The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1895-03-10

! rsr Of village rubbish heaps desperately
sirnia or wildly bold. eyeriassfngN hungry.
ana full OF cunning that never did him
any good
''ughr' he said. shaking himself dole
fully as he landed. May the red mango
destroy the dogs of tfats village ! have
three bites for each flea upon me. and
ali because / Eooked-cnly looked, mark
you-at an Old shoe in cow-byre. Can
! eat mEsd 90 He scratched himself under
his left ear.
Il heard said the adiatant. in voice
like a blunt saw going through a thick
board-'I heard there was a newborn
puppy In that shoe"
ITO hear is one thing: TO know Is an
other" said the jackai, who had a very
fair knowledge OF proverbs. learned by
listening 10 men round the fires of an
evening
quite true. So. to make sure. took
busy elsewhere"
They werc very busy" said the tackai.
We'll. / must no, go TO the village hunt
Ing for scraps yet awhile. And so there
truly was a blind puppy in that shoe?''
1T In here" said the adtutan;, squirting
over his beak at Ills full pouch. a small
thing, but acceptable now that charity is
dead In the world"
"Ahai, The world In iron IN these days"
walled the 5ackal. Then his restless eye
caught the least possible ripple on the
water. and he went on quickly: Life is
hard for us ALL and ! doubt not that
even our excellent master. the pride OF
the gbaut and the envy of the river"
a liar. ffatterer and a jackal were all
Matched out OF the same egg" said the
adtutant - nobody In particular. for he
was rather a fine sort OF liar on his
own account when he took the trouble.
Yes. the Envy OF the River" the jackal
repeated, raising his voice. Even he.
DOUBT not. finds that since the bridge
has been bvilt good food Is more scarce.
But, on the othe.- hand. though / would
by no means say this to his noble face.
he liz SO wise and so yirtuous-as I. alas,
am not"
when the jaclkai owns he is gray how
black must the jackal be-" muttered the
adjntant. who could not see what was
coming.
THAT his food never fails. and In con-
sequence
There was a sof. grating sound as
though a boat had just touched In shoaI
water. The iackal spun round quickly
and faced Qt Is always best TO face) the
creature he had been talking about. 1t
was twenty-four foot crockodile. cased In
what looked like treble-riveted boiler
plate studded and keeled and crested. the
yellow points of his upper teeth just over
hanging his beautifully nuted lower jaw.
IL was the blunt-nosed mugger of Mug
ger-Ghaut, older than any man In the
village. who had gwen MS name TO the
village: the demon OF the ford before the
railway bridge came-murderer, man
eater and local fetish in one. He lay
with his CHA in the shadows. keeping
his place by an almost invisible ripping
of his taiI, and well the jackal knew that
one stroke of that same tail in the water
could carry the mugger up the bank with
the rush or a steam engine.
"Auspicfousiy met. Protector of the
Poor" he fawned. backing at every word.
"a delectable voice was heard, and we
came in the hopes of sweet conversation.
My tailless presumption, while waiting
here. led me. indeed, to speak OF thee
II is my hope that nothing was over
heard"
Now. the jackai had spoken just to be
listened to, for he knew fiattery was the
best way OF getting things to eat. and
the mugger knew that the jackal had
spoken for this end. and the jackal knew
that the mugger knew, and the niugge-
knew that the tackal knew that the mug
ger knew, and so they were all very con-
tented together.
The old brute pushed and painted and
grunted on the bank. mumbling: "Re-
spect the aged and inflrm". and all the
time his little eyes burned like Goals un-
der the heavy horny eyelids on the top
OF his triangular head. as he showed his
bloated barrel body along between his
crutehed legs. Then he settled down, and
accustomed as the jackai was to his
ways. he could not help starting. for the
hurdreath time, when he saw how exact
~ the mugger initiated a log aarift on the
bar. He had even taken pains TO lie at
the exact angle naturally stranded log