He would snore a little and then, with a start, he would arouse himself, breathing normally for a minute.

Then the snoring would start again.

He was trusting himself entirely to his horse.
Dusk had fallen now, and Fred decided that it was time to see if his plan was feasible.

He took a handkerchief from his pocket, rolled it into a ball, and flung it straight ahead, so that it fell, unrolling, right before the horse's eyes.

The effect was inevitable.