igha.

Hatta looked round once more, and this time a tear or two trickled down
his cheek: but not a word would he say.

'Speak, can't you!' Haigha cried impatiently. But Hatta only munched
away, and drank some more tea.

'Speak, won't you!' cried the King. 'How are they getting on with the
fight?'

Hatta made a desperate effort, and swallowed a large piece of
bread-and-butter. 'They're getting on very well,' he said in a choking
voice: 'each of them has been down about eighty-seven times.'

'Then I suppose they'll soon bring the white bread and the brown?' Alice
ventured to remark.

'It's waiting for 'em now,' said Hatta: 'this is a bit of it as I'm
eating.'

There was a pause in the fight just then, and the Lion and the Unicorn
sat down, panting, while the King called out 'Ten minutes allowed for
refreshments!' Haigha and Hatta set to work at once, carrying rough
trays of white and brown bread. Alice took a piece to taste, but it was
VERY dry.

'I don't think they'll fight any more to-day,' the King said to Hatta:
'go and order the drums to begin.' And Hatta went bounding away like a
grasshopper.

For a minute or two Alice stood silent, watching him. Suddenly she
brightened up. 'Look, look!' she cried, pointing eagerly. 'There's the
White Queen running across the country! She came flying out of the wood
over yonder--How fast those Queens CAN run!'

'There's some enemy after her, no doubt,' the King said, without even
looking round. 'That wood's full of them.'

'But aren't you going to run and help her?' Alice asked, very much
surprised at his taking it so quietly.

'No use, no use!' said the King. 'She runs so fearfully quick. You might
as well try to catch a Bandersnatch! But I'll make a memorandum about
her, if you like--She's a dear good creature,' he repeated softly to
himself, as he opened his memorandum-book. 'Do you spell "creature" with
a double "e"?'

At this moment the Unicorn sauntered by them, with his hands in his
pockets. 'I had the best of it this time?' he said to the King, just
glancing at him as he passed.

'A little--a little,' the King replied, rather nervously. 'You shouldn't
have run him through with your horn, you know.'

'It didn't hurt him,' the Unicorn said carelessly, and he was going
on, when his eye happened to fall upon Alice: he turned round rather
instantly, and stood for some time looking at her with an air of the
deepest disgust.

'What--is--this?' he said at las