286
PARTISAN REVIEW
Wildcat had written the words on pieces of notebook paper and
handed them around. And when they were :finished singing, the
Muskrat asked for the floor in much the same way that one had to
ask for the floor in Miss Hogan's class when they went through the
Civics hour in parliamentary order; and he asked the Wildcat
where he had found that song.
"In a library book," said the Wildcat.
"I think we all owe a vote of thanks to the Wildcat for finding
that song," said Muskrat. They gave it unanimously.
"Now," said the Wildcat. "How about the report on that hike
that the Muskrat and the Crow took?"
The Crow was a gentile who had lived in the Adirondacks for
two years, and he was considered an authority on trees. He read
his report, mentioning elm, beech, gum, locust, ginko, alanthus,
birch, sassafras and flowering thorn.
"You forgot Pine and Cedar," said the Muskrat.
"Oh yeh. Pine and Cedar."
"And we had our lunches with us," said the Muskrat. "I had
an orange and a salami sandwich and some tea in a thermos bottle.
And he had a roast beef sandwich and some milk, ha ha, and some
cake we bought at the A and P. We had a great time."
"We'll have to mark it down with the date," said the Wildcat
-or the Sachem,-or Uncas the good lndian,-or Seymour Gins·
berg. "Crow, you are the Scribe: mark down Van Cortlandt Park
on our hike-stick."
But a little later they heard the heavy steps of the Grand
Sachem on the stairs.
"Nuts," whispered the Wolf to the Crow. "It's his old man.
Jeeze, lookit how he's fixed up."
Mr. Ginsberg's arms were folded akimbo and he came down·
stairs slowly: he had three feathers tied·upright in back of his head
and his belly looked larger than ever.
"Well, boys," he said. "How's things?"
"Oh pretty good, Mr. Ginsberg," said the Wolf.
The GTand Sachem frowned.
"Stand up and lay off that Ginsberg stuff," whispered the
Muskrat to the Wolf. "Remember: Tonka Kewoo."
The Wolf was a bit slow in standing and so was the Crow, but
when they were all up they cried in unison: "Tonka Kewoo! Tonka
Kewoo!"
