The Surprising Adventures of Baron Munchausen: (Annotated Edition)

Baron M nchausen relates a history of his adventures. He once set out on horseback on a journey to Russia in midwinter. He ties his horse to a stump projecting from the snow and goes to sleep. When he awakens he finds that the abundant snow has melted and that his horse is dangling from the weather vane of a church steeple. He is subsequently pursued by a wolf that begins to devour his horse as it flees; when he attacks it with his whip, it eats the entire horse and ends up in harness itself. While waiting to receive a commission in the Russian army, the baron hurries from his bedroom to shoot at a flock of ducks, but he strikes his head on the doorpost, which causes sparks to fly from his eyes. This experience proves useful when he finds that he has lost the flint from his flintlock; he has only to raise the musket to his face and punch himself in the eye to bag sixteen birds. He is not so lucky with a stag that he tries to bring down by spitting a cherry stone at it, but he later encounters a fine specimen with a cherry tree growing between its antlers.