'
With that he flung himself down where there was a narrow shadow close
against the bottom of the wall, and in a minute I knew from his heavy
breathing that he was asleep.
The wind had freshened much, and was blowing strong from the west; and
now that I was under the lee of the wall I began to perceive that
drowsiness creeping upon me which overtakes a man who has been tousled
for an hour or two by the wind, and gets at length into shelter.
Moreover, though I was not tired by grievous toil like Elzevir, I had
passed a night without sleep, and felt besides the weariness of pain to
lull me to slumber. So it was, that before a quarter of an hour was past,
I had much ado to keep awake, for all I knew that I was left on guard.
Then I sought something to fix my thoughts, and looking on that side of
the wall where the sward was, fell to counting the mole-hills that were
cast up in numbers thereabout. And when I had exhausted them, and
reckoned up thirty little heaps of dry and powdery brown earth, that lay
at random on the green turf, I turned my eyes to the tillage field on the
other side of the wall, and saw the inch-high blades of corn coming up
between the stones. Then I fell to counting the blades, feeling glad to
have discovered a reckoning that would not be exhausted at thirty, but
would go on for millions, and millions, and millions; and before I had
reached ten in so heroic a numeration was fast asleep.
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