First you take an upright stick, said the Knight. Then you make your
hair creep up it, like a fruit-tree. Now the reason hair falls off is
because it hangs _down_ things never fall _upwards_, you know. It s a
plan of my own invention. You may try it if you like.
It didn t sound a comfortable plan, Alice thought, and for a few
minutes she walked on in silence, puzzling over the idea, and every now
and then stopping to help the poor Knight, who certainly was _not_ a
good rider.
Whenever the horse stopped (which it did very often), he fell off in
front; and whenever it went on again (which it generally did rather
suddenly), he fell off behind. Otherwise he kept on pretty well, except
that he had a habit of now and then falling off sideways; and as he
generally did this on the side on which Alice was walking, she soon
found that it was the best plan not to walk _quite_ close to the horse.
I m afraid you ve not had much practice in riding, she ventured to
say, as she was helping him up from his fifth tumble.
The Knight looked very much surprised, and a little offended at the
remark. What makes you say that? he asked, as he scrambled back into
the saddle, keeping hold of Alice s hair with one hand, to save himself
from falling over on the other side.
Because people don t fall off quite so often, when they ve had much
practice.
I ve had plenty of practice, the Knight said very gravely: plenty of
practice!
Alice could think of nothing better to say than Indeed? but she said
it as heartily as she could. They went on a little way in silence after
this, the Knight with his eyes shut, muttering to himself, and Alice
watching anxiously for the next tumble.
The great art of riding, the Knight suddenly began in a loud voice,
waving his right arm as he spoke, is to keep Here the sentence ended
as suddenly as it had begun, as the Knight fell heavily on the top of
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