Page:Barnes (1879) Poems of rural life in the Dorset dialect (combined).djvu/195

Rh Ah! teäke ceäre how dost trust em. Dost thou know The funny feäble o’ the pig an’ crow? Woone time a crow begun to strut an’ hop About some groun’ that men’d a-been a-drillèn Wi’ barley or some wheat, in hopes o’ villèn Wi’ good fresh corn his empty crop. But lik’ a thief, he didden like the païns O’ workèn hard to get en a vew graïns; Zoo while the sleeky rogue wer there a-huntèn, Wi’ little luck, vor corns that mid be vound A-peckèn vor, he heärd a pig a-gruntèn Just tother zide o’ hedge, in tother ground. “Ah!” thought the cunnèn rogue, an’ gi’ed a hop, “Ah! that’s the way vor me to vill my crop; Aye, that’s the plan, if nothèn don’t defeät it. If I can get thik pig to bring his snout In here a bit an’ turn the barley out, Why, hang it! I shall only have to eat it.” Wi’ that he vled up straight upon a woak, An’ bowèn, lik’ a man at hustèns, spoke: “My friend,” zaid he, “that’s poorish livèn vor ye In thik there leäze. Why I be very zorry To zee how they hard-hearted vo’k do sarve ye. You can’t live there. Why! do they meän to starve ye?” “Ees,” zaid the pig, a-gruntèn, “ees; What wi’ the hosses an’ the geese, There’s only docks an’ thissles here to chaw. Instead o’ livèn well on good warm straw, I got to grub out here, where I can’t pick Enough to meäke me half an ounce o’ flick.” “Well,” zaid the crow, “d’ye know, if you’ll stan’ that, You mussen think, my friend, o’ gettèn fat. D’ye want some better keep? Vor if you do, Why, as a friend, I be a-come to tell ye,