So I'll make you a deal that I think
is quite fair
You furnish the legs and you carry
me there;
I'll furnish the brains, show the way
to the tree
then half of the nuts are for you
Half for me.
The Kwuggerbug knows where the Beezlenut tree is, but he doesn't want to walk there. Horton is perfectly able bodied but does not know where the tree is. The Kwuggerbug decides that if they pool their talents then by working together they can both share the Beezlenuts that they find. This is a fable that teaches readers about the importance of working together, team spirit and also the success that can come when one shows a willingness to share. In short, half of something is better than one hundred per cent of nothing.
"The climb," sighed poor Horton,
"will kill me, no doubt.
But a deal IS a deal, and I cannot
back out."
Horton did not really question why the Kwuggerbug wanted him to provide the legs for the trip to the tree. However, now they are a fair way into their journey it is becoming quite obvious, as the uphill terrain is starting to take a terrible toll on him and he is getting quite exhausted. He would like to stop - except he cannot, because he made a deal, and he knows the importance of keeping his word.
At face value, this continues the book's fable like theme of being true to one's word and keeping promises, but it also, as a broader piece of work in Seuss's political storytelling, advocates peaceful working together as a solution to problems and ways to achieve a common goal.
