And he was right. Fresh puppets kept continually rising
up and coming to life; the regiments formed themselves, the little
horses were soon harnessed to the cannons and drew them, the tin
Generals put themselves at the head of their troops, and the order
of battle was arranged against the Rats. It was indeed high time,
for many of the puppets had already fallen under the sharp teeth of
their assailants. At the sight of this, Nutcracker's spirit and
heroic courage were aroused; his eyes rolled, his jaws chattered
with very thirst of fight, his wooden pigtail accompanied all the
motions of his mouth with rapid twitchings. Impatiently he drew his
sword, and at the head of his Body-guard (who were also
Nutcrackers, but without the star, and therefore no princes) he led
his army to battle.

And now he gave the signal to fire! Instantly all the firearms and
cannons of the innumerable regiments were discharged at the Rats,
who, terrified by the strange noise, took to flight in all haste.
Thus a brilliant victory was gained, and in place of the late
confusion of overturned boxes, there was now to be seen quite a
new world, glittering in all the colours of the rainbow. Towns
and villages, fortresses and country-houses, kitchens and
drawing-rooms, lay scattered one upon another, whilst thousands of
little men and animals were running about. The first thing now was,
of course, that Prince Nutcracker should receive the homage of his
subjects as their ruler.

But there still remained the third task to be accomplished,--to
find a Princess, and with her hand to obtain a piece of land upon
which the new colony might settle. Here again Harlequin's ingenuity
soon suggested advice and aid. Some of the wounded and captured
Rats were commanded to give a description of all the Princesses
whom they had met with in the course of their travels. When they
came to tell of the beauty of the Princess of Root-Valley, the
wooden heart of Prince Nutcracker, as he listened to their
description, warmed so, that a sound shot through it as if a deal
board were cracking and splitting in a room suddenly heated. This
sound he regarded as an omen; this and no other Princess was to be
his Queen. He therefore resolved instantly to go with all his
People to where the Princess lived, and sue for her hand.

The procession was forthwith marshalled in due order; the Rat
prisoners served as pioneers and guides; after these followed the
cavalry, then the Prince w