he's a-gun' to get Ou' Wolf into much more
trouble nowadays, Ainkye," went on the old Hottentot. "He ain't a-gun'
to get de best o' so many more folks, not since he went to get even wid
Young Tink Tinky, de littlest bird on de veldt. Little Missis Tinky got
Ou' Mammy Reyer, de Crane, to he'p her, an' dat made all de difference.
You seen how he slunk his tail along behind him?--well, dat's why. He's
a-tinkin' o' what happened den, an' he looked at you over his shoulder,
wonderin' all de time weder you'd heerd de tale or not. It happened dis
while or two back, an' since den he ain't bin near so sa'cy as he used
to was."

"Oh, poor Old Jackalse!" cried the little girl, "what did happen? Do
tell me, Ou' Ta'."

"Well," began Old Hendrik, "if ever you sees Ou' Jackalse tryin' to fool
Ou' Wolf into trouble agen, you don't ha' to say on'y yust one ting.
You's on'y got to ask him how he likes eggs, an' den see if he don't
turn round an fair slink off wid his tail draggin'. Dat's where de
trouble come in, he would go ahter eggs.

"You 'members me tellin' you how Young Tink Tinky bested Ou' Jackalse
when de birds wantto choose a King for demselves? Well, Ou' Jackalse he
never forgot dat, an' he was al'ays a-studyin' how he's a-gun' to get
even, but he couldn't find de way nohow till at last he sees Missis
Tinky a-sittin' on de nest, an' he knows by dat dere's eggs dere.
`Dat's me,' ses Ou' Jackalse. `Eggs is de ting I does like--an' here's
some. Watch me teach dat Young Tinky dis time.'

"Now dere was a t'orn-tree like dis,"--here Old Hendrik indicated the
mimosa under which he sat,--"an' dis t'orn-tree was a-growin close
beside de river, an' a willow-tree dat was bigger yet was a-hangin' over
de t'orn. In dat t'orn-tree Young Tinky build his nest, an ahter de
eggs is all laid, an' his missis is well an' comfy settled into sittin'
on 'em, Young Tink he offs to look for scoff for hisse'f an' de missis.
Den's de time when Ou' Jackalse is a-watchin' him, an' as soon as he's
gone, here comes Jackalse to de bottom o' de t'orn-tree an' begins to
scratch on de bark--scratch! scratch! scratch!

"Little Missis Tinky she look down out o de nest. `Who's dere?' ses
she.

"`Me,' ses Ou' Jackalse.

"`What you want?' ses Missis Tinky, all in a tremble.

"`Want dem eggs you got,' ses Ou' Jackalse, wid his hair up. `You
better be sharp about it too.'

"`Well, you ain't a-gun' to get 'em,' flutter Missis Tinky; but she's
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