about two
o'clock a.m.
A walk of two or three hundred yards along the main road brought me to the `` turning-off '' on the right , which I was directed to follow in order to gain the chateau . It appeared to be quite a by-road , so narrow that there seemed scarcely room for two vehicles to pass , and it was in a most wretched condition , the surface being ploughed into deep broad ruts , and completely cut up by the feet of cattle . It led apparently through the heart of an extensive forest , the trees of which , uniting their branches overhead , must have veiled the way in semi-obscurity even at noon-day . When I turned into it -- at about two o'clock a.m. -- the starlit sky gave just sufficient light to enable me to pursue my way along the main road ; but by the time I had penetrated a couple of hundred yards into this by-path , I was enveloped in a perfectly Egyptian darkness . By degrees , however , my vision became accustomed to the gloom , and I stumbled on over the uneven ground for a distance of some twelve miles , when daylight began to appear through the leafy canopy overhead , and prudence suggested to me the desirability of forthwith seeking some safe hiding-place wherein to pass the day and take that repose of which I was beginning to feel the need . I therefore turned off the road and plunged into the forest for about a quarter of a mile , when I came upon a dense and almost impenetrable thicket which seemed admirably suited to my purpose ; I accordingly forced my way into it until I found a spot of clear ground wide enough to stretch myself upon comfortably , when flinging myself upon the turf , and placing my bag beneath my head , I almost immediately dropped off into a deep and dreamless slumber . It was just three o'clock in the afternoon when I awoke .