“Oh, don’t be such a coward! A rat won’t hurt you. Now, then, all ready? Say, for the love of Mike, turn him toward the cage, can’t you? Here, Ace? Sick ’em, sick ’em, sir!”
“How many are you going to let out?” asked Chick from the safe altitude of the window seat.
“Just one this time,” replied Jonesie, struggling with the door of the cage. “All ready now, Pinky!”
But Jonesie was mistaken. With the door open the rats showed a strange disinclination to leave their prison and face the enemy, even though the enemy was showing not the slightest degree of animosity—or even animation!
“Get ’em out!” commanded Jonesie.
“Sick ’em!” cried the patrons of sport in unison.
Ace looked inquiringly at Jonesie and then about the room. Pinky shoved him forward. This Ace took to be an invitation to play, and immediately dashed at Pinky and licked his nose, thereby upsetting Pinky’s balance. At the moment when Pinky’s feet were furthest from the floor and Ace was dancing about his struggling form, the rats agreed on a sortie and dashed from the cage together.
[“There they go!”] shrieked the excited audience. [“Sick ’em, pup! Go after ’em, you fool dog!”]
[“‘There they go! Sick ’em, pup! Go after ’em, you fool dog!’”]