e little wing an' den de oder, like he's
sayin'--`Look at dat now'.

"But de ladybird ain't a-listenin' to none o' his foolishness. `Yes,'
ses she, `you ses dat now. But you wait a bit till de Aasvo'el's King
of all you birds, den you'll ha' to sing small enough, Mr Tink Tinky.'

"`Ho!' ses Tinky. `So Ole Baldy's bin tellin' you he's gun' to be King
o' de birds, is he? But we'll see about dat. Some'dy else may ha'
sometin' to say about dat.'

"`Well, I never,' ses de ladybird. `If dat ain't yust like your
imperence! P'r'aps you 'magines you's gun' to be King yourse'f?'

"`Why not?' ses he. `I's as good a man as Ole Baldy any day.'

"`You ses you is, an' you has cheek enough to tink you is,' ses de
ladybird. `But wait till you comes to try. De one dat flies highest is
gun' to be King. I yust heard him settle dat wid Ou' Jackalse. An' now
where's you? But p'r'aps you tink you can fly higher dan de Aasvo'el--
you has imperence enough.'

"`An' I has gumption enough too,' ses young Tinky. `You yust wait an'
see if I ain't.'

"`I don't care what you has if you'll only go away out o' dis now,' ses
de ladybird. `An' don't you come roun' me any mo' till you's beat Ole
Baldy flyin' high.'

"`Den I'll be King,' ses Tinky. `Don't you wish I'd come if I was
King?'

"`No, I don't,' ses she.

"`Den I won't,' ses he, an' off he pops.

"Well, de day comes for choosin' dis yere King, an' all de birds dey
brings Ou' Jackalse into de indaba, an' dey ax him what dey's got to do
to find de right one. An' Ole Baldy look so hard at Jackalse dat he
wrinkle all his head an' half his neck, an' Ou' Jackalse he smile back
'fore he speak. `Dere's on'y one way o' gettin' at it,' ses Ou'
Jackalse. `Birds was made wid wings so dey could get up off de earth.
So if dat's what a bird's for, an' if dat's de one ting dat make him a
bird, den it stand to reason de one dat can do bird work best is de best
bird. If you is to have a King den, why, de best bird should be de best
King, or de best King should be de best bird, whichever way you likes
it. So now de one dat flies de highest--dat's de one to be King.'

"Dere's a lot o' dem birds 'ud like to say a lot o' bad words yust den.
But de way Ou' Jackalse lay de business down dey cahnt see yust where to
tackle what he said. Dey all has to say, `A' right!' an' dey all ses
it, but they don't all tink it. So dere ain't no more said, an' dey all
lines up in a row. An dere ain