote footstead evidently a word
• 1:48:15
  of Otar's coining, meaning to jump round suddenly and violently end a footnote.
• 1:48:23
  But when he got near, a funny thing happened, my bassies, Yes,
• 1:48:28
  truly, just when he was going to bite, he stopped half way
• 1:48:31
  and shivered back, as if some one had beaten him. At first he
• 1:48:36
  growled with crossness, but now he began to whine from frightenedness. And why
• 1:48:44
  was it, my bassies? Because from under the baby's arms streamed brightness and
• 1:48:48
  hotness, and out of the baby's eyes came streaks of fire, so that
• 1:48:54
  Jakuls winked and blinked and tried to make himself small in the sand. And
• 1:49:00
  every time he opened his eyes a little, just like slits, there was
• 1:49:05
  the baby sitting straight in front of him, staring at him, so that
• 1:49:10
  he had to shut them again. Quick, quick, Come and punish me,
• 1:49:14
  said the baby. No, basi ah no, said Jucos in a
• 1:49:18
  small little voice. Why should I punish you? Come and bite me,
• 1:49:24
  said the baby. No, Basi no, I could never think of it.
• 1:49:29
  Jucoles made himself still a little smaller in the sand. Come and gobble
• 1:49:33
  me up, said the baby. Then Jucos gave a yell and tried to
• 1:49:38
  crawl further back. Such a fine little child, he said, trying to
• 1:49:44
  make his voice sweet. Who would ever do such a wicked thing? You
• 1:49:49
  would, said the little son, when you had carried me safely to your
• 1:49:54
  crantz, you would have gobbled me up. You are toch so clever,
• 1:49:59
  Jucos, but sometimes you will meet your match. Now look at me.
• 1:50:03
  Well, jack As didn't want to look my basses, but it was just
• 1:50:10
  as if something made his eyes go open, and he lay there staring at
• 1:50:15
  the baby, and the baby stared at him. So my basies just so,
• 1:50:21
  Otos stretched his eyes to their utmost and held each fascinated child in turn.
• 1:50:29
  You'll know me again when you see me, said the baby. But
• 1:50:32
  never, never again will you be able to look me in the face.
• 1:50:38
  And now you can go. Fierce light shot from his eyes, and he
• 1:50:43
  blew at jacars with all his might. His breath was like a burning flame,
• 1:50:48
  and Jackals, half dead with frightenedness, gave a great howl and fled
• 1:50:54
  away over the Flachta. From that day, my bases, he has a
• 1:50:59
  black stripe right down his back to the tip of his tail, and he
• 1:51:03
  cannot bear the sun, but hides away all day with shut eyes. And
• 1:51:09
  only at night, when the old man with the bright armpits has gone to
• 1:51:12
  sleep, does he come out to hunt and look for food and play tricks
• 1:51:16
  on the other animals. And of how the jackal got his stripe the animals,
• 1:51:30
  dam ah, it was dry, said Otta, as dry as last
• 1:51:36
  year's spring buck. Bootong for a long time. The old man in the
• 1:51:41
  sky shot down strong light and sucked all the water out of the felt.
• 1:51:46
  From morning to night he poured down hotness on the world, and when he
• 1:51:51
  rolled round to sleep, a hot wind blew and blue and blue till he
• 1:51:58
  woke to shine again. The karoo bushes dried up, the rivers had no
• 1:52:04
  water, and the poor animals began to die from thirst. It was such
• 1:52:11
  a drought, my little masters, as you have never seen. At last,
• 1:52:16
  Umlieu called the animals together to make a plan. The sun had gone
• 1:52:23
  under, and the lady Moon was sailing in the sky, beautiful as she
• 1:52:29
  always is, and looking down on the hot world. Umlieu sat under a
• 1:52:35
  crantz on the morning side of a copy, where it was a little cool,
• 1:52:40
  and the others sat round him like a watermelon slice. Leopard, hyena,
• 1:52:45
  babyan jakals hare and tortoise were in front. They were the chief ones.
• 1:52:54
  The smaller ones like dassi, meerkat and hedgehog were at the sides,
• 1:53:00
  and zebra, springbok, ostrich and giraffe waited in the felt to hear the
• 1:53:04
  news. They pretended to be eating, but all the time the ears went
• 1:53:11
  backwards and forwards, backwards and forwards, so my basses to catch every little
• 1:53:16
  sound. And they were ready at the first sign of danger to race away,
• 1:53:21
  kicking up the dust so that Wumlieu would not be able to see them.
• 1:53:28
  But they needn't have been afraid. Wumneu was too hot and tired and
• 1:53:32
  weak to catch anything. He just sat against the crantz with his dry tongue
• 1:53:39
  hanging out, and the others just lay round about him in the watermelon slice
• 1:53:44
  with their dry tongues hanging out. And every time they looked at the sky
• 1:53:49
  to see if any clouds were coming up. But no, the sky was
• 1:53:56
  just like a big hot soap pot turned over above their headds with the lady
• 1:54:00
  Moon making a silver road across it, and the little stars shining like bits
• 1:54:08
  broken off the big hot sun. There was nothing that even looked like a
• 1:54:14
  cloud. At last, Wumlieu pulled in his tongue and rolled it about in
• 1:54:20
  his mouth to get the dryness off. When it stopped rattling, he began
• 1:54:26
  to talk friends and brothers and nephews. He said, yes, just like
• 1:54:32
  that, Wumleu began. He was so miserable that he felt friendly with them,
• 1:54:38
  all friends and brothers and nephews. It is time to make a plan,
• 1:54:45
  you know how it is with a drought. When it is at its
• 1:54:48
  worst, the bottom of the clouds fall out and the water runs away fast
• 1:54:55
  fast to the sea, where there is too much water already, and the
• 1:54:59
  poor carew is left again without any Even if a land rain comes, it
• 1:55:05
  just sinks in because the ground is too loose and dry to hold it.
• 1:55:11
  So we must make a plan to keep the water. And my plan is
• 1:55:15
  to dig a dam. But it's no use for one or two to work.
• 1:55:21
  Every one must help. What do you say, Certainly, said the
• 1:55:28
  leopard. Certainly, said the hyaena, Certainly said the ant bear. Certainly,
• 1:55:34
  said Jacos. But he winked his eye at the lady Moon, and
• 1:55:39
  then put his nose into the warm sand so that no one could see his
• 1:55:44
  sly smile. All the other animals said certainly, And then they began to
• 1:55:50
  talk about the dam, dear land. A person would never have said their
• 1:55:57
  throats were dry. Each one had a different plan, and each one talked
• 1:56:01
  without listening to the other. It was like a church bazaar. Yes,
• 1:56:08
  Basis long ago, when Ota was young, he was on a bazaar in
• 1:56:13
  the village. But he was glad my bassis when he could creep into the
• 1:56:17
  felt again and get the noise out of his ears. At last, the
• 1:56:24
  water tortoise, he with the wise little head under his patchwork shell, said,
• 1:56:30
  let us go now while it is cool and look for a place for
• 1:56:34
  the dam. So they hunted about and found a nice place, and soon
• 1:56:41
  they began to make the dam basis. But those animals worked. They scratched,
• 1:56:48
  they dug, they poked, they bored, they pushed, and they
• 1:56:54
  rolled, and they all did their best so that the dam could be ready
• 1:56:59
  when the rains came. Only lazy Yakuls did not work. He just roamed
• 1:57:04
  about, saying to the others, why don't you do this? Why don't
• 1:57:09
  you do that? Till at last they asked, why don't you do it
• 1:57:13
  yourself? But jack als only laughed at them. And why should I be
• 1:57:18
  so foolish as to scratch my nails off for your old damn? He said,
• 1:57:24
  But you said certainly too when Uam asked us, didn't you they asked?
