Diamond Dyke
Page 15
CHAPTER FIFTEEN.
OOM MORGENSTERN'S SERMON.
Duke was fed directly after the meal, and curled up afterward to "gedhimselfs guide well again as effers." Soon after Dyke came across Jack,who was returning from driving the bullocks down to the stream forwater, and now carefully saw to their being in the best bit of the oldman's pasture for a good feed and rest.
"Ach zo!" cried the old man, "he ist a creat deal potter, mein youngvrient.--You Shack, you hafe work well. You gan go to mein haus, unddie frau will give you blenty of mealie gake und zom milk. You don'teat doo motch, or you will pe pad again, und want dem shdick. Youoontershdant?"
Jack, whose face had been very pitiful and pleading, brightened up atthis, and ran toward the house, while old Morgenstern turned andfavoured Dyke with one of his winks.
"You zee now, my younger vrient, he ist like a pig shild dot has beenoop der shimney. You must hid him hart negs dime. You did hid doozoft."
"Soft!" cried Dyke. "Why, I thought I had killed him."
"Ach, yes, you dought zo; but der plack man's het is sehr dick. You hidan Englishman, or a Deutschman, or a Boer, and his het ist tin; but aplack man's het is dick. I dink zomdimes ven he ist so shdupid dot itist all hart bone right froo. But it ist not zo; it is only dot dey areshdupid liddle shildren, und dink of noting bud eat und drink und shleepdemselfs as long as ever dey gan; dot is all. You can neffer make awhide man oud of a plack man, if you wash him mid all der zoap in derworld. Now den, der tog is right, und der horse, und die pullocks, soyou shall gom to my shdore."
He led the way to a barn-like building, where he kept the supplies hedealt in and prospered over, settlers and travellers coming from far topurchase of the old fellow again and again, for he bore the proud titleof honest man--a title that is known abroad as soon as that of rogue.And here Dyke produced his list, and corn, meal, bacon, tea, sugar,coffee, and salt were measured and weighed out by the help of a Kaffirboy, and set aside till all was done, when the old man, who had keptaccount 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 toDyke.
"There," he said; "it is a creat teal of money, und I feel ashamed tojarge so motch; but you dell der pig bruder it gost me as motch as effervas to get die dings oop to mein haus. I zend dwo wagon all der vays doder down, und dey are gone for months, und die men und die pullocks allhaf to cad, und zomdimes die lions ead die oxen, und zomdimes die wheelsgom off, und dere is vloods und die wasser, und I lose a creat deal. Igannod jarge any less for mein dings."
"My brother knows all that, sir," said Dyke frankly, as he paid themoney at once. "He said he would send me to you instead of to OomSchlagen, 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 milesfarther."
"Ach! den now I shall go und shmoke mein piggest bibe for a dreat. Dotdoes me goot. Oom Schlagen is a pig fool; zo ist effery man who doesnot lofe his neighbour and zay his brayers effery night. Youoondershtand, mein younger vriend."
Dyke nodded, feeling at first half amused, then impressed by thesimple-hearted old German's manner.
"Zom men gome out here into die veldt and zay: `Ach! it is a pig openblace, und nopody gan zee me here, und I zhall do whad I like,' und dendey rob und sheat, und kill die plack poys, und drink more as ist gootfor demselfs, und all pecause they are pig fools. For you haf read foryouselfs, mein younger vrient, dot God is effery where und zees efferydings, und you gannot hide youselfs, or what you do. Und dot's meinsermon, und it is a goot one, hey? Pecause it is zo short. Bud dot'sall. Now den," he continued, as he took down a great pipe, and began tofill it from a keg of tobacco, "I am going to shmoke mein bibe, pecauseI veel as if I vas a goot poy."
He struck a match, lit up, and as he began to emit great clouds ofsmoke, 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, undpack dese dings in dem wagon. Now you look here. I dell you about diediamonds--und der is hartly any potty yet as know--und as zoon as I hafdell 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 delleffery potty.' Und I vas ferry zorry pecause I vas soch an olddumkopf--you know what dot is?"
"Something head," said Dyke, smiling.
"Yaas, it ist your thick head, poy, shdupid head, und I vas gross mitmyzelf, bud now I am glad. Der pig bruder zaid I vas honest mans, undjust. I am a magistrate, und I dry to be, und I vall out mit den Boers,und zom oder white men, pecause I zay der Kaffir is a pig shdupid shild,und you must make him do what you want; but you shall not beat und killhim for nodings. Ach! you laugh yourselfs pecause I use den shdick.Neffer mind. I am just, und die Kaffirs know it, und gom und work forden alt man, und gom pack again. I am glad now I did dell you about diediamonds. Your bruder ist a gendlemans, und you dell him not to wasdehis dime over die long shanks, and to go for die diamonds, und if hewands shdores, to gom mit his wagon, und get all he wands, und if hegannot bay me, id does not madder. Zom day he will ged das money, undhe gan bay me den. Ach! he zaid I vas a honest man, und he is meinvrient, und dot is der zweetest bibe of dobacco I ever shmoke. Now gomund help load den wagon, like a goot poy, and zom day, when you grow apig man, you may learn to shmoke doo. Boot it ist not goot for poys."