dat a'right agen.'

"`Well, what you reckon you's goin' to give de good man fo' usin' de
good hoe an' doin' it?' ses Ou' Jackalse straight out.

"`Oh, I give him his scoff, an' a twist o' to'acco,' ses de farmer, lazy
like.

"`Hu!' ses Ou' Jackalse. `Ain't you feared you'll send him to drink an'
to end up in de tronk wid all de money he'll have fo' spendin'?' An'
Ou' Jackalse he fair sniff a bit.

"De man turn roun'. `You please yourse'f,' ses he. `I tink scoff's a
lot in dese times, when de rinderpest is kill off not on'y all de meat
but all de oxen too, so we cahnt fetch nawtin' from nowhere.'

"`Well, good scoff?' axes Ou' Jackalse, like he want to make de best of
it.

"`Dere ain't on'y one sort o' scoff at my place,' ses de man. `Same
sort o' scoff I get myse'f.'

"`Well, you leave de hoe here an' I see about it,' ses Ou' Jackalse, an'
de man he yust drop dat hoe like it was hot, an' offs home to sit in de
cool an' drink coffee.

"So Ou' Jackalse he'd made a start anyhow; he'd got a yob at least. But
if you tink he's goin' to balance hisse'f on de end o' dat hoe, well,
you's got hold o' de wrong ox dis time. He yust come along to Ou' Wolf.
`At last,' ses he. `At last I's got a sight to get some scoff anyhow,'
an' he fetch a big ole breaf like as if a sack o' Kaffir corn flop off
his back.

"`How's dat?' ses Ou' Wolf, a-sittin' down an' proppin' hisse'f up wid
his front foots, an' his tongue hangin' out like a sheepskin.

"`Dere's a farmer de yonder side de ridge, an' he want some'dy to do a
bit in his to'acco, an' he'll give us a share of his scoff same as
hisse'f,' ses Ou' Jackalse; an' he look at Ou' Wolf as if he ought to
drop two tickies in de bag next time he goes to church, like an ole
dopper farmer when de rain save de crop.

"But Ou' Wolf he look at Ou' Jackalse sort o' s'picious. `Do a bit in
de to'acco?' ses he. `Dat's _work_, ain't it?' ses he.

"`An' mighty glad to get it,' ses Ou' Jackalse, out big an' loud, makin'
as if he was just wishin' dere was a hoe dere dis minute, so he could
lick right in.

"`But--work,' ses Ou' Wolf, an' he droop his head an' he shake it slow
an' swingin'.

"`Well,' ses Ou' Jackalse, sort o' like he's ponderin' it. `Darie baas
he reckon de man on de hoe is a-gun' to be workin', but de man on de hoe
he might reckon he don't know so much about dat. He might reckon he'll
knock it off in his own time. He might s'pose it's him ha' to do it;
an' he mi