‘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!’ 🔊 And

the Eaglet bent down its head to hide a smile: some of the other birds

tittered audibly. 🔊

‘What I was going to say,’ said the Dodo in an offended tone, ‘was, that

the best thing to get us dry would be a Caucus-race.’ 🔊

‘What is a Caucus-race?’ said Alice; not that she wanted much to know,

but the Dodo had paused as if it thought that somebody ought to speak,

and no one else seemed inclined to say anything. 🔊

‘Why,’ said the Dodo, ‘the best way to explain it is to do it.’ (And, as

you might like to try the thing yourself, some winter day, I will tell

you how the Dodo managed it.) 🔊

First it marked out a race-course, in a sort of circle, (‘the exact

shape doesn’t matter,’ it said,) 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. 🔊