The Project Gutenberg EBook of Old Hendrik's Tales, by Arthur Owen Vaughan

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Title: Old Hendrik's Tales

Author: Arthur Owen Vaughan

Illustrator: J.A. Shepherd

Release Date: June 20, 2010 [EBook #32921]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK OLD HENDRIK'S TALES ***

Produced by Nick Hodson of London, England

Old Hendrik's Tales, by Captain Arthur Owen Vaughan.

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OLD HENDRIK'S TALES, BY CAPTAIN ARTHUR OWEN VAUGHAN.

CHAPTER ONE.

WHY OLD BABOON HAS THAT KINK IN HIS TAIL.

The day was hot, and the koppies simmered blue and brown along the Vaal
River. Noon had come, dinner was done. "Allah Mattie!" said the grey
old kitchen boy to himself, as he stretched to sleep in the shade of the
mimosa behind the house. "Allah Mattie! but it near break my back in
dem tobacco lands dis mawnin'. I sleep now."

He stretched himself with a slow groan of pleasure, settling his face
upon his hands as he lay, soaking in comfort. In three minutes he was
asleep.

But round the corner of the house came the three children, the eldest a
ten-year-old, the youngest six. With a whoop and a dash the eldest
flung himself astride the old Hottentot's back, the youngest rode the
legs behind, while the girl, the eight-year-old with the yellow hair and
the blue eyes, darted to the old man's head and caught him fast with
both hands. "Ou' Ta'! Ou' Ta'!" she cried. "Now you're Ou' Jackalse
and we're Ou' Wolf, and we've got you this time at last." She wanted to
dance in the triumph of it, could she have done it without letting go.

Old Hendrik woke between a grunt and a groan, but the merry clamour of
the little girl would have none of that. "Now we've got you, Ou'
Jackalse," cried she again.

The old man's yellow face looked up in a sly grin. "Ah, Anniekye," said
he unctuously; "but Ou' Wolf never did ketch Ou' Jackalse. He ain't
never bin slim enough yet. He make a big ole try dat time when he got
Oom Baviyaan to help him; but all dey got was dat kink in Ou' Ba