• 1:57:30
  Then Jaculs laughed more than ever ha ha ha am. I then a
• 1:57:36
  slave of my word. That was last night don't you know yet that a
• 1:57:42
  thing is one color by moonlight, and quite another color when the sun shines
• 1:57:47
  on it. Ha ha ha ha. So he went about bothering the poor
• 1:57:53
  animals that were working so hard, and laughing at them when they got hot
• 1:57:58
  and tired. What's the use of working so hard? Those who do not
• 1:58:03
  work will also drink? How do you know, they asked, Wait a
• 1:58:10
  bit, you'll see, said Slyyakas, winking his eye again. At last
• 1:58:16
  the dam was finished, and that very night the rain began. It kept
• 1:58:23
  on and on till the dam was quite full, and the water began to
• 1:58:27
  run away over the Felt, down to the great big dam called the sea
• 1:58:31
  that is the mother of all water, and so broad. My basis that,
• 1:58:38
  truly you can't see the wall at the other side, even when you
• 1:58:42
  stand on a high copy. Yes, so Ota has heard from truth telling
• 1:58:47
  people. The milk bushes and karou bushes grew green again, and the little
• 1:58:54
  felt flowers burst out of the hard ground and opened their white and blue and
• 1:58:59
  pink and purple eyes to look at the sun. They were like variegated crosses
• 1:59:04
  spread out on the felt. And the old man in the sky was not
• 1:59:09
  so fierce any more. He did not burn them with his hotness, but
• 1:59:14
  looked at them kindly. And the animals were to so glad for the water.
• 1:59:19
  From far and near. They came to the dam to drink, but
• 1:59:24
  jac Als was before them all. Soon after the sun went down pass snow.
• 1:59:30
  The wild animals sleep in the daytime and hunt in the night. He
• 1:59:35
  went to the dam and drank as much water as he wanted, and filled
• 1:59:40
  his clay pot with some to take home. Then he swam round and round
• 1:59:45
  to get cool, making the water muddy and dirty. And when the other
• 1:59:48
  animals came to drink, he slipped over the dam wall and was lost in
• 1:59:54
  the felt as if he had been a large pin. My but Umlieux was
• 2:00:00
  very angry. Ooo, he roared, Oo. What is this for a
• 2:00:09
  thing? Does the lazy one think he can share with the workers? Who
• 2:00:14
  ever heard of such a thing? Who here, Breur Babian, take this
• 2:00:23
  big kiri and hide yourself by the dam to night, so that you can
• 2:00:27
  catch this vagabond, this water stealer. Early that night there was jac Als
• 2:00:34
  again. He peeped this way and that way, so my Bassis, And
• 2:00:42
  yes, truly there was old brewer Babian lying amongst the bushes. But Jacos
• 2:00:48
  was too skelemp for him. He made as if he didn't see him.
• 2:00:53
  He danced along on his hind legs, all in the round, all in
• 2:00:58
  the round, at the edge of the damn singing, hing, ting,
• 2:01:01
  ting, honna, makading my sweet sweet water. He sang this over and
• 2:01:09
  over, and every time he came to the end of a line, he
• 2:01:13
  dipped his fingers into his clay pot and sucked them. Ah, but my
• 2:01:17
  honey is nice, he said, licking his lips. What do I want
• 2:01:21
  with their old dirty water when I have a whole potful of nice sweet water?
• 2:01:29
  Passes, No baboons will do anything for honey. And when old brubabianheard
• 2:01:34
  Jackars, he forgot he was there to guard the dam. He crept out
• 2:01:40
  from his hiding place a little nearer and a little nearer, and at last
• 2:01:45
  he couldn't keep quiet any longer. When Jackars came dancing along again, he
• 2:01:50
  called out in a great hurry, good evening, Jakas, please give me
• 2:01:55
  a little of your sweet water too. Hooray, said Jackos, jumping to
• 2:02:00
  one side and pretending to be startled. What a strick you gave me.
• 2:02:05
  What are you doing here, Brewer Babian, Ah no, Yacuus, I'm
• 2:02:10
  just taking a little walk. It's such a fine night. But why have
• 2:02:15
  you got that big kiri only to dig out a ties? Do you rarely
• 2:02:20
  want some of my sweet water? Yes, please, Jackules, said Broer
• 2:02:27
  Babian, licking his lips. And what will you give me for it?
• 2:02:31
  I'll let you fill your pot with water from the dam Ah. I don't
• 2:02:36
  want any of that dirty, old damn water. But I know how fond
• 2:02:41
  you are of the sweet water, brewer, so I'll let you drink some.
• 2:02:45
  Here. I'll hold your kiriy while you drink. Brewer Babian was in
• 2:02:51
  such a hurry to get to the honey that he just threw the kiriy to
• 2:02:55
  Yakus. But just as he was going to put his fingers into the pot,
• 2:03:00
  Jackals pulled it away. No, wait a bit, brouh, he
• 2:03:04
  said, I'll show you a better way. It will taste much nicer if
• 2:03:09
  you lie down. Ah No, really, Yucos, Yes, really,
• 2:03:14
  said Jakos. And if you don't lie down at once, you won't get
• 2:03:17
  a drop of my sweet water. He spoke quite crossly. And Babian was
• 2:03:23
  so tame by this time that he was ready to believe anything. So he
• 2:03:28
  lay down and Jackal stood over him with his knapsack. Riem. Now,
• 2:03:32
  brother, first I'll tie you with my riam, and then i'll feed you
• 2:03:38
  with the honey. Yes, yes, said bro Babian quickly. His mouth
• 2:03:43
  was watering for the honey. He couldn't think of anything else, and he
• 2:03:47
  had long ago forgotten all about looking after the dam. It goes so,
• 2:03:53
  my Bassis, when a person thinks only of what he wants and not of
• 2:03:58
  what he must. So he let Jachuls tie his hands and feet and even
• 2:04:03
  his tail, and then he opened his mouth wide. But Jackos only danced
• 2:04:10
  round and round, sticking his fingers into the pot and licking them and singing,
• 2:04:15
  hing ting, ting, hona, makading my sweet sweet water, where's
• 2:04:21
  mine? Called Bru Babian. You said you would feed me, where's my
• 2:04:27
  sweet water? Here's all the sweet water you'll get from me, said Jachus,
• 2:04:32
  and clucks. He gave poor Bru Babian a hard hit with the kiri
• 2:04:38
  borhom borhom help, screamed Buru Babian and tried to roll away, but there
• 2:04:45
  was no one to help him, so he could only scream and roll over,
• 2:04:49
  and each time he rolled over, jaculvs hit him again kraak. At
• 2:04:56
  last, he squeezed the clay pot and bas can believe me, it had
• 2:05:01
  never had any honey in it at all, over Brewer Babian's head while he
• 2:05:06
  ran off and drank as much water as he wanted, and swam and stirred
• 2:05:12
  up the mud. Then he took the clay pot off Brewer Babian's head,
• 2:05:16
  filled it with water, and dannsed off, singing, hing ting ting,
• 2:05:21
  honna, makading my sweet sweet water. Good Bye, brother, he called
• 2:05:29
  out, I hope you'll enjoy the sweet water you'll get from Umlieu when he
• 2:05:33
  sees how well you have looked after the dam. Poor old Brewer Babian was
• 2:05:40
  ach so miserable, But he was even more unhappy after Umlu had punished him
• 2:05:46
  and set him on a large stone for the other animals to mock at Bassis.
• 2:05:53
  It was sad. They came in a long string, big ones and
• 2:05:58
  little ones, and each once top up in front of the big stone and
• 2:06:01
  stuck out his tongue, then turned round and stuck out his tail. Yes,
• 2:06:08
  so rude they were to Brewer Babian till the poor old animal got ashameder
• 2:06:13
  and ashameder, and sat all in a heap, hanging down his head and
• 2:06:18
  trying not to see how they were mocking at him. When all the animals
• 2:06:24
  had passed on and drunk water, Wumlieux untied Brewer Babian and let him go.
• 2:06:30
  And off he went to the cranzers as fast as he could, with
• 2:06:33
  his tail between his legs. And that is all for to night, my
• 2:06:40
  buses. It's too long to finish. Now. See here comes Lease with
• 2:06:45
  the busses supper, and Ota can smell that his ass cookies are burning by
• 2:06:50
  the hut ebading the children's detaining hands, Ota sidled away, turning in the
• 2:06:58
  passage doorway to pour the air with his crooked fingers in token of a final
• 2:07:03
  farewell. End of the animal's dam, saved by his tail. The end
• 2:07:18
  o tarpleis, said little Jan, the end of the animal's dam. You
• 2:07:24
  said it was too long to finish last night. Ah Ya, my bossy,
• 2:07:29
  it's full of Yaka's dry and that's why it is so long. But
• 2:07:33
  it's near the end now. The night was old by the time the animals
• 2:07:40
  had finished with Old Brewer Babian, and the stars were going out. Only
• 2:07:45
  the big star that lasts the longest was traveling quickly by the star's road to
• 2:07:49
  cold the dawn, it began to get light already at the place where the
• 2:07:55
  shining old man gets up every day, and that meant it was time for
• 2:08:00
  the animals to fade away to their sleeping places. Um you looked round on
• 2:08:05
  them. Who will look after the dam to night? He asked, I
• 2:08:11
  will, said a little voice quickly, peep peep. And who is this
• 2:08:16
  that speaks from the ground, asked worm, Let us find this brave one.
