The Singular Noise - Sleeping in a Meadow - The Book - Cure for Wakefulness - Literary Tea Party - Poor Byron.
I DID not awake till rather late the next morning; and when Idid, I felt considerable drowsiness, with a slight headache, which I was uncharitable enough to attribute to the mead which I had drunk on the preceding day.After feeding my horse, and breakfasting, I proceeded on my wanderings.
Nothing occurred worthy of relating till mid-day was considerably past, when I came to a pleasant valley, between two gentle hills.I had dismounted, in order to ease my horse, and was leading him along by the bridle, when, on my right, behind a bank in which some umbrageous ashes were growing, heard a singular noise.I stopped short and listened, and presently said to myself, "Surely this is snoring, perhaps that of a hedgehog." On further consideration, however, I was convinced that the noise which I heard, and which certainly seemed to be snoring, could not possibly proceed from the nostrils of so small an animal, but must rather come from those of a giant, so loud and sonorous was it.About two or three yards farther was a gate, partly open, to which I went, and peeping into the field, saw a man lying on some rich grass, under the shade of one of the ashes; he was snoring away at a great rate.Impelled by curiosity, I fastened the bridle of my horse to the gate, and went up to the man.He was a genteelly-dressed individual;rather corpulent, with dark features, and seemingly about forty-five.He lay on his back, his hat slightly over his brow, and at his right hand lay an open book.So strenuously did he snore that the wind from his nostrils agitated, perceptibly, a fine cambric frill which he wore at his bosom.
I gazed upon him for some time, expecting that he might awake; but he did not, but kept on snoring, his breast heaving convulsively.At last, the noise he made became so terrible, that I felt alarmed for his safety, imagining that a fit might seize him, and he lose his life while fast asleep.I therefore exclaimed, "Sir, sir, awake! you sleep over-much." But my voice failed to rouse him, and he continued snoring as before; whereupon I touched him slightly with my riding wand, but failing to wake him, I touched him again more vigorously; whereupon he opened his eyes, and, probably imagining himself in a dream, closed them again.
