About midnight
Do not mind it ; in time you will grow accustomed to them . '' How _ they _ contrived to endure it , or even to exist , was a puzzle to me ; but possibly the _ vinchucas _ respected them , and only dined when , like the giant in the nursery rhyme , they `` smelt the blood of an Englishman . '' I again enjoyed a long siesta , and when night came resolved to place myself beyond the reach of the vampires , and so , after supper , went out to sleep on the plain . About midnight , however , a sudden storm of wind and rain drove me back to the shelter of the house , and the next morning I rose in such a deplorable state that I deliberately caught and saddled my horse , though the poor beast could scarcely put one foot on the ground . My friends laughed good-humouredly when they saw me making these resolute preparations for departure . After partaking of bitter _ maté _ , I rose and thanked them for their hospitality . `` You surely do not intend leaving us on that animal ! ''