"I must not say a word!" thought the Soldier to himself.

And you can just imagine how the White Rocking Horse felt when he
was made to run over his dear friend from the toy store!

"Oh, dear me," said the White Rocking Horse to himself, when he
heard the crunching sound, "something dreadful has happened! But it
was not my fault! It was that boy's!"

For you know, as well as I do, that if the White Rocking Horse had
had his way he would have turned out, and not have gone over his
friend, the Captain.

But Tad did not stop rocking, even when he heard the crunching
sound. He swayed backward and forward in the saddle and cried:

"Gid-dap! Go faster!"

And he made the White Rocking Horse keep on. I don't know what else
would have happened. Maybe that careless boy would have rocked over
the rest of the Tin Soldiers for all I know, only he happened to see
the Lamb on Wheels.

"I'll pull her around. That will be fun," said Tad, springing off
the back of the horse.

As the boy leaped from the back of the White Rocking Horse he turned
that wooden chap half around so the animal could look at the Bold
Tin Soldier lying on the carpet.