"As a rule I am a very sound sleeper, nothing ever disturbs me;
but last night I was suddenly wide awake, as if roused by
something unusual. I sat up quickly in bed, but suddenly
remembering where I was, I waited expectantly. Nothing occurred,
although I did not get to sleep again for about two hours."
_March 22nd, Monday._--Mr. MacP---- was awakened between four
and five by heavy footsteps overhead. We made many experiments
to account for it, and of course made inquiries among the
servants, but could find no cause. We are the more interested
that hitherto nothing has been heard by our party in his room,
No. 4, though there is a tradition of earlier disturbances
there.
Mr. MacP---- has furnished the following account of his experience:--
"As usual I went to bed about 12 P.M. I had no desire to be disturbed,
and so my room was still No. 4, which I had originally selected as
being reputed innocuous, and which, save in one slight instance, I had
hitherto found to deserve its reputation. My repeated visits had
eliminated any expectancy which may at first have, perhaps, existed.
"My bed was alongside the south wall of my room, and parallel to the
corridor or passage, my head towards No. 5, and my feet towards No. 3.
"As often happened at B----, I awoke from a sound slumber, not by
degrees, but in a moment. There was no transition--no half-awakening,
but full and complete consciousness all at once. I struck a light,
looked at my watch, found it was 4.30, and went to sleep again
immediately. I then wakened slowly and gradually, hearing more and
more clearly a noise which appeared to me to be the cause of my
awakening. The noise was the kind of sound which is produced by a
person walking rapidly with one foot longer than the other--_i.e._,
it was a succession of beats in rapid sequence, each alternate beat
being louder than the one immediately before it.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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