• 2:08:22
  They looked about in the sand, and there under a milk bush near
• 2:08:26
  the dam sat the water tortoise. He was nice and big bassis, as
• 2:08:31
  big as the lid of the soap pot, and his skinny legs were very
• 2:08:37
  strong. He stretched out his skinny neck and twinkled his little black eyes.
• 2:08:43
  I'll look after the dam, worm, and I'll catch the water spoiler for
• 2:08:48
  you. Ha ha ha. How will you do that, asked Wumlieu.
• 2:08:54
  If worm will just let some one rub my back with the sticky black stuff
• 2:08:58
  from the floor of the highbes, then Worm will see what will happen.
• 2:09:03
  This is a wise little man, said Ormlieu, and he ordered old brown
• 2:09:09
  sister Hyena, she with the limp in the left hind leg, to rub
• 2:09:13
  the water tortoise with the sticky stuff. That night, my basis, when
• 2:09:18
  Jacals went to the dam to drink, he peeped about, but no,
• 2:09:22
  there was no one to guard the dam. Only a large black stone lay
• 2:09:28
  near the edge of the water. Aoray, this is lucky, said Jack,
• 2:09:33
  as such a nice large stone, I'll stand on it while I drink.
• 2:09:39
  He didn't know that the stone had a strong, skinny neck and on
• 2:09:45
  the end of the neck a head with little bright eyes that could see everything
• 2:09:48
  that was going on. So he gave a jump and whoops down. He
• 2:09:54
  came on to the stone with his two front feet and there they stuck fast
• 2:09:58
  to the sticky black ses and he could not move them. He tried and
• 2:10:03
  he tried, but it was no use Toever. He screamed, Toever,
• 2:10:07
  let me go, Peep peep, said the little voice. Don't be frightened.
• 2:10:13
  Who says I'm frightened? You owe two of us, don't, asked
• 2:10:16
  the Yakas though my front feet are fast, I can still kick with my
• 2:10:22
  hind feet. Kick, kick, kick and stick fast, said the little
• 2:10:26
  voice. So Jukals kicked and kick'd, and his hind feet stuck fast.
• 2:10:33
  There was a funny sound under the water, like water bubbling through a reed.
• 2:10:39
  It was the water tortoise laughing near Near, said Jakars, getting very
• 2:10:46
  cross. I've still got a tail and I'll beat you with it. Beat,
• 2:10:50
  beat, beat, and stick fast, said the little voice. So
• 2:10:56
  Jackals beat and beat, and his tail stuck fast. Near he said,
• 2:11:03
  again, very angry, I've still got a mouth and I'll bite you with
• 2:11:07
  it. Bite, bite, bite, and stick fast, said the little
• 2:11:13
  voice. Jackars opened his mouth and bit and bit, and his mouth stuck
• 2:11:18
  fast. There he was all in a bundle, sticking altogether fast to the
• 2:11:22
  black stone, and the more he tried to get free, the more he
• 2:11:26
  stuck fast. Peep peep, said the water tortoise, poking up his head
• 2:11:33
  and laughing. Then he marched to the top of the damn wall, where
• 2:11:37
  everyone could see the strange sight, and there he sat all quiet and good
• 2:11:43
  till the other animals came. Ahaay, they were glad when they saw Jakals
• 2:11:48
  sticking to the water tortoise. They held a council and ordered him to be
• 2:11:54
  killed and brew a hyena. Old brown sister's husband was to be the killer.
• 2:12:01
  They loosened Jakals's mouth from the sticky stuff so that he could talk for
• 2:12:07
  the last time. He was very sorry for himself. His voice was sick
• 2:12:11
  with sorriness, and he could hardly get the words out. Thank you,
• 2:12:16
  ouam, he said. I know I'm a wicked creature. It's better for
• 2:12:20
  me to die than to live and trouble every one so much. Wumlieu and
• 2:12:26
  the other animals were wondering what kind of death the water stealer should die.
• 2:12:31
  Chop my head off, said jack As, throw me in the fountain,
• 2:12:35
  but please, ah, please, don't shave my tail and hit me on
• 2:12:39
  the big stone. Um Lieu and the others were still putting their heads together.
• 2:12:46
  Beat me with kerries, drown me in the dam, said Jakos.
• 2:12:50
  But don't, ah, please, don't smear my tail with fat and hit
• 2:12:54
  me on the big stone. Wumlieu and the others made as if I were
• 2:13:00
  taking no notice of him. Chop me in little pieces, beat me with
• 2:13:05
  thorn branches, said Jakos, But please, ah, please don't take me
• 2:13:09
  by the tail and hit me on the big stone. At last, Umlieu
• 2:13:15
  turned round. Just as you say, it shall be done. Shave his
• 2:13:20
  tail, he said to the others, smear it with that, and hit
• 2:13:24
  his head on the big stone. Let it be done. So it was
• 2:13:28
  done, and Yakov stood very still and sad while his tail was being shaved
• 2:13:33
  and smeared. But when Hyena swung him round one two three ft away,
• 2:13:39
  he slipped and ran over the felt as fast as he could. All the
• 2:13:45
  others ran after him, but they were only running to catch and he was
• 2:13:50
  running to live. So he went like the wind, and soon they were
• 2:13:54
  left far behind. He never stopped till he came to a mountain where a
• 2:14:01
  crantz hung over and made a kind of cave, and in he crept.
• 2:14:05
  The first to come after him was um Lieu, who had run faster than
• 2:14:09
  the others. Jack Als watched Worm crawling in, and when UM's head touched
• 2:14:16
  the top of the cave, he ran out, calling, Um, Um,
• 2:14:20
  the crantz is falling. If you don't hold it up, you'll be
• 2:14:22
  crushed to death. I'll run and get a pole to prop it up.
• 2:14:28
  But Worm must please wait till I come back. He left Um, plastering
• 2:14:31
  his head against the krantz to hold it up while he shot away, and
• 2:14:39
  never stopped till he got safe home, where he rolled bull mc kissie over
• 2:14:43
  and over, laughing to think how he had cheated all the animals again,
• 2:14:50
  and of saved by his tail the f lying lion. Once upon a time,
• 2:15:05
  remarked Oto thoughtfully. Wum Lieu used to fly oo, said the children
• 2:15:13
  altogether, and their eyes widened with terror at the picture called up by OTA's
• 2:15:18
  words, yes, my basis, and then nothing could live before him.
• 2:15:24
  His wings were not covered with feathers. They were like the wings of brother
• 2:15:30
  Bat, all skin and ribs. But they were very big, and very
• 2:15:35
  thick, and very strong. And when he wasn't flying, they were folded
• 2:15:41
  flat against his sides. When he was angry, he let the points down
• 2:15:46
  to the ground like obas turkey when he gobble gobble gobbles and struts before his
• 2:15:54
  wives tsh. And when he wanted to rise from the ground, he read
• 2:16:00
  them out and flap them up and down slowly at first so my basses,
• 2:16:07
  then faster and faster, so so so till he made a big wind with
• 2:16:11
  them and sailed away into the air. Ota flapped his crooked arms and puffing
• 2:16:18
  out his disproportionate chest, seemed about to follow suit, but suddenly subsided again
• 2:16:24
  on to his stool. Ah, but it was a terrible sight. Then,
• 2:16:31
  when he was high above the earth, he would look down for something
• 2:16:35
  to kill. If he saw a herd of spring bookie, he would fly
• 2:16:39
  along till he was just over them, then pick out a nice fat one.
• 2:16:43
  Then he would stretch out his iron claws, fold his wings and whoops
• 2:16:48
  down. He would fall on the poor boky before it had time to jump
• 2:16:52
  away. Yes, that was the way Umliou hunted in the olden times.
