pretty clear all de time, an'
Ou' Wolf keep his eyes yust a-yinglin' till he hear King Lion's got well
again. Den he say to hisse'f, `Now I's gun' to get square wi' darie Ou'
Jackalse--you watch me if I don't,' an' off he go to see Ou' Baviyaan in
de koppies.

"`Mawnin', Nief,' ses he.

"`Mawnin', Oom,' ses Baviyaan.

"`Very dry,' ses Ou' Wolf; `d'ye t'ink we'l get rain pretty soon?' ses
he.

"Ou' Baviyaan, he scratch his back, an' he look roun', an' he chew de
bark off'n a piece o' stick. `P'raps it rain by'n'by,' ses he. `Dese
yer koppies pretty hot dis mawnin'.'

"`Well,' ses Ou' Wolf, now he'd cleared de groun' polite like dat, `you
'members darie skellum, Ou' Jackalse, dat never pay you yet for all dat
lamb meat an' dat kid meat you let him have, don't you?'

"`Don't I,' ses Baviyaan, puckerin' his eyebrows down an' makin' sharp
eyes, an' grabbin' a fresh twig an' strippin' de bark off it--_rip_!--
wid one snatch of his teef. `I yust does.'

"`Well now, look a-hyere, Nief,' ses Ou' Wolf. `I cahnt stan' him no
longer nohow. I's yust a-gun' to get even wid him. He done one t'ing
an' he done anoder t'ing, an' he don't pay me for de hin'quarters o' de
finest Eland you ever seen, an' so I votes we yust stops all dese little
die-does of his. Wat you say now if we go an' give him such a
shambokkin' till he don't stir out till dis time nex' year?'

"Ou' Baviyaan look at de little bird in de tree, an' Ou' Baviyaan look
at de little shiny lizard on de rock. An' he looks at Ou' Wolf an' he
looks round agen, an' he yumps an' he biffs a scorpion what he sees him
wriggle his tail out from under a stone. Den he say, ses he, `Yeh, but
how's I know you ain't a-gun' to streak it out o' dat as soon's Ou'
Jackalse prance out for us? Den where'd I be, huh?'

"`But who's a-gun' to run away?' ses Ou' Wolf, swellin' hisse'f out
mighty big. `D'ye mean to say _I's_ a-gun' to run away f'm a skellum
like dat? Me scared o' him? Huh!'

"Ou' Baviyaan, he scratch hisse'f on de hip, an' he eat what you cahnt
see out'n his finger an' t'umb. `Den what you want me to help you foh?'
ses he, kind o' pucker in' his eyes an' glintin' here an' dere in Ou'
Wolf's face.

"`Oh, dat's all right,' ses Ou' Wolf, an' he try to t'ink so quick dat
de inside his head tumble all over itself like rags in a basket upside
down. `On'y if I go an' do it my lone se'f, den people t'ink it's yust
fightin', an' dey say, "Poor Ou' Jackalse". Bu