s dat slow an' heavy on de ground he might
as well try to catch a flea on a blanket; an' dere's him a-divin' an'
a-floppin', an' dere's Young Tink a-flickin' an' a hoppin', till Ole
Baldy fair boil over an' stand still. `Birds!' ses he, `is we gun' to
stand dis an' have dis little squirt say he's King over us?'

"`You bet we ain't,' ses de White Owl. `Is I de King den?' ses Baldy
nex', lookin' at 'em all roun'.

"But dey all want to say sometin' to dat, 'cause if dey cahnt be King
deirselves dey don't want anyb'dy else to be it. `No,' ses dey. `It
was to be de one went highest, an' we all hear you say to Tinky what
you'd do if on'y you could get up at him.'

"`Den what's a-gun' to be done?' ses Baldy, as mad's a scorpion.

"`Well, we'll ha' to study dat out,' ses dey. `We'll ha' to hold a
indaba an' see what we'll do about it.'

"Well, dey ketches Young Tinky an' dey takes him over and puts him into
a big Aard-Vark hole. `Who'll we put to watch him now?' ses dey.

"`Put de White Owl,' ses Ou' Jackalse; `he's got de biggest eyes an' de
widest open.'

"So dey put de White Owl to guard de hole, an' dey all goes back to hold
a indaba.

"`Why, dis is yust a fine place, it's so reg'lar nice an' shady,' ses
Young Tinky to de White Owl. `I's gun' to have a look for a place to be
comfy in.'

"`Do,' ses de White Owl. `Den you won't bodder me.'

"But what Tinky's a lookin' for is a place to get out at, an' he look,
an' he look, but dere ain't no sich a place. `I 'specs I'll ha' to do
sometin' pretty soon if I's gun' to keep dis side o' trouble,' ses he to
hisse'f.

"Well, dere's on'y one way out o' de hole, an' dat's de way he come in
at, an' dere's de White Owl standin' at it wid his tail dis way, an'
a-starin' out across de veldt to where de indaba's goin' on. Den it
strike Tinky what he'll do. `Allah Crachty! I knows what. Wait now,'
ses he to hisse'f.

"So he goes to work, an' he take some dirt, an' he wet it an' he work
till he's made a mud mouse. You should ha' seen darie mouse. If any
mouse 'ad a-seen it he'd a-tink it was his grandaddy, it look such a
whoppin' ole mouse. It fair tickle young Tinky so much when he'd finis'
it dat he hatto yust stop an' laugh.

"Den he go to de hole an' he stick dat mouse out slow on one side o' de
White Owl till it yust come into de tail of his left eye, an' afore you
can ketch your breaf Ole Owl make a lightnin' of a strike at it--biff!

"Well, he ain't ma