• 2:17:01
  There was only one thing he was afraid of, and that was that the
• 2:17:05
  bones of the animals he caught and ate would be broken to pieces. No
• 2:17:09
  one knew why, and every one was too frightened of Womlieu to try and
• 2:17:15
  find out. He used to keep them all at his home in the Kranzers,
• 2:17:20
  and he had crows to look after them, two at a time,
• 2:17:24
  Not like the ugly black crows that build in the willow trees near the dam,
• 2:17:30
  but white crows, the kind that come only once in many years,
• 2:17:35
  as soon as a white crow baby was found, it was taken to Uemliu.
• 2:17:41
  That was his order. Then he kept it in the crantzes of the
• 2:17:46
  mountains and let it grow big. And when the old white crows died,
• 2:17:52
  the next eldest became watchmen, and so there were always white crows to watch
• 2:17:58
  the bones when ou um Liu went hunting. But one day while he was
• 2:18:03
  away, brother Big Bullfrog came along hop hop hopity hop hop hop hopity hop,
• 2:18:13
  and said, why do you sit here all day, you white head
• 2:18:16
  crows? And the white crows said, we sit here to look after the
• 2:18:22
  bones for um Liu. Ah, but you must be tired of sitting,
• 2:18:28
  said brother big Bullfrog, you fly away a little and stretch your wings.
• 2:18:33
  I will sit here and look after the bones. The white crows looked this
• 2:18:37
  way and that way, up and down and all round, but no they
• 2:18:43
  couldn't see um Liu. And they thought now's our chance to get away for
• 2:18:48
  a fly. So they said craw craw, and stretched out their wings and
• 2:18:56
  flew away. Brother Big Bullfrog called out after them, don't hurry back.
• 2:19:01
  Stay as long as you like, I will take care of the bones.
• 2:19:07
  But as soon as they were gone, He said, Now I shall find
• 2:19:11
  out why Umlieu keeps the bones from being broken. Now I shall see why
• 2:19:18
  men and animals can live no longer. And he went from one end to
• 2:19:24
  the other of Umlieu's house at the bottom of the Crantz, breaking all the
• 2:19:30
  bones he could find. Ah, but he worked quickly, crack crack,
• 2:19:35
  crack crack. Wherever he went he broke bones. Then when he had finished,
• 2:19:41
  he hopped away hop hop hoppity hop, hop hop hoppity hop as fast
• 2:19:48
  as he could. When he had nearly reached his dam in the felt,
• 2:19:52
  the white crows overtook him. They had been to the Krantz and foy.
• 2:19:58
  They were frightened when they saw the broken bones. Haw craw. They said,
• 2:20:07
  brother big bullfrog, why are you so wicked? Wom you will be
• 2:20:11
  so angry? He will bite off our nice white heads, craw craw,
• 2:20:16
  and without a head, who can live? But brother big Bullfrog pretended he
• 2:20:24
  didn't hear. He just hopped on as fast as he could, and the
• 2:20:28
  white crows went after him. It's no good hopping away, brother bullfrog.
• 2:20:33
  They said, Woomleu, We'll find you wherever you are, And with one
• 2:20:37
  blow of his iron claws, he will kill you. But old brother Big
• 2:20:43
  Bullfrog didn't take any notice. He just hopped on, and when he came
• 2:20:48
  to his dam, he sat back at the edge of the water and blinked
• 2:20:52
  the beautiful eyes in his ugly old head, and said, when Wumlieu comes,
• 2:21:00
  tell him I am the man who broke the bones. Tell him I
• 2:21:03
  live in this dam, and if he wants to see me, he must
• 2:21:07
  come here. The white crows were very cross. They flew down quickly to
• 2:21:13
  peck brother Big Bullfrog, but they only dug their beats into the soft mud
• 2:21:18
  because Brother Big Bullfrog wasn't sitting there any longer. Kabloops He had dived into
• 2:21:24
  the dam, and the white crows could only see the rings round the place
• 2:21:28
  where he had made a hole in the water. Umlieu was far away in
• 2:21:33
  the felt, waiting for food, waiting for food. At last he saw
• 2:21:39
  a herd of zebras, the little striped horses that he is very fond of,
• 2:21:43
  and he tried to fly up so that he could fall on one of
• 2:21:46
  them, but he couldn't. He tried again, but no, he couldn't.
• 2:21:52
  He spread out his wings and flapped them, but they were quite weak,
• 2:21:58
  like Bassi's umbrella. When the libs are broken, then whom Lyu knew
• 2:22:03
  there must be something wrong at his house, and he was toch too.
• 2:22:07
  Angry, he struck his iron claws into the ground and roared and roared softly.
• 2:22:15
  He began like thunder far away, rolling through the cluiffs, then louder
• 2:22:20
  and louder, till oo oo. The earth beneath him seemed to shake.
• 2:22:28
  It was a terrible noise. But all his roaring did not help him.
• 2:22:33
  He couldn't fly, and at last he had to get up and walk home.
• 2:22:39
  He found the poor white crows nearly dead with fright, but they soon
• 2:22:45
  found out that he could no longer fly, so they were not afraid of
• 2:22:48
  him. Oo Oo, he roared, what have you done to make my
• 2:22:54
  wings so weak? And they said while wum was away, some one came
• 2:23:01
  and broke all the bones, and Umlu said, you were put here to
• 2:23:09
  watch them. It is your fault that they are broken, and to punish
• 2:23:13
  you, I am going to bite your stupid white heads off who He sprang
• 2:23:20
  towards them. But now that they knew he couldn't fly, they were not
• 2:23:24
  afraid of him. They flew away and sailed round in the air over his
• 2:23:30
  head, just too high for him to reach, and they called out,
• 2:23:35
  ha ha ha uhem cannot catch us. The bones are broken and his wings
• 2:23:41
  are useless. Now men and animals can live again. We will fly away
• 2:23:46
  and tell them the good news. Worm Liu sprang into the air, first
• 2:23:52
  to one side and then to the other, striking at them, but he
• 2:23:56
  couldn't reach them. And when he found all his efforts were in vain,
• 2:24:01
  he rolled on the ground and roared louder than ever. The white crows flew
• 2:24:07
  round him in rings and called out, ha, ha ha. He can
• 2:24:11
  no longer fly, He only rolls and roars. The man who broke the
• 2:24:16
  bones said, if Wumlu wants me, he can come and look for me
• 2:24:20
  at the dam. Craw craw, and away they flew. Then Wumlu thought,
• 2:24:28
  wait, I'll get hold of the one who broke the bones. I'll
• 2:24:33
  get him. So he went to the dam and there was old brother Bullfrog
• 2:24:39
  sitting in the sun at the water's edge. Wumlieu crept up slowly, quietly
• 2:24:46
  like a skellum behind brother Bullfrog. Ha Now I've got him, he thought,
• 2:24:52
  and made a spring but brother Bullfrog said ho and dived in kubloops and
• 2:24:58
  came up at the other side of the dam and sat there blinking in the
• 2:25:03
  sun. Umlieu ran round as hard as he could and was just going to
• 2:25:07
  spring when kablups Brother Bullfrog dived in again and came up at the other side
• 2:25:13
  of the dam, and so it went on each time. Just when Umlieu
• 2:25:20
  had nearly caught him, Brother Bullfrog dived in kabluups and called out oh from
• 2:25:26
  the other side of the dam. Then at last Umlieu saw it was no
• 2:25:31
  use trying to catch Brother Bullfrog, so he went home to see if he
• 2:25:35
  could mend the broken bones. But he could not, and from that day
• 2:25:41
  he could no longer fly, only walk upon his iron claws. Also from
• 2:25:48
  that day he learned to creep quietly like a skellum after his game, and
• 2:25:52
  though he still catches them and eats them, he is not as dangerous as
• 2:25:58
  he was when he could fly. And the white crows can no longer speak.
