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<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xmlns:epub="http://www.idpf.org/2007/ops">
<head>
<title>Alice's Adventures in Wonderland</title>
<link rel="stylesheet" href="css/stylesheet.css" type="text/css"/>
<meta charset="utf-8"/>
</head>
<body>
<section epub:type="chapter">
<h2 id="pgepubid00006">
<a id="III_A_CAUCUS-RACE_AND_A_LONG_TALE"></a>
A Caucus-Race And A Long Tale
</h2>
<p>They were indeed a queer-looking party that assembled on the
bank—the birds with draggled feathers, the animals with their fur clinging close
to them, and all dripping wet, cross and uncomfortable.</p>
<figure class="small">
<img src="images/i008_th.jpg" alt="Illo8" />
</figure>
<p>The first question, of course, was how to get dry again. They had a consultation
about this and after a few minutes, it seemed quite natural to Alice to find herself
talking familiarly with them, as if she had known them all her life.</p>
<p>At last the Mouse, who seemed to be a person of<a id="Page_15" class="pageno" title=
"[Pg 15]"></a> some authority among them, called out, "Sit down, all of you, and listen
to me! <i>I'll</i> soon make you dry enough!" They all sat down at once, in a large
ring, with the Mouse in the middle.</p>
<p>"Ahem!" said the Mouse with an important air. "Are you all ready? This is the driest
thing I know. Silence all 'round, if you please! 'William the Conqueror, whose cause
was favored by the pope, was soon submitted to by the English, who wanted leaders, and
had been of late much accustomed to usurpation and conquest. Edwin and Morcar, the
Earls of Mercia and Northumbria'—"</p>
<p>"Ugh!" said the Lory, with a shiver.</p>
<p>"—'And even Stigand, the patriotic archbishop of Canterbury, found it
advisable'—"</p>
<p>"Found <i>what</i>?" said the Duck.</p>
<p>"Found <i>it</i>," the Mouse replied rather crossly; "of course, you know what 'it'
means."</p>
<p>"I know what 'it' means well enough, when <i>I</i> find a thing," said the Duck;
"it's generally a frog or a worm. The question is, what did the archbishop find?"</p>
<p>The Mouse did not notice this question, but hurriedly went on, "'—found it
advisable to go with Edgar Atheling to meet William and offer him the crown.'—How
are you getting on now, my dear?" it continued, turning to Alice as it spoke.</p>
<p>"As wet as ever," said Alice in a melancholy tone; "it doesn't seem to dry me at
all."</p>
<p>"In that case," said the Dodo solemnly, rising to its feet, "I move that the meeting
adjourn, for the immediate adoption of more energetic remedies—"<a id="Page_16"
class="pageno" title="[Pg 16]"></a></p>
<p>"Speak English!" said the Eaglet. "I don't know the meaning of half those long
words, and, what's more, I don't believe you do either!"</p>
<p>"What I was going to say," said the Dodo in an offended tone, "is that the best
thing to get us dry would be a Caucus-race."</p>
<p>"What <i>is</i> a Caucus-race?" said Alice.</p>
<figure class="small">
<img src="images/i009_th.jpg" alt="Illo9" />
</figure>
<p>"Why," said the Dodo, "the best way to explain it is to do it." First it marked out
a race-course, in a sort of circle, and then all the party were placed along the
course, here and there. There was no "One, two, three and away!" but they began running
when they liked and left off when they liked, so that it was not easy to know when the
race was over. However, when they had been running half an hour or so and were quite
dry again, the Dodo suddenly called out, "The race is over!" and they all crowded
'round it, panting and asking, "But who has won?"<a id="Page_17" class="pageno" title=
"[Pg 17]"></a></p>
<p>This question the Dodo could not answer without a great deal of thought. At last it
said, "<i>Everybody</i> has won, and <i>all</i> must have prizes."</p>
<p>"But who is to give the prizes?" quite a chorus of voices asked.</p>
<p>"Why, <i>she</i>, of course," said the Dodo, pointing to Alice with one finger; and
the whole party at once crowded 'round her, calling out, in a confused way, "Prizes!
