CHAPTER VII: The Eagle and the Mockingjay

The next moment, soldiers came running through the wood, at first in twos and threes, then ten or twenty together, and at last in such crowds that they seemed to fill the whole forest. Prim got behind a tree for fear of being run over and watched them go by.

She thought that in all her life she had never seen soldiers so uncertain on their feet. They were always tripping over something or other, and whenever one went down, several more always fell over him so that the ground was soon covered with little heaps of men.

Then came the horses. Having four feet, these creatures managed rather better than the foot-soldiers, but even they stumbled now and then; and it seemed to be a regular rule that whenever a horse stumbled the rider fell off instantly. The confusion got worse every moment, and Prim was very glad to get out of the wood into an open place where she found the White King seated on the ground, busily writing in his memorandum-book. As she neared, she found President Snow sloppily dressed in King's attire.

"I've sent them all!" President Snow cried in a tone of delight, on seeing Prim. "Did you happen to meet any soldiers, my dear, as you came through the wood?"

"Yes, I did," said Prim. "Several thousand, I should think."

"Four thousand two hundred and seven, that's the exact number," President Snow said, referring to his book. "I couldn't send all the horses, you know, because two of them are wanted in the game. And I haven't sent the two Messengers, either. They're both gone to the town. Just look along the road and tell me if you can see either of them."

"I see nobody on the road," said Prim.

"I only wish I had such eyes," President Snow remarked in a fretful tone. "To be able to see Nobody. And at that distance, too. Why, it's as much as I can do to see real people by this light."

All this was lost on Prim, who was still looking intently along the road, shading her eyes with one hand. "I see somebody now!" she exclaimed at last. "But he's coming very slowly, and what curious movement he goes into." (For the messenger kept skipping up and down, wriggling like an eel as he came along with his great hands spread out like fans on each side.)

"Not at all," said President Snow. "He's an artistic Messenger, and those are artist tendencies. He only does them when he's happy. His name is Haigha." (He pronounced it so as to rhyme with "mayor.")

"I love my love with an H," Prim couldn't help beginning, "because he is Happy. I hate him with an H, because he is Hideous. I fed him with...with...with Ham-sandwiches and Hay. His name is Haigha, and he lives..."

"He lives on the Hill," President Snow remarked simply while Prim was still hesitating for the name of a town beginning with H, without the least idea that he was joining in the game. "My other Messenger is obsessed with hats. I must have two, you know, to come and go. One to come, and one to go."

"I beg your pardon?" said Prim.

"It isn't respectable to beg," said President Snow.

"I only meant that I didn't understand why you need two hats," said Prim. "Why one to come and one to go?"

"Not hats, Messengers. Didn't I tell you?" President Snow repeated impatiently. "I must have two, to fetch and carry. One to fetch, and one to carry."

At this moment, the Messenger arrived. He was far too much out of breath to say a word and could only wave his hands about and make the most fearful faces at the poor King.

When Prim discovered that the artist was Cinna, it took all her will power to subdue her surprise.

"This young lady loves you with an H," President Snow said, introducing Prim in the hope of turning off the Messenger's attention from himself; but it was no use. The artist movements only got more extraordinary with every moment while the great eyes rolled wildly from side to side.

"You alarm me!" said President Snow. "I feel faint; give me a ham sandwich."

On which, the Messenger—to Prim's great amusement—opened a bag that hung round his neck and handed a sandwich to the King, who devoured it greedily.

"Another sandwich," said President Snow.

"There's nothing but hay left now," the Messenger said, peeping into the bag.

"Hay, then," President Snow murmured in a faint whisper.

Prim was glad to see that it revived him a good deal. "There's nothing like eating hay when you're faint," he remarked to her, continuing to munch away.

"I should think throwing cold water over you would be better," Prim suggested. "Or some smelling salts."

"I didn't say there was nothing better," President Snow replied. "I said there was nothing like it."

Which Prim did not venture to deny.

"Who did you pass on the road?" President Snow went on, holding out his hand to the Messenger for some more hay.

"Nobody," said the Messenger.

"Quite right," said President Snow. "This young lady saw him too. So of course Nobody walks slower than you."

"I do my best," the Messenger said in a sulky tone. "I'm sure nobody walks much faster than I do."