• 2:26:03
  They can only say crawl, crawl. But old brother Big Bullfrog still
• 2:26:09
  goes hop hop hoppity hop round about the dam, and whenever he sees umlu
• 2:26:16
  he just says ho, and dives into the water kubloops as fast as he
• 2:26:22
  can, and sits there laughing when he hears umlu roar with anger end of
• 2:26:31
  the flying lion. Why the heron has a crooked neck. The flames leapt
• 2:26:43
  gaily upward in the wide fireplace, throwing strange shadows on the painted walls,
• 2:26:48
  and gleaming on the polished wood of floor and beam and cupboard. Little Yan
• 2:26:54
  basked contentedly in the warmth, almost dozing, now absently stroking the terrier curled
• 2:27:01
  up beside him, now running his fingers through the soft fur of the rug
• 2:27:05
  on which he lay. It was made of silver jackal skins, a dozen
• 2:27:11
  of them, to judge from the six bushy tails spread out on either side,
• 2:27:16
  and as Ota Carroll's gaze rested on them, he remarked, reminiscently,
• 2:27:22
  are but warm yuckles? Was a slim Carol. No one ever got the
• 2:27:26
  better of him without paying for it. In an instant, Little jan was
• 2:27:31
  sitting bolt upright. Every symptom of sleep vanished from his face. The book
• 2:27:37
  from which villain had been laboriously trying to gain some idea of the physical features
• 2:27:41
  of Russia was flung to the far end of the roostpunk while pity suspending for
• 2:27:48
  a brief moment his whittling of a catapult stick slid along the floor to get
• 2:27:52
  within better sight and sound of the story teller. Yes, my little masters,
• 2:27:58
  some times it was Umlieu he cheated. Sometimes it was o Bas Babian
• 2:28:05
  or orm Wolf, and once it was the poor little dove. And that
• 2:28:09
  is what made me think of how he was cheated himself. Did the little
• 2:28:15
  dove cheat him, asked Peter eagerly. No, Basi, the dove is
• 2:28:20
  too frightened, not stupid, Bassy, but like people are when they are
• 2:28:24
  too gentle and kind and believe everything other people tell them. She was sitting
• 2:28:31
  on her nest one day, singing to her little children Coo coo coo,
• 2:28:39
  when um Yakas prowled along under the tree and heard her. A la verrald.
• 2:28:46
  Now I'll have a nice breakfast, he thought, and he called out,
• 2:28:50
  good morning, Danta. I hear you have such pretty little children.
• 2:28:54
  Please bring them down for me to see. But the Tanta was frightened of
• 2:28:58
  yakars and said, I'm sorry, warm they are not well to day,
• 2:29:03
  and I must keep them at home. Then Jackos lost his temper and called
• 2:29:07
  out, nonsense, I'm hungry and want something to eat, So throw down
• 2:29:13
  one of your little children at once, Barsi's nose. Sometimes crossness drives away
• 2:29:18
  frightened us. And Tante was so cross with Uam Yakas for wanting to eat
• 2:29:22
  one of her little children that she called out, no, no, you
• 2:29:26
  bad Yakas. I shall do nothing of the sort. Go away and look
• 2:29:31
  for other food. If you don't, I'll fly up and eat them all,
• 2:29:35
  said Jakas. Throw one down at once, and he stamped about and
• 2:29:41
  made such a horrible noise that poor Tanta thought he was really flying up.
• 2:29:46
  She looked at her babies. There wasn't one she wanted to give, but
• 2:29:52
  it was better to lose one than have them all eaten. So she shut
• 2:29:56
  her eyes and fluttered about the nest till one of them fell out, and
• 2:30:01
  Yakus caught it in his mouth and carried it off to his hole to eat.
• 2:30:05
  Ah. But the poor Tanta was sad. She spread her wings over
• 2:30:09
  her other children and never slept all night, but looked about this way and
• 2:30:15
  that way with her soft eyes, thinking every little noise she heard. Was
• 2:30:20
  um yakals trying to fly up to her nest to gobble up all her babies.
• 2:30:26
  The next morning there was um yakus again. Danta, your child was
• 2:30:31
  a nice, juicy mouthful. Throw me down another and make haste, do
• 2:30:37
  you hear, or I'll fly up and eat you all. Coo coo coo,
• 2:30:45
  said Tanta, crying, no, I won't give you one. But
• 2:30:50
  it was no use, and in the end she did what she had done
• 2:30:52
  before, just shut her eyes and fluttered round and round till a baby fell
• 2:30:58
  out of the nest. She thought there was no help for it. And
• 2:31:03
  like some people are, she thought what the eye didn't see, the heart
• 2:31:07
  wouldn't feel. But her heart was very sore, and she cried more sadly
• 2:31:11
  than ever. And this time she said, ooh ooh ooh, ooh,
• 2:31:18
  ooh ooh, it was very sad and sorrowful to listen to. Ooh ooh,
• 2:31:26
  ooh, ooh ooh ooh. Here came old Oumria. He is a
• 2:31:33
  kind old bird, though he holds his neck so crooked and looks like there
• 2:31:39
  was nothing to smile at in the whole wide world. Ah, why do
• 2:31:43
  you cry so sadly? Tanta? It nearly gives me a stitch in my
• 2:31:46
  side. Ooh ooh, I'm very miserable. Um Yakals has eaten two of
• 2:31:54
  my little children, and to morrow he will come for another, and soon
• 2:31:58
  I shall have none left. But why did you let him eat them?
• 2:32:03
  Because he said if I didn't give him one, he would fly up and
• 2:32:07
  eat them all. Ooh ooh ooh. Then Umria was very angry. He
• 2:32:15
  flapped his wings and stretched out his long neck, so my bassis just so.
• 2:32:22
  The children hugged themselves in silent delight at OTA's fine acting, and he
• 2:32:26
  opened and shut his long beak to show how he would like to peck out
• 2:32:31
  Wumyakos's wicked eyes if he could only catch him. That for flux da Jakos,
• 2:32:37
  he said, tie tell such lies. But Tanta, you are stupid,
• 2:32:43
  don't you know um Yakles can't fly. Now, listen to me.
• 2:32:46
  When he comes again, tell him you know he can't fly, and that
• 2:32:50
  you won't giving any more of your children. The next day there came Umyakos
• 2:32:56
  again with his old story, but Tanta just laughed at him. Ah,
• 2:33:01
  no, you story telling, bushy tail, She said, I won't give
• 2:33:05
  you any more of my little children. And you needn't say you'll fly up
• 2:33:09
  and eat them, because I know you can't near near, said Wamjakals,
• 2:33:16
  growling. How did you know that? Wormria told me so there, said
• 2:33:20
  Tanta, and you can just go to your mother my But Tanta was getting
• 2:33:26
  brave now that she knew that she and her little children were safe. That
• 2:33:33
  was the worst insult you can ever give a grown up Yakuls, and wum
• 2:33:37
  Yakos growled more than ever. Never mind, he said, at last,
• 2:33:41
  Tanta is only a fromance. I won't bother with her any more. But
• 2:33:46
  wait till I catch Wormria. He'll be sorry. He poked his long nose
• 2:33:50
  into my business, the old meddler, and he trotted off to look for
• 2:33:56
  him. He hunted and hunted, and at last he found him, standing
• 2:34:01
  on one leg at the side of the river, with his long neck drawn
• 2:34:03
  in and his head resting on his shoulders. Good day, Umria, he
• 2:34:09
  said, politely, How is um to day? I'm all right, answered
• 2:34:15
  Wumria. Shortly, without moving an inch, yak A spoke in a little
• 2:34:20
  small voice, Ah toch so humble um, please come this way a little
• 2:34:28
  I'm so stupid, but you are so wise and clever, and I want
• 2:34:33
  to ask your advice about something. Umria began to listen. It is Marceaux
• 2:34:39
  when people hear about themselves. He put down his other leg, stretched out
• 2:34:46
  his neck and asked over his shoulder, what did you say, eh,
• 2:34:50
  come toch this way a little? The mud over there is too soft for
• 2:34:54
  me to stand on. I want your valuable advice about the wind. The
• 2:34:58
  other people all say, I must ask you, because no one is as
• 2:35:01
  wise as you. Truly, Yacos was a shlim carol. He knew how
• 2:35:09
  to stroke Wumria's feathers the right way. Wumiria came slowly over the mud.
