ZEBRA'S VANITY 321 



a clang. " Why you no tell me before ? " angrily remon- 

 strated the Boss. Willie " No more. Only one fella. 

 You catch 'em ! " 



SAW THE JOKE 



Our blacks saw " friends " on the mainland beach, and 

 lit two signal fires. Mickie said, " Me tell 'em that fella 

 bring basket." Cross-examined, he had to admit that the 

 two fires merely signified a general invitation to his main- 

 land friends to come across. Then " That fella got 'em 

 basket, me get 'em." A friend doubted the range of the 

 black's vision, which was truly telescopic, as we frequently 

 verified with a pair of powerful field glasses, but not to be 

 thought inferior in this respect, he solemnly declared that 

 he saw Jinny's cousin on the beach strike a light for his 

 pipe. At first the irony of the remark was not appreciated, 

 then Jinny (after vainly peering across the sea), saw the 

 joke and gave a wild exhilarating exhibition of amusement. 

 She sat down and rolled about shouting and screeching, 

 hardly able to tell Mickie the fun, and when he was let into 

 it the pantomime was the more extravagant. The out- 

 burst continued throughout the day at intervals, Jinny 

 apologising for her boisterousness with reiterations 

 " Misser Johnssing say he been see 'em cousin belonga me 

 light 'em pipe ! " Jinny still rehearses the story at frequent 

 intervals, and with hysterical outbursts. 



ZEBRA'S VANITY 



To half civilised blacks a racecourse is an earthly 

 paradise ; a jockey, a sort of demi-god. A lady shut up 

 her house one race day, leaving "Zebra" in charge. 

 Returning, she was amazed to find one of the big rooms 

 open, and to hear the buzz of a sewing machine. Zebra, 

 trouserless, scarcely took the trouble to look round as he 

 informed her " Me make 'em trouser all a same Yarraman 

 (horse)." His desire for tight riding breeches was not 



