` Not yet , ' said the Knight . ` But I 've got a plan for keeping it from FALLING off . ' ' I should like to hear it , very much . ' ` 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 did n'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 -LRB- which it did very often -RRB- , he fell off in front ; and whenever it went on again -LRB- which it generally did rather suddenly -RRB- , 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 do n'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 his head exactly in the path where XXXXX was walking .
Alice First Knight fall fifth fruit-tree hair idea minutes people