• 2:35:16
  A person mustn't show he is too pleased. He even stopped to swallow a
• 2:35:20
  little frog on the way, and then he said careless like, yes,
• 2:35:24
  I can tell you all about the wind and weather. Ask what you like,
• 2:35:28
  Yacas. His long neck twisted about with pride. Um. When the
• 2:35:35
  wind is from the west, how must one hold one's head? Is that
• 2:35:39
  all? Said Wumria. Just so, and he turned his head to the
• 2:35:45
  east. Thank you, um And when the wind is from the east,
• 2:35:50
  so Wumiria bent his neck the other way. Thank you, um said the
• 2:35:56
  little small voice, so grateful an humble. But when there is a storm
• 2:36:03
  and the rain beats down, how then, so said ou Maria, And
• 2:36:09
  he bent his neck down till his head nearly touched his toes. My little
• 2:36:13
  master's just as quick as a whipsnake shoots into its hole. So Yakuls shut
• 2:36:18
  out his arm and caught Umria on the bend of his neck. Crack,
• 2:36:22
  And in a minute, the poor old bird was rolling in the mud,
• 2:36:24
  with his neck nearly broken, and so weak that he couldn't even lift his
• 2:36:30
  beak to peck at the false, wicked eyes that were staring at him.
• 2:36:35
  Oh, how glad was cruel Jakuls. He laughed till he couldn't any more.
• 2:36:39
  He screamed and danced with pleasure. He waved his bushy tail, and
• 2:36:43
  the silver mane on his back bristled as he jumped about. Ha ha ha.
• 2:36:48
  Um ought to do me a bad turn, But I'll teach people not
• 2:36:52
  to interfere with me. Ha ha. No one is as wise as u
• 2:36:58
  Maria, hay, and he will soon find out how to mend his broken
• 2:37:01
  neck. Ha ha ha. Jacas gave one last spring right over poor Umria
• 2:37:09
  and danced off to his den in the copies to tell Tanti Jakos and the
• 2:37:13
  little Yakusses how he had cheated Umria and from that day basis Umria's neck is
• 2:37:20
  crooked. He can't hold it straight, and it's all through trying to interfere
• 2:37:26
  with Jakos. That is why I said, Jakos is a slim carol.
• 2:37:31
  Whether he walks on four legs or on two, that best is mar to
• 2:37:35
  leave him alone, because he can always make a plan, and no one
• 2:37:39
  never gets the better of him without paying for it in the end. And
• 2:37:46
  of why the heron has a crooked neck the little red tortoise. No Yakus
• 2:37:58
  story to night, please, Ota, said little Jan as they gathered round
• 2:38:03
  the fire. We all think Jakos was a cruel, horrid creature, eating
• 2:38:09
  the poor little doves and cracking the good heron's neck. Yes, chimed in
• 2:38:15
  pity. He was always playing wicked tricks. So no more Yukos for us.
• 2:38:22
  What will you tell us to night, Ota? Something really nice,
• 2:38:26
  suggested William, and not unkind OTA's beady black eyes twinkled from one to another
• 2:38:33
  of his little master's while an affectionate smile spread over his yellow face, accentuating
• 2:38:41
  the wrinkles which Chris crossed it in every direction. Ah, the soft young
• 2:38:46
  heart's. Otar's heart was like that once too, But he shook his head.
• 2:38:52
  If the heart doesn't get a little tie like a bouton, it is
• 2:38:58
  of no use to a person in this old, hard world. He deposited
• 2:39:03
  his shapeless hat on the floor, tapped his red kop dook with a claw
• 2:39:07
  like forefinger, and waited for an inspiration. It came from an unexpected quarter,
• 2:39:15
  for suddenly there was a commotion at the end of his old coat,
• 2:39:18
  the tails of which hung down nearly to the floor, and diving into his
• 2:39:24
  pocket, the old man triumphantly produced a squirming tortoise. See what Ota caught
• 2:39:31
  for the basis near the clip cop this afternoon, A nice little berchskilpat.
• 2:39:37
  Now bas villain can put it in his corral with the others and let it
• 2:39:41
  lay eggs. It is still young, but it will grow. Yes,
• 2:39:48
  so big a cartwheel might have been comfortably contained in the circle described by Otar's
• 2:39:54
  arms. It was a nobbly, dark marked torti, quite unlike those the
• 2:40:01
  little boys generally found in the felt near the house, and they took possession
• 2:40:07
  of it with delight and suggestions as to a name. After discussion, honors
• 2:40:13
  were equally in favor of Petre Tiff and Missus van Riebeck, and it was
• 2:40:20
  decided that the casting vote should be left to cousin Minnie, the children's governess.
• 2:40:26
  For a long time they had kept tortoises of all sorts and sizes in
• 2:40:31
  their skill. Pup Karl and so tame and intelligent. Had some of these
• 2:40:35
  creatures grown that they would come when called, And big old Vault de Mard
• 2:40:41
  roamed about at will, often disappearing for a time and returning to his companions.
• 2:40:46
  After a few days in the felt, Ota turned the new acquisition on
• 2:40:52
  its back on the jackal skin rug, where it lay, wriggling and going
• 2:40:58
  through the strangest contortions. Ah, the wise little man is it there?
• 2:41:03
  Its mother sprinkled it with boohoo. There just under its arm. He touched
• 2:41:09
  the skinny underside of one of its fore legs. Footnote bohoo is an aromatic
• 2:41:16
  felter heb from which a decoction has made. Sprinkling boohoo under the arm is
• 2:41:22
  a hottentot custom in token of approval, and a footnote here Basviliem put it
• 2:41:31
  in the soap boxy till to morrow. Ah, if only it had been
• 2:41:37
  a red tortoise, how glad oto would have been a red tortoise, echoed
• 2:41:43
  pity, and little Yan, while Villem hurried back from the passage to hear
• 2:41:46
  all about it and have basis then never heard of a red tortoise? Yes,
• 2:41:54
  certainly sometimes a red one is born, but not often, only once
• 2:42:00
  in a thousand years. And when this happens, the news is sent round
• 2:42:05
  because it is such a wonderful thing, And the whole nation of skilpads,
• 2:42:09
  those frogs with bony shields and hard beaks, are glad because they know the
• 2:42:16
  little red one has come to help them against their enemies. Once, a
• 2:42:22
  long, long time ago, a mother schilpad laid an egg in a shallow
• 2:42:26
  hole in the sand, just where the sun could warm it all the day,
• 2:42:31
  and she scraped a little sand over it so that no one could see
• 2:42:35
  it, see bussies. She was afraid of thieves. It was white and
• 2:42:41
  round and so large that she felt very proud of it, and she often
• 2:42:46
  went to see how it was getting on. One day, as she got
• 2:42:50
  near the place, she heard a little voice, peep peep, mamma,
• 2:42:56
  mamma, come and find me. So she called out, Kinter, kinter,
• 2:43:03
  here's your mamma, my. But she walked fast. Her short legs
• 2:43:09
  just went so Otar's arms worked vigorously. And when she got to the karu
• 2:43:15
  bush where she had put the egg, the shell was broken, and a
• 2:43:18
  little red tortoise was sitting alongside of it. His shell was soft, and
• 2:43:24
  you could see everything inside of him, and how the blood went this way
• 2:43:28
  and that way. But never mind. It is Marceaux with little tortoises.
• 2:43:35
  He was fine and healthy, and everything about him was quite red. Al
• 2:43:41
  la verolt old mamma was proud. She went and told all her friends,
• 2:43:46
  and they came from all sides to see the little red tortoise. They were
• 2:43:52
  berg tortoises and fluch de tortoises, and sun crapers, and even water tortoises,
• 2:43:58
  young and old, and they all sat round and praised him and gave
• 2:44:03
  him good advice and nice things to eat. He listened to everything and ate
• 2:44:09
  all the nice things, and grew bigger and redder and harder. But he
• 2:44:13
  didn't talk much, and the old ones nodded to each other and said,
• 2:44:18
  ach, but he is sensible. But the young one said, ach,
• 2:44:24
  but he is stuck up. And they went away and crawled in the red
• 2:44:28
  clay to make themselves red. But it was no good. In a little
• 2:44:33
  while it all rubbed off. At last all the visitor skilpuds went home again,
• 2:44:41
  But the little red tortoise stayed with his mamma and went on growing bigger
• 2:44:46
  and redder and harder. And his mamma was toch so proud of him when
• 2:44:52
  he walked in the felt, and the other young tortoises said to him,
• 2:44:56
  come, we'll show you the way to do things. You must do so,
• 2:45:01
  and you must do so. He said, you can do so if
• 2:45:05
  you like, But I'll do things my own way. And they said,
• 2:45:11
  stuck up red thing. Wait, oh, bas giraffe will get you.
