Lewis Carroll

The Hunting Of The Snark An Agony, In Eight Fits Lewis Carroll

The hunt begins:

They sought it with thimbles, they sought it with care;
They pursued it with forks and hope;
They threatened its life with a railway-share;
They charmed it with smiles and soap.

Along the way, the Butcher and Beaver, previously mutually wary, become fast friends after they hear the cry of a Jubjub bird and the Butcher ends up giving the Beaver a lesson on maths and zoology. The Barrister, meanwhile, sleeps, and dreams of witnessing a court trial of a pig accused of deserting its sty, with a Snark as its defence lawyer.

During the hunt, the Banker is attacked by a Bandersnatch, and loses his sanity after trying to bribe the creature.

The Baker rushes ahead of the party and calls out that he has found a Snark, but when the others arrive, he has mysteriously disappeared.