He jumped
down from the platform and commanded the soldiers to raise the Great
Knife into position. When this was accomplished, the Boolooroo
leaned over to try to discover why the frame rolled away--seemingly
of its own accord--and he was the more puzzled because it had never
done such a thing before.
As he stood, bent nearly double, his back was toward the billygoat,
which in their interest and excitement the soldiers were holding in
a careless manner. Before any could stop him, he butted his Majesty
so furiously that the King soared far into the air and tumbled in a
heap among the benches, where he lay moaning and groaning.
The goat's warlike spirit was roused by this successful attack.
Finding himself free, he turned and assaulted the soldiers, butting
them so fiercely that they tumbled down in bunches, and as soon as
they could rise again ran frantically from the room and along the
corridors as if a fiend was after them. By this time the goat was so
animated by the spirit of conquest that he rushed at the Six
Snubnosed Princesses, who had all climbed upon their chairs and were
screaming in a panic of fear. Six times the goat butted, and each
time he tipped over a chair and sent a haughty Princess groveling
upon the floor, where the ladies got mixed up in their long, blue
trains and flounces and laces and struggled wildly until they
recovered their footing.
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