Leopold created a diversion by announcing, briefly and gruffly, that no one was going to sign nothing in his blood. When threatened with ejection by William, and taunted with cowardice by Sam, he flung himself upon them in dramatic fury. They moved hastily aside in opposite directions, and his outstretched fist came heavily in contact with a nail in the barn door. As an adequate supply of blood seemed to be promptly assured, he lost his anger and became unbearably conceited, parading his bleeding fist and commenting on some people he knew who would have made a fuss and no mistake over a little thing like that. He didn't mind a little thing like that—he'd—well, anyway, hurry up with that oath, or it would be drying up.
William had found in his pocket a grimy piece of paper and the stump of a pencil, and was writing with a set, purposeful expression.
"Now listen," he said at last. "This is wot I've wrote: 'We, wot our names are sined in blood under this riting, take an oath to revenge to the deth any member of this serciety wot is treated unfair. This is a Secret Serciety. The punishment for anyone wot does not revenge anyone else, or wot tells about the Serciety, is not to be spoke to or played with by any of the other people in the Serciety for ever till deth.'"
The signatures were the next difficulty. Leopold signed his with a scornful pride that was beginning to make him unpopular. William, feeling that his reputation as founder of the society was at stake, took out a battered penknife, made a slight incision with a dramatic gesture, and signed his name beneath Leopold's. Albert said he wasn't going to cut his finger, 'cause he was afraid of bleedin' to death, an' then he wouldn't be able to support his poor ole mother when he was a man. He got some red paint at home and he was going to fetch that. He wouldn't take a minute. He repeated that he wouldn't mind cuttin' off his head if it wasn't for his poor ole mother. Leopold's airs were becoming insufferable. He ejaculated, "Ho, yuss!" at intervals during Albert's speech, but the rest of the society seem to be agreed to ignore him for the present. Sam, with an exaggerated expression of agony, manfully endured, had been coaxing a two days' old scratch, and had just completed his signature when Albert returned with the red paint.
When the document was complete, William folded it up and put it in his pocket.
"Now," he said, assuming a businesslike attitude, "we've gotter think of a secret password."
Leopold darkly suggested "'ell," but it was felt that, though sinister, it was too indefinite. Albert, after deep thought, brought forward the proposal: "Hengland hexpects." This was felt to be, on the whole, too lofty, and finally Sam's suggestion of "Down wiv tyrants!" was accepted.
William (proposed and seconded by himself) was elected president, and the others (also on his proposal and seconding) were elected secretaries.
A whistle of penetrating and inharmonious tone was originated by William as a secret sign of danger, at which the whole society was to rally. Further, a member of the society, on meeting another member, was to cross the thumb and first finger and to utter darkly the words "Outlaw—Brother!" Finally, each member raised his right hand, uttered slowly and solemnly the fatal words "Down wiv tyrants—till death!" and the meeting dispersed.
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