I ll tell you how I came to think of it, said the Knight. You see, I
said to myself, The only difficulty is with the feet: the _head_ is
high enough already. Now, first I put my head on the top of the
gate then I stand on my head then the feet are high enough, you
see then I m over, you see.
Yes, I suppose you d be over when that was done, Alice said
thoughtfully: but don t you think it would be rather hard?
I haven t tried it yet, the Knight said, gravely: so I can t tell
for certain but I m afraid it _would_ be a little hard.
He looked so vexed at the idea, that Alice changed the subject hastily.
What a curious helmet you ve got! she said cheerfully. Is that your
invention too?
The Knight looked down proudly at his helmet, which hung from the
saddle. Yes, he said, but I ve invented a better one than that like
a sugar loaf. When I used to wear it, if I fell off the horse, it
always touched the ground directly. So I had a _very_ little way to
fall, you see But there _was_ the danger of falling _into_ it, to be
sure. That happened to me once and the worst of it was, before I could
get out again, the other White Knight came and put it on. He thought it
was his own helmet.
The knight looked so solemn about it that Alice did not dare to laugh.
I m afraid you must have hurt him, she said in a trembling voice,
being on the top of his head.
I had to kick him, of course, the Knight said, very seriously. And
then he took the helmet off again but it took hours and hours to get me
out. I was as fast as as lightning, you know.
But that s a different kind of fastness, Alice objected.
The Knight shook his head. It was all kinds of fastness with me, I can
assure you! he said. He raised his hands in some excitement as he said
this, and instantly rolled out of the saddle, and fell headlong into a
deep ditch.
79