ealies which
served him for a seat, "times was hard wid all sorts of folk dat year.
De rinderpest come along, an' it just clean out all de game an' de buck,
till Ou' Jackalse an' Ou' Wolf dey may hunt all day an' dey may hunt all
week an' Sunday, an' den dey won't get de shadda of a buck. Dey ha' to
keep on a-drinkin' water to keep deir tummies from growin' front an'
back togeder."

"An what did Missis Jackalse an' little Ainkye Jackalse do for sometin'
to eat, then?" asked Annie anxiously.

"Oh, dere was no Missis Jackalse den," answered the old Hottentot
cheerily. "Dis was long 'fore that Dis was when Ou' Jackalse an' Ou'
Wolf was young fellas, an' don't only go roun' upsittin' wid de nices'
young misses dey can hear of. An' it stand 'em in han' to be young
fellas an' to had no fam'lies; 'cause de young fellas can scratch all
day if dey like an' den dere ain't nawtin' to eat.

"Well, you knows Ou' Jackalse is mighty slim a-gettin' scoff if dere's
anybody else has some, but it wahnt no use waitin' to steal what oder
folk ain't polished off, 'cause dere ain't nawtin' for oder folk to
begin on, let alone to leave for him to sneak it. He yust ha' to hump
hisse'f an' rustle roun' if he's a-gun' to get anytin'. An' dis is
where Ou' Jackalse's bein' so smart come in handy. Ou' Wolf he keeps
a-gauntin' an' a-wobblin' on ahter de buck he tink he _might_ see over
de nex' rise, but Ou' Jackalse he yust keep his eye skinned to size up
_what's_ on de yonder side de ridge.

"Well, by'n'by he sees a farm where dere's a patch o' to'acco wanted
'tendin' to mighty bad, an' de farmer he's a-leanin' on de gate an'
first a-lookin' at de row an' den a-lookin' at de hoe, as if fo' one
ting he can't make up his mind where he's a-gun' to begin, an' as if for
anoder ting he can't yust settle if he's goin' to start at all dis
mawnin' nohow.

"Ou' Jackalse he look, an' he sit down, an' he 'gun to brush de grass
behin' him wid his tail, sort o' slow an' like he's tinkin' pretty deep.
He can't _eat_ tobacco; he know dat, but de man what work in de to'acco
he can eat sometin', an' sometin' a long shot better'n to'acco--he eat
scoff. So Ou' Jackalse he make up his mind an' down he go to de farmer.

"`Mawnin', baas!' ses he. `Darie to'acco 'gin to look as if some of
it's goin' to run wild an' some of it goin' to choke 'fore long,' ses
he.

"`Oh! 'tain't nawtin' to shout about yet,' ses de farmer. `A good man
an' a good hoe soon set