Thursday morning dawned bright and pleasant, and as soon as the sun was up the Roly-Rogues came crowding around the palace kitchen, demanding that old Tollydob hurry the preparation of their soup.
This the general did, trembling in spite of his ten feet of stature; for if they were kept waiting the monsters were liable to prod his flesh with their thorns.
But Tollydob did not forget to empty the contents of the Silver Vial into the soup, as the dog Ruffles had told him to do; and soon it was being ladled out to the Roly-Rogues by Jikki, the four high counselors, and a dozen other enslaved officers of King Bud.
And the dog Ruffles ran through the city, crying to every Roly-Rogue he met: “Hurry and get your soup before it is gone. It is especially good this morning!”
So every Roly-Rogue in the valley hurried to the palace kitchen for soup; and there were so many that it was noon before the last were served, while these became so impatient that they abused their slaves in a sad manner.
Yet, even while the last were eating, those who had earlier partaken of the soup lay around the palace sound asleep and snoring loudly; for the contents of the Silver Vial had the effect of sending all of them to sleep within an hour, and rendering them wholly unconscious for a period of ten hours.
“AND THE DOG RUFFLES RAN THROUGH THE CITY, CRYING TO EVERY ROLY-ROGUE HE MET: ‘HURRY AND GET YOUR SOUP.’”
All through the city the Roly-Rogues lay asleep; and, as they always withdrew their heads and limbs into their bodies when they slumbered, they presented a spectacle of thousands of huge balls lying motionless.
