Alas! Fear is the mate of guilt. All this horrid visitation was simply
that Mr Vanslyperken had heard the corporal's tremendous snoring, as he
slept in the chair, and which his imagination had turned into the words,
"Mortal man." The first exclamation of Mr Vanslyperken had awoke the
corporal, who, aware of the impropriety of his situation, had attempted
to retreat; in so doing he had overturned the table and chairs, with the
bottles and glasses upon them.
Fearful of discovery upon this unexpected noise, he had hastened out of
the cabin, slammed the door, and waked up Snarleyyow; but he knew, from
the exclamations of Vanslyperken, that the lieutenant was frightened out
of his wits; so he very boldly returned with a candle to ascertain the
result of the disturbance, and was delighted to find that the lieutenant
was still under the delusion.
So soon as he had replaced everything, the corporal took a chair, and
finding that he had fortunately put the cork into the stone bottle
before he fell asleep, and that there was still one or two glasses in
it, he drank them off, and waited patiently for daylight.
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