Diamond Dyke Part 22

CHAPTER FOURTEEN.

A RESTING-PLACE.

"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 d.y.k.e. "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 d.y.k.e. "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?"

d.y.k.e shook his head.

"Das ist goot Deutsch for breakfa.s.s, mein young vrient."

"Oh, I see," cried d.y.k.e. "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 d.y.k.e 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 shd.i.c.k, 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 shd.i.c.k. 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 d.y.k.e.

"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 sh.e.l.l, 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 d.y.k.e 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 shd.i.c.k."

He winked comically at d.y.k.e, 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 b.u.t.ter and fried bacon to follow.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN.

OOM MORGENSTERN'S SERMON.

Duke was fed directly after the meal, and curled up afterward to "ged himselfs guide well again as effers." Soon after d.y.k.e came across Jack, who was returning from driving the bullocks down to the stream for water, and now carefully saw to their being in the best bit of the old man's pasture for a good feed and rest.

"Ach zo!" cried the old man, "he ist a creat deal potter, mein young vrient.--You Shack, you hafe work well. You gan go to mein haus, und die frau will give you blenty of mealie gake und zom milk. You don't eat doo motch, or you will pe pad again, und want dem shd.i.c.k. You oontershdant?"

Jack, whose face had been very pitiful and pleading, brightened up at this, and ran toward the house, while old Morgenstern turned and favoured d.y.k.e with one of his winks.

"You zee now, my younger vrient, he ist like a pig s.h.i.+ld dot has been oop der s.h.i.+mney. You must hid him hart negs dime. You did hid doo zoft."

"Soft!" cried d.y.k.e. "Why, I thought I had killed him."

"Ach, yes, you dought zo; but der plack man's het is sehr d.i.c.k. You hid an Englishman, or a Deutschman, or a Boer, and his het ist tin; but a plack man's het is d.i.c.k. I d.i.n.k zomdimes ven he ist so shdupid dot it ist all hart bone right froo. But it ist not zo; it is only dot dey are shdupid liddle s.h.i.+ldren, und d.i.n.k of noting bud eat und drink und shleep demselfs as long as ever dey gan; dot is all. You can neffer make a whide man oud of a plack man, if you wash him mid all der zoap in der world. Now den, der tog is right, und der horse, und die pullocks, so you shall gom to my shdore."

He led the way to a barn-like building, where he kept the supplies he dealt in and prospered over, settlers and travellers coming from far to purchase of the old fellow again and again, for he bore the proud t.i.tle of honest man--a t.i.tle that is known abroad as soon as that of rogue.

And here d.y.k.e produced his list, and corn, meal, bacon, tea, sugar, coffee, and salt were measured and weighed out by the help of a Kaffir boy, and set aside till all was done, when the old man, who had kept account all through with a clean, smooth box-lid and a piece of chalk, seated himself on a cask, added up and presented the wooden bill to d.y.k.e.

"There," he said; "it is a creat teal of money, und I feel ashamed to jarge so motch; but you dell der pig bruder it gost me as motch as effer vas to get die dings oop to mein haus. I zend dwo wagon all der vays do der down, und dey are gone for months, und die men und die pullocks all haf to cad, und zomdimes die lions ead die oxen, und zomdimes die wheels gom off, und dere is vloods und die wa.s.ser, und I lose a creat deal. I gannod jarge any less for mein dings."

"My brother knows all that, sir," said d.y.k.e frankly, as he paid the money at once. "He said he would send me to you instead of to Oom Schlagen, because, he said, you would be just."

"Did your pig bruder say dot?" cried the old man eagerly.

"Yes. He said I should come to you, though it was twenty long miles farther."

"Ach! den now I shall go und shmoke mein piggest bibe for a dreat. Dot does me goot. Oom Schlagen is a pig fool; zo ist effery man who does not lofe his neighbour and zay his brayers effery night. You oondershtand, mein younger vriend."

d.y.k.e nodded, feeling at first half amused, then impressed by the simple-hearted old German's manner.

"Zom men gome out here into die veldt and zay: 'Ach! it is a pig open blace, und nopody gan zee me here, und I zhall do whad I like,' und den dey rob und sheat, und kill die plack poys, und drink more as ist goot for demselfs, und all pecause they are pig fools. For you haf read for youselfs, mein younger vrient, dot G.o.d is effery where und zees effery dings, und you gannot hide youselfs, or what you do. Und dot's mein sermon, und it is a goot one, hey? Pecause it is zo short. Bud dot's all. Now den," he continued, as he took down a great pipe, and began to fill it from a keg of tobacco, "I am going to shmoke mein bibe, pecause I veel as if I vas a goot poy."

He struck a match, lit up, and as he began to emit great clouds of smoke, he carefully stamped out the last spark from the splint of wood, reseated himself, and chuckled.

"You wait dill I haf finish mein bibe, und we vill all go to vork, und pack dese dings in dem wagon. Now you look here. I dell you about die diamonds--und der is hartly any potty yet as know--und as zoon as I haf dell you, I zay to myselfs: 'Ach! Hans Morgenstern, you are not a man: you are chattering old frau, who gannot keep a zecret. You go dell effery potty.' Und I vas ferry zorry pecause I vas soch an old dumkopf--you know what dot is?"

"Something head," said d.y.k.e, smiling.