The million pigtails shook more wildly each time until, at the last,
the million little Chinamen rose up from their hiding-places under the
bushes, and came running from all over the fields like the inhabitants
of a great city running to a fire.

When they reached the road and the green palanquin, they fell on their
knees, jabbering and praying the chief Choo Choo Choo not to hurt them
with his long curved sword or the curved fingernails, which were worse
than the sword.

"Pss-ss-iss-ssst!" exclaimed Choo Choo Choo, who for all his faults
liked to see people brave and not cowardly like that.

"Psss-sss-iss-sst!" he said again, then a third time, for in China,
especially if you are a robber, you must say things three times if you
really mean it, or else people won't believe you at all.

So, again "Pss-ss-iss-sst!" said this bold Choo Choo Choo.

At this third dread cry, each of the million Chinamen took out of his
pocket a penny, a Chinese penny. And a Chinese penny is rather big,
with a hole in the centre, and funny chicken-track letters stamped on
it.

Before Marmaduke could have said "Jack Robinson," there were a million
of them lying in the road.

Choo Choo Choo scratched his head with his long fingernail. He didn't
know what in the world to do with so many pennies.