"You are petter as offer you vas, heh?" cried the old trader, thrusting
his face in between the canvas curtains of the wagon end. "Yes, quite
well. Good-morning."
"Ach zo. It is a goot mornings. Ant how is der tog? You vill say how
to you are to dem alt Oom Morgenstern. He is goot tog ten, and getting
himself mended ferry quickly. How vas it he shall pe scratch and pite
all ofer hims, heh?"
The old man patted and stroked the dog with his big fat hand, as he
spoke in a soft soothing tone, which had the effect of making him the
best of friends with Duke, who whined and licked at the hand, and kept
up a regular throbbing pat-pat-pat upon the floor of the wagon.
"Ach yes, ten, he is a ferry goot togs, and he shall pe effer zo much
petter zoon. Ant zo der pig spotty gat gom und dake him, heh?"
"Yes, poor fellow, one of the great brutes pounced upon him suddenly,
and fetched him from right under the wagon," said Dyke. "You were bad,
weren't you, Duke, old chap?"
The dog threw up his head and uttered a loud howl, and then began to
lick the cuts torn by the leopard's sharp claws.
"Ach! he vas pad, den," said the old man. "But das ist goot vizzick for
goots und pites. Der tog's tongue ist as goot as his tooses ist pad.
Ant zo you zhoot hims, heh?"
"What!--the leopard?" said Dyke. "Yes, I shot and hit him, I suppose;
but I was afraid of hitting the dog. I fired, though, as a last
chance."
"It was guide right," said the old man, nodding his head. "You do not
shoode--you do noding, and der leopards garry away den hund. You do
shoode, und if you shoode him, it is petter than for hims to be eaten
oop alife, und you may shoode den leopard. Zo! I am happy das you hafe
zave den tog. He is a goot tog, und a goot tog ist a goot vrient out in
der veldt. Now you gom mit me, und die alte voman give us bode zom
fruhstuck. You know what ist das?"
Dyke shook his head.
"Das ist goot Deutsch for breakfass, mein young vrient."
"Oh, I see," cried Dyke. "I never learnt Dutch."
"Nein, nein, nein, goot bube. Not Dutch. I did say Deutsch--Sharmans."
"But you are a Boer, are you not?"
"Nein. I did gom ofer from Sharmany dwenty year ago. Dere ist blendy
of Dutch Boer varder on. I am Deutsch."
"I'll recollect," said Dyke eagerly.--"But how is Jack the Kaffir? Is
he lying down under the wagon?"
"Nein," cried the old man sharply. "As zoon as he zee me gom, shoost
when it ist morgen, und he zee mein big shdick, he shoomp oop und go und
veed den pferd horse, as he know he should. He's guide well, dank you,
now, and work ferry hart, like a goot poy."
The old man wrinkled up his face, shut his eyes, and indulged in a
hearty, silent laugh.
"I am zorry," he said, suddenly growing serious; "und I veed and nurse a
boor mans, und I zay to him: `Lie you there und go to sleep dill you are
besser.' Boot Meinheer Jack he ist a pig hoomboogs, and I gan zee all
froo him. Dunder and lightning! I gif him der shdick. Now gom und haf
den breakfast, und den you shall gom indo mein shdore, und puy die
mealies, und gorn, und dea, und goffee, und rice, und zhugars, und bay
me den money, und we will load den wagon. Den der vorks is done, und
you shall gom und sit und dalk do me about die osdridge birds, while I
shmoke mein bibe und you rest yourself, und resht die bullocks for two
day. Den you go pack to your pig bruder, who want to see you ferry
pad."
"Yes, I want to get back again," said Dyke.
"Das ist goot, bud you moost haf a goot long resht, und go guide well
again. Und now, my younger vrient, I will dell you zomedings to dell
dem bruder. You dell him der osdridge ist no goot. I haf dried, boot
dey go zick, und guarrel, und fight, und ghick von anoder und efery
bodies, und preak die legs; und die hens lay dere nests vull of pig
eggs, und die ghocks gom und shoomp upon 'em, und make der feet all
ovaire gustard und shell, und den no jickens gom. You dell dem bruder
dot your beebles haf been vinding die diamonds in der veldt, und he had
petter go und look vor die brescious shdones, und nod preak hish hart
like der gock osdridge preak die eggs his weibs lays."
"Yes, I'll tell him, Herr Morgenstern. I did want him to come and look
for gold."
"Ach! der golt ist no goot, bube. Effery potty goes to look for den
golt. You dell him to go und look for die diamonds."
"Yes, but where?" said Dyke drily.
"Dunder und lightning! If I know, I should dake two pig wagon to dem
place, all vull of mealies und goot dings, und dell die beebles die
diamonds vas here; und vhen dey gom to vind, I should zell mein goot
dings und go und vetch zom move. You must go und vind die places
everyvere all ofers, und dell me. I ken not, bood der are diamonds to
be found. Now you shdop dat ruck a dongue of yours, und do not dalk zo
motch like an old vool, und gom und hafe zom breakfast, or the old frau
vill gom after us mit a shdick."
He winked comically at Dyke, and led the way to the house, where there
was a warm welcome, and a delicious breakfast of bread and milk and
coffee waiting, with glorious yellow butter and fried bacon to follow.