Аліса в Країні чудес

           ‘WhatIwasgoingtosay,’saidtheDodoinanoffendedtone,‘was,thatthebestthingtogetusdrywouldbeaCaucus-race.’ 

           ‘WhatisaCaucus-race?’ saidAlice; notthatshewantedmuchtoknow,buttheDodohadpausedasifitthoughtthatsomebodyoughttospeak,andnooneelseseemedinclinedtosayanything. 

           ‘Why,’saidtheDodo,‘thebestwaytoexplainitistodoit.’ (And,asyoumightliketotrythethingyourself,somewinterday,IwilltellyouhowtheDodomanagedit.) 

           Firstitmarkedoutarace-course,inasortofcircle,(‘theexactshapedoesn’tmatter,’itsaid,) andthenallthepartywereplacedalongthecourse,hereandthere. Therewasno‘One,two,three,andaway,’ buttheybeganrunningwhentheyliked,andleftoffwhentheyliked, sothatitwasnoteasytoknowwhentheracewasover. However,whentheyhadbeenrunninghalfanhourorso,andwerequitedryagain,theDodosuddenlycalledout‘Theraceisover!’ andtheyallcrowdedroundit,panting,andasking,‘Butwhohaswon?’ 

           ThisquestiontheDodocouldnotanswerwithoutagreatdealofthought, anditsatforalongtimewithonefingerpresseduponitsforehead(thepositioninwhichyouusuallyseeShakespeare,inthepicturesofhim),whiletherestwaitedinsilence. AtlasttheDodosaid,‘everybodyhaswon,andallmusthaveprizes.’ 

           ‘Butwhoistogivetheprizes?’ quiteachorusofvoicesasked.