"Tie your legs!" said his wife, "Why! what do you mean?"
But she was a good wife, and knew how to mind; so she went with the old rat, and they got a fine long wisp of hay, and ran back to the eggs and the nine rat-boys.
"They got a fine long wisp of hay."—[P. 80.]
And now the old rat-wife and the nine rat-boys soon knew what a dear, good pa-pa they had; for, sure as you live! he made a cart of him-self. Down he went flat on his back with all four paws up in the air.
"Now, my dear," he said to his wife, "lay an egg in-side of my legs, then tie my paws up with the wisp of hay, so the egg can not fall out; then you and all the boys take hold of my tail, and drag me and the egg to the hole."
"Oh! what fun!" said all the nine rats; "let's give the egg a good ride. Now, then,
"Oh! pull, boys, pull!
Eee-ee! eee-ee!
We'll get our nine eggs
Home for tea."
So each one took a bit of the long tail in his lips, and did try not to bite his pa-pa, and as they sung, "Pull, boys, pull," they drew the egg in high glee to the edge of the hole.