"He can't do that," said President Snow, "or else he'd have been here first. However, now you've got your breath, you may tell us what's happened in the town."

"I'll whisper it," said the Messenger before putting his hands to his mouth in the shape of a trumpet, stooping so as to get close to the King's ear.

Prim was sorry for this as she wanted to hear the news too.

However, instead of whispering, Cinna simply shouted at the top of his voice, "They're at it again!"

"Do you call that a whisper?" the poor King cried, jumping up and shaking himself. "If you do such a thing again, I'll have you buttered! It went through and through my head like an earthquake!'

It would have to be a very tiny earthquake! thought Prim. "Who are at it again?" she ventured to ask.

"Why the Eagle and the Mockingjay, of course," said President Snow.

"Fighting for the crown?" asked Prim

"Yes, to be sure," said President Snow, "and the best of the joke is that it's my crown all the while. Let's run and see them."

And they trotted off; Prim repeating to herself as she ran the words of the old song:

'The Eagle and the Mockingjay were fighting for the crown:

The Eagle beat the Mockingjay all round the town.

Some gave them white bread, some gave them brown;

Some gave them plum-cake and drummed them out of town.'

"Does...the one...that wins...get the crown?" she asked as well as she could, for the run was putting her quite out of breath.

"Dear me, no!' said President Snow. "What an idea."

"Would you...be good enough," Prim panted out after running a little further, "to stop a minute...just to get...one's breath again?"

"I'm good enough," President Snow said. "Only, I'm not strong enough. You see, a minute goes by so fearfully quick. You might as well try to stop a Bandersnatch!"

Prim had no more breath for talking, so they trotted on in silence till they came in sight of a great crowd, in the middle of which, the Eagle and Mockingjay were fighting. They were in such a cloud of dust, that at first, Prim could not make out which was which. But she soon managed to distinguish the Eagle by his more agile movement.

They placed themselves close to where Effie, the other messenger, was standing to watch the fight. She had a cup of tea in one hand and a piece of bread-and-butter in the other.

"She's only just out of prison, and she hadn't finished her tea when she was sent in," Cinna whispered to Prim. "And they only give them oyster-shells in there, so you see she's very hungry and thirsty. How are you, dear child?" he went on, putting his arm affectionately round Effie's neck.

Effie looked round and nodded before returning to her bread and butter.

"Were you happy in prison, dear child?" asked Cinna.

Effie looked round once more, and this time a tear or two trickled down her cheek, but not a word would she say.

"Speak, can't you," Cinna cried impatiently. But Effie only munched away and drank some more tea.

"Speak, won't you," cried President Snow. "How are they getting on with the fight?"

Effie made a desperate effort and swallowed a large piece of bread-and-butter. "They're getting on very well," she said in a choking voice. "Each of them has been down about eighty-seven times."

"Then I suppose they'll soon bring the white bread and the brown?" Prim ventured to remark.

"It's waiting for 'em now," said Effie. "This is a bit of it as I'm eating."

There was a pause in the fight just then, and the Eagle and the Mockingjay sat down, panting while President Snow called out "Ten minutes allowed for refreshments!" Cinna and Effie set to work at once, carrying rough trays of white and brown bread. Prim took a piece to taste, but it was very dry.

"I don't think they'll fight any more today," President Snow said to Effie. "Go and order the drums to begin."

And Effie went bounding away like a grasshopper.

For a minute or two, Prim stood silent, watching him. Suddenly, she brightened up. "Look, look!" she cried, pointing eagerly. "There's the White Queen running across the country. She came flying out of the wood over yonder. How fast those Queens can run."

"There's some enemy after her, no doubt," President Snow said without even looking round. "That wood's full of them."

"But aren't you going to run and help her?" Prim asked, very much surprised at his taking it so quietly.

"No use, no use," said President Snow. "She runs so fearfully quick. You might as well try to catch a Bandersnatch. But I'll make a memorandum about her if you like, Wiress is a dear good creature," he repeated softly to himself as he opened his memorandum-book. "Do you spell 'creature' with a double 'e'?"

At this moment, the Mockingjay sauntered by patting the dust from its feathers. "I had the best of it this time?" he said to the King, just glancing at the small man as he passed.

"A little...a little," President Snow replied rather nervously. "You shouldn't have peck at his eyes, you know."

