'The White Night' is really called 'The White Knight', with a K
`the white knight is sliding down the poker. he balances very badly'
http://illustratedlookingglass.blogspot.co.uk/
A knight is a chess piece in the shape of a horse, or to put it another way, the horse-shaped chess piece is called 'a knight'. It represents a human knight mounted on horseback - even though you can't see the human
Carroll has interpreted this as being the knights wearing horse-shaped helmets, as shown in Chapter 8 'It's My Own Invention', in which me meet the White Knight
`Well, we must fight for her, then,' said the Red Knight, as he took up his helmet (which hung from the saddle, and was something the shape of a horse's head) and put it on.
http://illustratedlookingglass.blogspot ... ntion.html
In that chapter you can also see John Tenniel's illustrations showing the White Knight both before and after he removes his helmet
http://www.victorianweb.org/art/illustr ... ss/8.1.jpg
http://assets.chitanka.info/content/img ... jat-37.png
You can also see his helmet hanging from his horse
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ahQpTVuFaRc/T ... niel+2.jpg
According to the White Knight, he invented the helmet himself
....Alice changed the subject hastily. `What a curious helmet you've got!' she said cheerfully. `Is that your invention too?'
The Knight looked down proudly at his helmet, which hung from the saddle. `Yes,' he said, `but I've invented a better one than that....
A poker is a tool used when tending an open fire in a fireplace. It is there because the chess pieces are all in the hearth of the fireplace