SO at last the White Leg dogs, weary unto death with waiting for the fruit which came not on the barren fig tree of the big fleas’ “hearty good wishes,” resolved that they would demand a larger allowance.
Therefore they sent down some of the big and bold dogs, to tell the fleas around the Tank that unless they would restore their allowance to what it was at first, and abolish the contribution of toes, and the chucking in of fainting dogs, and would grease the bearings of the Handle, and reduce the number of their working hours, and refuse to employ any dog that had not on the White Label, and would do and not do, many other things most astonishing to the fleas, the dogs would all take their White Labels and twist them all together into a most unbreakable rope, and therewith tie up the Handle with such unheard-of and untieable knots, that nobody on earth save the White Legs, would be able to release it. Whereupon the Mill would stop, and the Stream would dry up, and the fleas would collapse, and other great miseries would come upon them. Therefore it behooved them to listen to reason, and grant their reasonable requests ere it were too late, and the Handle were tied up.
But the fleas showed no alarm and went on filling themselves. They simply turned towards Pharaoh Phrique, and said: “Brother Phrique, thou art learned in all the learning of the Egyptian taskmasters. Thou art a skillful hide skinner and dog walloper, and well versed in the secret art of squelching insolence and ill behavior. Thou wast our trusty counsel in our late fight with these dogs, before they got this White Label craze, and thou didst bring us through it with honor and dividends. Thou wast our High Tower, our Shield and Hiding Place, whereunto we ran and were safe—all save our beloved Andronicus Carnivorous, who gat himself over the pond for hiding. We trust thee; deal with them as seemeth thee good.”
So Pharaoh hardened his heart as aforetime, and spake thus unto the dogs: “Dogs that ye are; insolent despisers of your precious privileges. I chastened you once before, thinking to bring your erring feet into the path of duty and wisdom. But ye are a stiff-necked and perverse generation. Ye have heaped sin upon sin. Not content with having tried to rob us before, ye have formed a Union, which is to commit the Unpardonable Sin. Get out of this, therefore; vamose the ranch; put; scoot; absquatulate; skedaddle, and make yourselves scarce; for I swear that even as our brother Webbfoot and Brother Gold Jay, and other of our brethren did chastise their dogs once, I will chastise you. Yea, I will so grind and crush you that the whole world shall hear the sound thereof, for I, Pharaoh Phrique, have said it. Tie up the Handle with your rope of White Labels; it shall be unto me as tow burnt with the fire; for I will dissolve your Union and scatter the members thereof, and give your heritage unto the Unlabeled and more obedient Black Legs. Git!” And he drove them from his presence.
But the dogs did tie up the Handle, and the Mill did stop, and some of the catastrophes foretold did happen. But Pharaoh Phrique whistled to the Black Legs to come and gnaw the rope. And he went by night down to a secret place in Canisville, called the Devil’s Cheap Bargain Counter, where certain lewd and ferocious dogs of the baser sort, which had Pink Eyes that could not bear the sunshine, did for a few scraps of dirty bread and meat, hire themselves out on foggy and moonless nights to worry and kill any other dogs that were objectionable to the fleas; and he paid them handsomely to go by night and secretly get behind the White Legs and tear them to pieces.
And there was a great fight. The hungry Black Legs fought to untie the Handle, and the Devil’s Pink Eyed Cheap Bargain Counter Dogs helped them. And so it came to pass that the White Legs were driven away; and some hastened to pull off the White Labels and mingle with the Black Legs, and scrambled to get back to the Handle.
And at the going down of the sun the rope was broken; and the handle, untied, was going like mad. And Pharaoh Phrique and the Brethren were holding a praise meeting around the Tank, and giving God thanks that He had so signally made bare His mighty arm and scattered their enemies, who had come so near breaking up the Foundations of Society.
So the poor dogs, with broken hearts and broken hopes, did grind on and on for many days, and the victory of the Monstrous Fleas seemed to be complete.