• 2:45:16
  But they left him alone. And although they all wished they were red,
• 2:45:22
  they did not crawl in the clay any more. They knew it was no
• 2:45:26
  good. It was only from outside, so it soon rubbed off. But
• 2:45:31
  the little red one's redness was from inside, and Basi's no for a thing
• 2:45:37
  to be any good. It must be on the inside. He glanced involuntarily
• 2:45:43
  at the wall cover where his soupee was safely locked up. It would certainly
• 2:45:48
  not be any good, in his opinion, till it was on the inside
• 2:45:52
  of him. But when the old tortoises gave him advice, the little red
• 2:45:58
  tortoise listened and thanked them. He was a wise little man. He knew
• 2:46:05
  when to speak and when to hold his tongue. At that time, my
• 2:46:09
  basis, the whole tortoise nation was having a hard time with Obas Giraffe,
• 2:46:16
  that old horse with the long neck and the unequal legs, who is all
• 2:46:20
  white and black like a burnt thorn bush with crows sitting on it. Footnote
• 2:46:28
  the mimosa bush is white when burnt by the sun. And a footnote he
• 2:46:33
  gives blue ashes when he is burnt. Therefore is he called the blue one.
• 2:46:41
  He had taken to eating tortoises. They didn't know what to do.
• 2:46:46
  They tried to make a plan, but no, they could find no remedy.
• 2:46:52
  Whenever Obas Giraffe saw a nice young tortoise that he could easily swallow,
• 2:46:58
  he picked it up in his mouth, and from fright it pulled his head
• 2:47:01
  and all its feet into its shell, and whoops, one swallow and is
• 2:47:05
  its sail down the blue one's long throat, just like Basis sail down the
• 2:47:11
  plank at the side of the skier Kraal. The little red tortoise listened to
• 2:47:16
  the plans that were made, and at last he thought of a plan.
• 2:47:22
  He was not sure how it would go, but he was a brave little
• 2:47:26
  one, and he thought by himself, if it goes wrong, there will
• 2:47:30
  be no more little red daughtoise. But if it goes right, then the
• 2:47:35
  whole tortoise nation will be able to live again. So what did he do,
• 2:47:39
  my basis? He crawled out far into the felt and sat in the
• 2:47:45
  path where the old Blue one liked to walk. Soon he heard woof,
• 2:47:50
  woof, woof, coming nearer and nearer. Then the noise stopped. The
• 2:47:58
  little red one peeped from under his shell. Yes, there was the great
• 2:48:03
  Blue One standing over him and looking very fierce. Do you know, little
• 2:48:09
  red tortoise, In one moment, I could trample you to death. The
• 2:48:13
  little red one was very frightened, for this was not his plan, But
• 2:48:18
  he said nothing, Do you know, little red tortoise? In one moment
• 2:48:24
  I could swallow you. Ah, how glad was the little red tortoise,
• 2:48:30
  But he only said in a small little voice, Yes, noble blue one,
• 2:48:35
  I belong to the nation whom it is the custom to swallow. Please
• 2:48:39
  swallow me. Oh Bas Giraffe picked him up and gave a little gulp,
• 2:48:46
  and the little red tortoise slipped half way down his long throat. But o,
• 2:48:52
  ye, hear a strange thing happened. The little red one would go
• 2:48:56
  no further. Instead of drawing in his head and eggs and slipping down like
• 2:49:01
  a stone like all the other tortoises had done, he wanted to see where
• 2:49:05
  he was going, so he stuck out his head and fastened his sharp little
• 2:49:09
  nails into Obas Giraffe's gullet, and there he hung like a bat on a
• 2:49:15
  wall. Go town, Go down, little tortoise, you choke me.
• 2:49:20
  The old blue one could hardly speak. His throat was so full of tortoise.
• 2:49:26
  Peep peep, said the little red one, and held on more tightly
• 2:49:30
  than ever. Come up, Come up, little tortoise, you kill me.
• 2:49:35
  The old blue one was stamping and gurgling. Now, peep peep,
• 2:49:39
  said the little red one and hung on with his hard bent beak as well.
• 2:49:46
  He thought, No, too many of my nation have sailed down this
• 2:49:50
  red slut. I won't let go. I tell you, Basis. O
• 2:49:56
  bas Giraffe danced and pranced over the f He screamed and bellowed, he gurgled
• 2:50:03
  and swallowed. He tried to get the little red tortoise down, and he
• 2:50:07
  tried to get him up, but it was no use. The little red
• 2:50:11
  one clung fast to him till he was quite choked, and sank down in
• 2:50:16
  the sand and died. Then the little red tortoise crawled out and went home
• 2:50:22
  to tell his mamma that he had killed O bas Gioff and that his nation
• 2:50:28
  could have peace again. Ah, but she was proud of him. It's
• 2:50:35
  not for nothing you were born red, she said, Come here, my
• 2:50:39
  little crab, that I may put boohoo under your arm. Come, my
• 2:50:43
  crooked legged little one, let your mother sprinkle you with buhoo. When she
• 2:50:48
  had sprinkled him with boohoo, they went and told their friends, and all
• 2:50:52
  the tortoise nation rejoiced and went and had a great feast off O bas Giraff
• 2:50:58
  as he lay dead in the felt, And they thought more of the little
• 2:51:03
  red tortoise than ever. Even the young ones who had been angry with him,
• 2:51:07
  said, he is wiser than we are. We will listen to what
• 2:51:13
  he says. Perhaps, after all, there is something in being born a
• 2:51:18
  certain color, And of the little red tortoise. The ostrich hunt. The
• 2:51:33
  next day. All the time that was not given to lessons and meals was
• 2:51:37
  spent by the little boys in scouring the felt for a red tortoise. Disappointment
• 2:51:43
  at their fruitless search found vent in no measured terms. When Ota Carrol appeared
• 2:51:48
  in the dining room at his usual hour, Ah to hear them now,
• 2:51:54
  he said, regarding them with his wide mouthed smile of amused tolerance. Does
• 2:52:00
  it then rain red tortoises? And how can the basis think they will find
• 2:52:05
  at the first shot a thing that only comes once in a thousand years?
• 2:52:11
  Well, said Willem stoutly. It might just have been the time for one.
• 2:52:16
  How were we to know, Ota asked little Yan earnestly. Do you
• 2:52:22
  know when it will be red tortoise time again? Ay ah Bassis said Ota
• 2:52:26
  readily. It won't be long. Now. Let Ota think he performed a
• 2:52:33
  tattoo on the red kopduk, a sure sign that he was in the thick
• 2:52:37
  of mental gymnastics. What comes just before a thousand my basis nine hundred and
• 2:52:46
  ninety nine, answered Pete, who was good at arithmetic. Now, yes,
• 2:52:50
  said Otta triumphantly. I knew it must be nearly time. It is
• 2:52:56
  nine hundred and ninety nine years since there was a red tortie. So next
• 2:53:01
  year, this time busses can begin to look for one. Only begin my
• 2:53:05
  bussies, because it will only be creeping out of the egg then, And
• 2:53:11
  perhaps it won't be in this felt. It might be far far away where
• 2:53:16
  people don't know about a red tortoise, and so no one will look for
• 2:53:20
  him. Must Ota tell you another story about him? The sly old man
• 2:53:26
  had taken the best way of escaping more questions. The little boys gathered round
• 2:53:33
  and listened wide eyed as he told the story of the tortoises hunting the ostriches.
• 2:53:41
  After Obas Giraffe was dead, the tortoises had a nice life for a
• 2:53:46
  long time, and then there came into their felt old three sticks, the
• 2:53:50
  ostrich with his Mamma and Papa, and his wives and uncles and aunties and
• 2:53:56
  children, and friends. Allah, they were a lot of ostriches. The
• 2:54:03
  whole felt was full of them, and they all began eating tortoises wherever they
• 2:54:07
  could find them. It was just the same like when O Bas Giraffe used
• 2:54:13
  to go about. And the tortoises thought and thought, and they talked and
• 2:54:18
  talked, but they couldn't make a plan that would drive the ostriches away.
• 2:54:24
  The little red tortoise was thinking too, but he didn't talk till he had
• 2:54:30
  his plan ready. Then he called all the tortoises together. The old ones
• 2:54:37
  came because they wanted to hear what the wise little red one had to say.
