“You are certainly having plenty of adventures,” said the Lamb, in her bleating voice.
“Yes. And for a time, when I saw the White Rocking Horse bearing down on me, I thought all my adventures were over,” replied the Bold Tin Soldier.
“I hope that careless boy never comes around where we are again,” said the Lamb, and the Soldier hoped the same thing.
And now I must tell you another adventure that happened to the Bold Tin Soldier. It was about a week after the White Rocking Horse had run over him, and he was getting used to the shiny “medal,” as Arnold called it, that one day when the boy was having a make-believe battle with his Tin Soldiers Mirabell called from the kitchen:
“Oh, Arnold, come on down! Susan has baked some lovely cookies!”
“I’m coming!” cried Arnold, and, as he happened to have the Bold Tin Soldier in his hand just then, he took the Captain along when he ran down to the kitchen.
“Where are the cookies?” asked Arnold, who was feeling hungry.
“Right here on the table,” replied Susan. “Put your Soldier down, Arnold, and sit up and eat.”
Now, as it happened, there was an open barrel of sugar in the kitchen. The cook had taken some sugar out to use in making the cookies, and had forgotten to put the cover back on. And Arnold, being in a hurry, put his Captain down on a little shelf just over this barrel.
How it happened no one seemed to know, but perhaps in eating his cookie Arnold struck the Captain with his elbow. Anyhow, down into the sugar barrel fell the Bold Tin Soldier.