Yes, many’s the time I have given a shilling (three fourpence) to a policeman to let me pitch my tent with the children. {209}

GUDLO VII.  HOW A GIPSY LOST THREEPENCE.

Yeckorus a choro mush besht a lay ta kair trin horras-worth o’ peggi for a masengro.  There jessed alang’s a rye, who penned, “Tool my gry, an’ I’ll del tute a shukori.”  While he tooled the gry a rani pookered him, “Rikker this trushni to my ker, an’ I’ll del tute a trin grushi.”  So he lelled a chavo to tool the gry, and pookered lester, “Tute shall get pash the wongur.”  Well, as yuv was rikkinin’ the trushnee an’ siggerin burry ora bender the drum, he dicked a rye, who penned, “If tute’ll jaw to the ker and hatch minni’s juckal ta mandy, mi’ll del tute a pash-korauna.”  So he got a waver chavo to rikker the trushnee for pash the wongur, whilst he jalled for the juckal.  Wellin’ alangus, he dicked a barvelo givescro, who penned, “‘Avacai an’ husker mandy to lel my guruvni (gruvni) avree the ditch, and I’ll del you pange cullos” (caulos).  So he lelled it.  But at the kunsus of the divvus, sa yuv sus kennin apre sustis wongurs, he penned, “How wafro it is mandy nashered the trinoras I might have lelled for the mass-koshters!”

A mush must always pet the giv in the puv before he can chin the harvest.

TRANSLATION.

Once a poor man sat down to make threepence-worth of skewers {210} for a butcher.  There came along a gentleman, who said, “Hold my horse, and I’ll give you a sixpence.”  While he held the horse a lady said to him, “Carry this basket to my house, and I’ll give you a shilling.”  So he got a boy to hold the horse, and said to him, “You shall have half the money.”  Well, as he was carrying the basket and hurrying along fast across the road he saw a gentleman, who said, “If you’ll go to the house and bring my dog to me, I will give you half-a-crown.”  So he got another boy to carry the basket for half the money, while he went for the dog.  Going along, he saw a rich farmer, who said, “Come and help me here to get my cow out of the ditch, and I’ll give you five shillings.”  So he got it.  But at the end of the day, when he was counting his money, he said, “What a pity it is I lost the threepence I might have got for the skewers!” (literally, meat-woods.)

A man must always put the grain in the ground before he can cut the harvest.

GUDLO VIII.  THE STORY OF THE GIPSY’S DOG.

’Pre yeck divvus a choro mush had a juckal that used to chore covvas and hakker them to the ker for his mush—­mass, wongur, horas, and rooys.  A rye kinned the juckal, an’ kaired boot dusta wongur by sikkerin’ the juckal at wellgooras.

Where barvelo mushis can kair wongur tacho, chori mushis have to loure.

TRANSLATION.