text:  Then there came a long succession of chump chump from the molar teeth and a snort snort from the wakeful nostril of our mute companions (_equo ne credite Teucri!_)--one stinted quadruped was ransacking the manger for hay another was cracking his beans to make him frisky to-morrow and more than one seemed actually rubbing his moist nose just under our bed! This was not all; not a whisk of their tails escaped us and when they coughed which was often the hoarse _roncione_ shook the very tressels of our bed; in short we never suffered such real night_mare_ before