The Laddie Wi the Green Een (A Malaysian Folk Tale)

The Laddie Wi the Green Een (A Malaysian Folk Tale)

Wheeler, Les

Eence a lang, lang time ago, in the days fan the milk wis nearly aa cream, there wis an aul man bade in the jungle. Ae day, he funn a wee bairn fan he wis waakin throwe the jungle. The bairn wis lying among the leaves on the fleer o the forest. Fit fair bumbazed the aul man wis that the bairn hid pale skin, green een an muckle, lang fingernails.

Noo he wis a gweed-herted aul man an he felt sorry for the bairn . He thocht he wid jist tak it hame wi him. An he caad the bairn Abdullah.

Noo Abdullah wis a bricht, quick an skeely laddie, wi jist ae affa faut. He wis an affa spitefu cratur. Fan he gaed tae skweel the dominee noticed mair an mair fu Abdullah wis gey cruel tae the ither bairns an affen left them gey sair.

Syne the dominee thocht he wid hae tae dee something aboot Abdullah an aa the spite that wis aye comin oot o him. Sae he thocht he wid tak him oot tae the front o the class an mak an example o him.

"Yir freely the cruellest an maist spitefu cratur that iver I've met in wi," said the dominee. "Ye'd be neen the waur o a gweed hidin. Fit sae ye for yersel?"
Abdullah said naething. He jist glowered. An as he wis glowerin at the maister an the ither bairns in the skweel his een leukit greener nor iver an his fingernails mair an mair sherp.

"Richt!" said the dominee, "If that's the wye o't ye'll jist hae tae tak the stick!"

As he spak he took doon the stick fae far it hung on the wa an syne sterted tae hit Abdullah wi it.

On the first stroke, Abdullah loupit up in the air.

On the second stroke, Abdullah hoppit oot o the skweelroom like a kangaroo wi a sair fit.

On the third stroke, he howled oot an drappit doon on his hauns an knees.


On the fourth stroke, he roared oot o him like a wild beast.

The dominee stoppit, fair dumfoonert at fit he saa an heard. "Harimau Allah!" he cried. "This is nae a loon but the tiger o God!"

On the saxth an last stroke, Abdullah gaed a michty roar that wid hae wakent the deid an loupit awa intae the jungle.

Fit a fricht aabody in the skweel got fae the tiger laddie, but that's fu, tae this verra day, ivery tiger ye see cairries the strips o the dominees stick aa ower its body.