'_Chumash_' boys. Beat them, beat them, the boys with the
long legs."

Who was the first to turn his back on the enemy? It would be hard to
say. I only know we ran quickly, helter-skelter, back home, back to
Mazapevka. And they, the little squirrels--may they burn!--ran after us,
shouting and yelling and laughing at us, right on top of us.

"Hurrah! '_Chumash_' boys! Hurrah! Big boys!"

* * *

We arrived home exhausted, ragged, bruised, beaten. And we giants
imagined that our parents would pity us, give us cakes because of the
blows we got. But it turned out we were mistaken. No one thought of us.
We thanked God we were so fortunate as to escape without beatings from
our parents for our torn clothes and twisted boots. But next morning we
got a good whipping from our teacher, Nissel the small one, for the
bruises we had on our foreheads and the blue marks around our eyes. It
is shameful to tell it--we were each whipped in the true style. This was
a mere addition, as if we had not had enough.

We were not sorry for anything but that the assistants gave us another
share. When a father or a mother beats one, it is out of kindness. When
a teacher beats one it is because he is a teacher. And what is his rod
for, anyway? But the assistants! Our curses upon them! As if it were not
enough that they had eaten all our food, and drunk our cherry-wine--may
they suffer for it, Father of the Universe!--as if it were not enough
that they had left us to fight alone, in the middle of the field, but
when they were whipping us they held our feet, so that we might not kick
either.

* * *

And that was how our holiday ended up. It was a dark, dreary, lost
"_L'ag Beomer_."

Murderers

"Is he still snoring?"

"And how snoring!"

"May he perish!"

"Wake him up. Wake him up."

"Leib-Dreib-Obderick!"

"Get up, my little bird."

"Open your little eyes."

I barely managed to open my eyes, raise my head, and look about me. I
saw a whole crowd of rascals, my school-fellows. The window was open,
and along with their sparkling eyes I saw the first rays of the bright,
warm early morning sun. I looked about me, on all sides.

"Just see how he looks."

"Like a sinner."

"Did you not recognize us?"

"Have you forgotten that it is '_L'ag Beomer_' today?"

The words darted through all my limbs like a flash of lightning. I was
carried out of bed by them. In the twinkling of an eye, I was dressed. I
went in search of my m