"It didn't hurt him," the Mockingjay said carelessly, and he was going on when his own eye happened to fall upon Prim. He turned round rather instantly and stood for some time looking at her with an air of the deepest disgust.

"What...is...this?" he said at last.

"This is a child," Cinna replied eagerly, coming in front of Prim to introduce her by spreading out both his hands towards her in a flamboyant designer fashion. "We only found it today. It's as large as life and twice as natural."

"I always thought they were fabulous monsters," said the Mockingjay. "Is it alive?"

"The child can talk," said Cinna solemnly.

The Mockingjay looked dreamily at Prim and said, "Talk, child."

Prim could not help her lips curling up into a smile as she began. "Do you know, I always thought Mockingjays were fabulous, too. I never saw one alive and talking before."

"Well, now that we have seen each other," said the Mockingjay, "if you'll believe in me, I'll believe in you. Is that a bargain?"

"Yes, if you like," said Prim.

"Come, fetch out the plum-cake, old man," the Mockingjay went on, turning from her to the King. "None of your brown bread for me."

"Certainly, certainly," President Snow muttered before beckoning to Cinna. "Open the bag," he whispered. "Quick. Not that one; that's full of hay."

Cinna took a large cake out of the bag and gave it to Prim to hold while he got out a dish and carving-knife.

How they all came out of the bag, Prim couldn't guess. It is just like a conjuring-trick, she thought.

The Eagle had joined them while this was going on. He looked very tired and sleepy, and his eyes were half shut. "What's this," he said, blinking lazily at Prim, speaking in a sharp hollow tone that sounded like the taught strings of a violin.

"Ah, what is it, now?" the Mockingjay cried eagerly. "You'll never guess. I couldn't."

The Eagle looked at Prim wearily. "Are you animal, vegetable, or mineral?" he said, yawning at every other word.

"It's a fabulous monster," the Mockingjay cried out before Prim could reply.

"Then hand round the plum-cake, Monster," the Eagle said, settling down and pulling his wings in. "And sit down, both of you," (to the King and the Mockingjay), "fair play with the cake, you know."

President Snow was evidently very uncomfortable at having to sit down between the two great creatures, but there was no other place for him.

"What a fight we might have for the crown, now," the Mockingjay said, looking slyly up at the crown, which this poor King was nearly shaking off his head, for he trembled so much.

"I should win easy," said the Eagle.

"I'm not so sure of that," said the Mockingjay.

"Why, I beat you all round the town, you chicken," the Eagle replied angrily, half getting up as he spoke.

Here the King interrupted to prevent the quarrel going on. He was very nervous, and his voice quite quivered. "All round the town?" he said. "That's a good long way. Did you go by the old bridge, or the market-place? You get the best view by the old bridge."

"I'm sure I don't know," the Eagle screeched as he sat down again. "There was too much dust to see anything. What a time the Monster is, cutting up that cake."

Prim had seated herself on the bank of a little brook with the great dish on her knees and was sawing away diligently with the knife. "It's very provoking," she said in reply to the Eagle (she was getting quite used to being called "the Monster"). "I've cut several slices already, but they always join on again."

"You don't know how to manage Looking-glass cakes," the Mockingjay remarked. "Hand it round first and cut it afterwards."

This sounded nonsense, but Prim very obediently got up and carried the dish round, and the cake divided itself into three pieces as she did so.

"Now cut it up," said the Eagle as Prim returned to her place with the empty dish.

"I say, this isn't fair," cried the Mockingjay as Prim sat with the knife in her hand, very much puzzled how to begin. "The Monster has given the Eagle twice as much as me."

"She's kept none for herself, anyhow," said the Eagle. "Do you like plum-cake, Monster?"

But before Prim could answer him, the drums began.

Where the noise came from, she couldn't make out. The air seemed full of it, and thumping rang through and through her head till she felt quite deafened. She started to her feet and sprang across the little brook in her terror.

. . . . . . .

. . . . . .

. . . . . . .

She had just time to see the Eagle and the Mockingjay rise into the air with angry looks at being interrupted in their feast before she dropped to her knees and put her hands over her ears, vainly trying to shut out the dreadful uproar.

If THAT doesn't 'drum them out of town', she thought to herself, nothing ever will!