Alice got behind a
tree, for fear of being run over, and watched them go by.
She thought that in all her life she had never seen soldiers so
uncertain on their feet: they were always tripping over something or
other, and whenever one went down, several more always fell over him,
so that the ground was soon covered with little heaps of men.
Then came the horses. Having four feet, these managed rather
better than the foot-soldiers: but even THEY stumbled now and then;
and it seemed to be a regular rule that, whenever a horse stumbled
the rider fell off instantly. The confusion got worse every moment,
and Alice was very glad to get out of the wood into an open place,
where she found the White King seated on the ground, busily writing
in his memorandum-book.
`I've sent them all!' the King cried in a tone of delight, on
seeing Alice. `Did you happen to meet any soldiers, my dear, as you
came through the wood?'
`Yes, I did,' said Alice: several thousand, I should think.'
`Four thousand two hundred and seven, that's the exact number,' the
King said, referring to his book. `I couldn't send all the horses,
you know, because two of them are wanted in the game.
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