She shook him roughly, and Alligator spoke in a hoarse voice like a rusty saw.
"Who's tickling me?"
"His voice needs oiling," said Owl.
"A fat pig is what I need," said Alligator.
"Well we have no fat pigs," said Hortense. "We are going to play hide and seek."
"I'll play, of course," said Alligator, "but I'm slow on my feet. Now if it were a lake or river, I'd show you a thing or two."
"The point is, who is to be It? said Owl.
"Very true," said Lowboy. "He's a mind like a judge—never forgets the point."
"She's It, of course," said Malay Kris. "She thought of the game."
"Oh, very well," said Hortense.