• 2:54:41
  And the young ones came because ever since he had killed o Bas Giraffe
• 2:54:46
  they had listened to him. When they were all together, he said,
• 2:54:52
  it now goes on too long, this hunting of tortoises by all three sticks
• 2:54:56
  and his friends. Let us change play, and let us the tortoise people
• 2:55:03
  go and hunt ostriches. Beep beep, cried all the young tortoises. They
• 2:55:09
  were quite ready. But the old one said, is this, the wise
• 2:55:15
  little red one, how is it possible for us to hunt ostriches? It
• 2:55:20
  is possible because ostriches never run straight, but always a little in the round
• 2:55:26
  and a little in the round, so that in the end, if they
• 2:55:30
  run long enough, they come again to the place where he began from Now,
• 2:55:35
  yes, on a certain day, let us then go into the felt
• 2:55:39
  where the ostriches like to hunt, and let us make two long rows,
• 2:55:45
  not straight out, but always in the round, wondering very large outside and
• 2:55:52
  the other smaller inside. Then when all three Sticks and his friends come,
• 2:55:58
  we will call to one another and drive them on, and they will flee
• 2:56:01
  through the midst of us, round and round till they can flee no longer.
• 2:56:07
  Peep pep, said the young tortoises, and the old ones joined in.
• 2:56:13
  They saw that it was a good plan, so they all went to
• 2:56:18
  the hunting felt of old three Sticks and his friends and spread themselves out.
• 2:56:22
  As the little red tortoise had said. Soon the ostriches came, pecking,
• 2:56:28
  pecking as they walked. The tortoises sat very still, waiting, my buses,
• 2:56:35
  just waiting till the ostriches were right in the middle of the two rings.
• 2:56:41
  Then the little red tortoise gave the signal peep, peep, and at
• 2:56:46
  once the calling began, Are you there? Called the first tortoise. I
• 2:56:52
  am here, said the next, And so it went on all round the
• 2:56:54
  circle, one calling to the other. What are you doing? Called the
• 2:57:00
  first one. Hunting ostriches, said the next, And so it went on
• 2:57:05
  all round the circle, again, one calling to the other. The ostriches
• 2:57:09
  could see nothing, They could only hear voices calling. They looked at each
• 2:57:15
  other and said, what are these voices? It is surely a great army
• 2:57:20
  come to hunt us. Let us get away. They were very frightened and
• 2:57:24
  began to run. And as far as they ran, they heard are you
• 2:57:28
  there, I am here? What are you doing? Hunting ostriches? So
• 2:57:35
  it went on over and over again. The tortoises never moved, only kept
• 2:57:41
  calling out, and the ostriches ran faster and faster, all in the round,
• 2:57:46
  till at last they were so tired they couldn't run any more. First
• 2:57:50
  one fell, then another, and another and another, till there were heaps
• 2:57:56
  of them lying about, and just where they fell they lay quite still.
• 2:58:01
  They were too tired to move. Then the tortoises gathered together. They were
• 2:58:07
  very many, and they bit old three sticks, and all these family and
• 2:58:11
  friends on their long necks, and kill them Since then, the tortoises have
• 2:58:18
  had peace from the long necked people o bas giraffe and old three sticks.
• 2:58:24
  It is only the things of the air, like crows and lammer fungers that
• 2:58:28
  still hunt them. And basses know how they do. They catch a poor
• 2:58:35
  tortoise in their claws and fly away with him high up over a copy,
• 2:58:39
  and then they drop him on the stones cub bloops and there he lies with
• 2:58:45
  his shell all broken and without a shell. How can a tortoise live?
• 2:58:50
  And then the thing of the air comes and eats him up, and that
• 2:58:54
  is the end of the poor tortoise. But the red tortoise they never touch.
• 2:59:01
  It is his color, bases that frightens them. So the young tortoises
• 2:59:05
  were right when they said there is something, after all in being born a
• 2:59:09
  certain color. After the ostrich hunt, the little red tortoise was sprinkled with
• 2:59:16
  buho under both arms, and his mamma sang him this song. The little
• 2:59:22
  crooked legged one, I could sprinkle it, sprinkle it with buho under its
• 2:59:28
  arms. The little red crab, the little wise one, I sprinkled the
• 2:59:33
  buho under both arms. For the long necks they ate us it has found
• 2:59:37
  a way to kill them, so we sprinkle it. The little red one
• 2:59:43
  sprinkled the buho under both arms. The usual discussion took place when Ota had
• 2:59:50
  finished, and at last Beete said, if I had to be a tortoise,
• 2:59:54
  I'd be a red one. Why, my little master, because the
• 3:00:01
  crows and lammerfungers don't catch it. To be swallowed by an ostrich or stick
• 3:00:05
  in a giraffe's throat would not be so bad. But I'd hate to be
• 3:00:09
  broken on the stones, ah, my bassy. No matter how old friend
• 3:00:16
  death comes, we are never ready for him. When Ota was young,
• 3:00:22
  he was nearly killed by a troop of spring bucks, and he thought,
• 3:00:26
  no, not toch trampled to death. To be carried down the river is
• 3:00:31
  better. But when the flood came and the river carried Ota away, he
• 3:00:37
  fought for his life just as hard as when the spring bucks were on him.
• 3:00:41
  It was the same when the hut was burnt, and when the mad
• 3:00:46
  bull chased Oto across the felt, Over and over again, the same.
• 3:00:50
  Always another sort of death seems better. Always old friend death finds a man
• 3:00:58
  not quite ready for him. Him. And now, how would you like
• 3:01:03
  him to find you, Ota, asked Willem with much interest. A whimsical
• 3:01:09
  smile spread over the old man's face. Ah to hear him just sitting in
• 3:01:15
  the sun my bassy by the skier kraal wall, where I have sat for
• 3:01:20
  so many many years. When he comes, I will say, mourning,
• 3:01:26
  old friend, you have been a long time on the road. Ah,
• 3:01:31
  so long that I am tired of waiting. Let us go at once.
• 3:01:37
  A person needn't pack up for that trek buses. I'll just drop my old
• 3:01:41
  sheepskin cross and take old friend Death's hand and let him show me the way.
• 3:01:48
  It is far my basis, far to that land, and no one
• 3:01:54
  ever comes back from it, then some one else will tell the stories by
• 3:01:58
  the fire. There will be no Ota any more to talk to the little
• 3:02:03
  master's. His voice had dropped to a musing tone. Don't don't, cried
• 3:02:11
  pity in a choked voice. Ota, you mustn't say such things, said
• 3:02:16
  villain, and they each seized one of OTA's crooked hands, while little Jan
• 3:02:22
  clung to his old coat as though he would never let it go. I
• 3:02:26
  want my Ota, he cried. He mustn't go away. I want my
• 3:02:31
  Ota, Carol, the old man's eyes glistened with a moisture not often seen
• 3:02:37
  in them. Still still my little Bassi's, he said, stroking first one
• 3:02:43
  then another. Ota doesn't want to make them sad. He is not going
• 3:02:48
  yet. He will sit here and tell his foolish stories for many nights.
• 3:02:52
  Yet a caressing smile broke over his grotesque face. And do they then want
• 3:03:00
  to keep their Ota? Ah, to think of it, the kind little
• 3:03:03
  hearts. But what will de nui say if the eyes are juicy? No?
• 3:03:09
  Ota only said about the skier kraal and sitting in the sun, because
• 3:03:15
  it sounds so nice and friendly. Look how lively and well Ota is like
• 3:03:20
  a young bulkhough he pretended playfully to toss them. That's right, my children,
• 3:03:28
  Now you laugh again. But young bulcarves must also go in the corral.
• 3:03:33
  And the hut is calling Ota night, my bassies, night night.
• 3:03:39
  Sleep well to morrow, Ote I will tell them another beautiful story. Ach
• 3:03:46
  the dear little ones, so good to their ugly Ota, followed by a
• 3:03:52
  chorus of good nights from the children. The old man shuffled away, not
• 3:03:58
  knowing that he had spoken with prophetic voice and that friend death would find him
• 3:04:03
  even as he wished sitting in the sun by the skier Kraal, but that
• 3:04:09
  was not yet a while, and he told many stories before setting out on
• 3:04:15
  the great trek for the unknown. Felt whence no traveler returns. End of
• 3:04:22
  the Ostrich Hunt and end of Ottar Carroll Stories. South African Folklore Tales by Sanni Mettlecamp