and soon found herself safe in a thick wood.


“The first thing I’ve got to do,” said Alice to herself, as

she wandered about in the wood, “is to grow to my right size again; and

the second thing is to find my way into that lovely garden. I think that will

be the best plan.”


It sounded an excellent plan, no doubt, and very neatly and simply arranged;

the only difficulty was, that she had not the smallest idea how to set about

it; and while she was peering about anxiously among the trees, a little sharp

bark just over her head made her look up in a great hurry.


An enormous puppy was looking down at her with large round eyes, and feebly

stretching out one paw, trying to touch her. “Poor little thing!”

said Alice, in a coaxing tone, and she tried hard to whistle to it; but she was

terribly frightened all the time at the thought that it might be hungry, in

which case it would be very likely to eat her up in spite of all her coaxing.


Hardly knowing what she did, she picked up a little bit of stick, and held it

out to the puppy; whereupon the puppy jumped into the air off all its feet at

once, with a yelp of delight, and rushed at the stick, and made believe to

worry it; then Alice dodged behind a great thistle, to keep herself from being

run over; and the moment she appeared on the other side, the puppy made another

rush at the stick, and tumbled head over heels in its hurry to get hold of it;

then Alice, thinking it was very like having a game of play with a cart-horse,

and expecting every moment to be trampled under its feet, ran round the thistle

again; then the puppy began a series of short charges at the stick, running a

very little way forwards each time and a long way back, and barking hoarsely

all the while, till at last it sat down a good way off, panting, with its

tongue hanging out of its mouth, and its great eyes half shut.


This seemed to Alice a good opportunity for making her escape; so she set off