r house. Come
an' he'p me hol' it up! make hurry!'

"De leopard don't stop to look, an' de leopard don't stop to tink. It
hear Ou' Jackalse yellin', an' it see him plank his shoulder to de rock,
an' strain an' puff till his eyes stick out to hol' up dat rock; an' in
yust about one tick dat leopard was dere too, wid his shoulder to de
rock, scratchin' an' yammin' to hol' it up too.

"`Hol' it now till I run an' get a prop,' shouts Ou' Jackalse, an' de
leopard he yust double hol's while Ou' Jackalse dive into de trees to
look for de prop.

"But," concluded the old Hottentot, with an impressive pause, "he ain't
got back wid dat prop yet."

CHAPTER SEVEN.

OU' JACKALSE TAKES OU' WOLF A-SHEEP STEALING.

The children had been privately discussing for several days the state of
things as between Ou' Jackalse and Ou' Wolf, and the verdict came out on
this hot mid-day as they sat beside Old Hendrik under the big mimosa.

"Ou' Wolf was always such a big fool," protested the eldest boy, with
the wondrous contempt of his years; "such a fool to let that Ou' Jackal
best him every time, like he did."

"Well," admitted Old Hendrik with a grin, "Ou' Wolf he might ha' look
out a bit mo' p'r'aps, when he come near Ou' Jackalse. But den, I tell
you, darie Ou' Jackalse is yust dat slim dere ain't no slimmer. If you
want to keep ahead o' him you'd ha' to get up so early dere ain't no
time to go to bed, an' den you'd on'y see his heel dust away yonder.
Look dat time when Ou' Jackalse got Ou' Wolf into goin' a-sheep stealin'
wid him. What 'ud you want mo' fairer dan dat look at de start? An'
den what about de finis' of it?

"Times is been a lot better many a time dan dey was den. De rinderpest
was gone a' right enough, but de game was mighty sca'se yet, an' if Ou'
Jackalse want to live on meat he hatto go mostly stalkin' roun' farmers'
kraals for sheep. But him bein' doin' it on his lonesome he ain't had
so much luck as he tink he'd like to have. One kraal specially he yust
would like to get into, an' dere he tink he'd have de biggest feed of
his life. It's a' right to get into it some night an' fill hisse'f up
to de eyes wid meat, but dere's de mawnin' after--dat's de trouble. De
mawnin' after de man's a-goin' to find out what's happen', an' he'll get
his dogs an' hunt for de one dat did it. An' Ou' Jackalse he's a-goin'
to be too full o' feed to be hunted dat nex' mawnin'. Huntin' ain't
a-goin' to agree wid him at