Prizes!"</p>
<p>Alice had no idea what to do, and in despair she put her hand into her pocket and
pulled out a box of comfits (luckily the salt-water had not got into it) and handed
them 'round as prizes. There was exactly one a-piece, all 'round.</p>
<p>The next thing was to eat the comfits; this caused some noise and confusion, as the
large birds complained that they could not taste theirs, and the small ones choked and
had to be patted on the back. However, it was over at last and they sat down again in a
ring and begged the Mouse to tell them something more.</p>
<p>"You promised to tell me your history, you know," said Alice, "and why it is you
hate—C and D," she added in a whisper, half afraid that it would be offended
again.</p>
<p>"Mine is a long and a sad tale!" said the Mouse, turning to Alice and sighing.</p>
<p>"It <i>is</i> a long tail, certainly," said Alice, looking down with wonder at the
Mouse's tail, "but why do you call it sad?" And she kept on puzzling about it while the
Mouse was speaking, so that her idea of the tale was something like this:<a id=
"Page_18" class="pageno" title="[Pg 18]"></a>—</p>
<div class="poem stanza">
<span class="i1">"Fury said to<br /></span> <span class="i2">a mouse,
That<br /></span> <span class="i3">he met in the<br /></span> <span class="i4">house,
'Let<br /></span> <span class="i5">us both go<br /></span> <span class="i6">to law:
<i>I</i><br /></span> <span class="i6 c9">will prosecute<br /></span> <span class=
"i6 c9"><i>you</i>.—<br /></span> <span class="i6 c9">Come, I'll<br /></span>
<span class="i5 c9">take no denial:<br /></span> <span class="c20"><span class=
"i4 c9">We must have<br /></span> <span class="i3 c10">the trial;<br /></span>
<span class="i2 c10">For really<br /></span> <span class="i1 c10">this
morning<br /></span> <span class="i0 c10">I've<br /></span> <span class=
"i0 c10">nothing<br /></span> <span class="i0 c11">to do.'<br /></span> <span class=
"i1 c11">Said the<br /></span> <span class="i2 c11">mouse to<br /></span>
<span class="c19"><span class="i3 c11">the cur,<br /></span> <span class=
"i4 c11">'Such a<br /></span> <span class="i5 c12">trial, dear<br /></span>
<span class="i6 c12">sir, With<br /></span> <span class="i8 c12">no jury<br /></span>
<span class="i9 c12">or judge,<br /></span> <span class="i9 c12">would<br /></span>
<span class="i8 c13">be wasting<br /></span> <span class="i7 c13">our<br /></span>
<span class="c18"><span class="i5 c13">breath.'<br /></span> <span class=
"i4 c13">'I'll be<br /></span> <span class="i3 c13">judge,<br /></span> <span class=
"i2 c14">I'll be<br /></span> <span class="i1 c14">jury,'<br /></span> <span class=
"i0 c14">said<br /></span> <span class="i0 c14">cunning<br /></span> <span class=
"i1 c14">old<br /></span> <span class="i2 c15">Fury;<br /></span> <span class=
"c17"><span class="i3 c15">'I'll<br /></span> <span class="i4 c15">try<br /></span>
<span class="i5 c15">the<br /></span> <span class="i6 c15">whole<br /></span>
<span class="i7 c16">cause,<br /></span> <span class="i7 c16">and<br /></span>
<span class="i6 c16">condemn<br /></span> <span class="i5 c16">you to<br /></span>
<span class="i3 c16">death.'"<br /></span></span></span></span></span>
</div>
<p><a id="Page_19" class="pageno" title="[Pg 19]"></a>"You are not attending!" said the
Mouse to Alice, severely. "What are you thinking of?"</p>
<p>"I beg your pardon," said Alice very humbly, "you had got to the fifth bend, I
think?"</p>
<p>"You insult me by talking such nonsense!" said the Mouse, getting up and walking
away.</p>
<p>"Please come back and finish your story!" Alice called after it. And the others all
joined in chorus, "Yes, please do!" But the Mouse only shook its head impatiently and
walked a little quicker.</p>
<p>"I wish I had Dinah, our cat, here!" said Alice. This caused a remarkable sensation
among the party. Some of the birds hurried off at once, and a Canary called out in a
trembling voice, to its children, "Come away, my dears! It's high time you were all in
bed!" On various pretexts they all moved off and Alice was soon left alone.</p>
<p>"I wish I hadn't mentioned Dinah! Nobody seems to like her down here and I'm sure
she's the best cat in the world!" Poor Alice began to cry again, for she felt very
lonely and low-spirited. In a little while, however, she again heard a little pattering
of footsteps in the distance and she looked up eagerly.</p>
<figure class="small">
<img src="images/i010_th.jpg" alt="Illo10" />
</figure>
<p><a id="Page_20" class="pageno" title="[Pg 20]"></a></p>
<figure class="small">
<img src="images/i011_th.jpg" alt="Illo11" />
</figure>
</section>
</body>
</html>
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