CHAPTER XIX

_The Baron crosses the Thames without the assistance of a bridge, ship,
boat, balloon, or even his own will: rouses himself after a long nap,
and destroys a monster who lived upon the destruction of others._

My first visit to England was about the beginning of the present king's
reign. I had occasion to go down to Wapping, to see some goods shipped,
which I was sending to some friends at Hamburgh; after that business was
over, I took the Tower Wharf in my way back. Here I found the sun very
powerful, and I was so much fatigued that I stepped into one of the
cannon to compose me, where I fell fast asleep. This was about noon:
it was the fourth of June; exactly at one o'clock these cannon were all
discharged in memory of the day. They had been all charged that morning,
and having no suspicion of my situation, I was shot over the houses on
the opposite side of the river, into a farmer's yard, between Bermondsey
and Deptford, where I fell upon a large hay-stack, without waking, and
continued there in a sound sleep till hay became so extravagantly dear
(which was about three months after), that the farmer found it his
interest to send his whole stock to market: the stack I was reposing
upon was the largest in the yard, containing above five hundred load;
they began to cut that first. I woke with the voices of the people
who had ascended the ladders to begin at the top, and got up, totally
ignorant of my situation: in attempting to run away I fell upon the
farmer to whom the hay belonged, and broke his neck, yet received no
injury myself. I afterwards found, to my great consolation, that this
fellow was a most detestable character, always keeping the produce of
his grounds for extravagant markets.