far as 6 or 8 degrees; between them the winds are
Variable, and I believe always more or less unwholesome, but to us it was
remarkable from the Fatal Consequences that attended it, for whatever
might be the cause of First bringing on the Flux among our people, this
unwholesome Air had a Great share in it, and increased it to that degree
that a Man was no sooner taken with it than he look'd upon himself as
Dead. Such was the Despondency that reigned among the Sick at this time,
nor could it be by any Means prevented, when every Man saw that Medicine,
however skillfully Administered, had not the least effect. I shall
mention what Effect only the immaginary approach of this disorder had
upon one man. He had long tended upon the Sick, and injoyed a tolerable
good State of Health; one morning, coming upon Deck, he found himself a
little griped, and immediately began to stamp with his feet, and exclaim,
"I have got the Gripes, I have got the Gripes; I shall die, I shall die!"
In this manner he continued until he threw himself into a fit, and was
carried off the Deck, in a manner, Dead; however he soon recover'd, and
did very well.

We had no sooner got into the South-East Trade wind than we felt its
happy Effect, tho' we lost several men after, but they were such as were
brought so low and weak that there were hardly a possibility of there
recovery; and yet some of them linger'd out in a State of Suspence a
month after, who, in all Probability, would not have lived 24 Hours
before this Change hapned. Those that were not so far gone remained in
the same state for some time, and at last began to recover; some few,
however, were seized with the disorder after we got into the Trade wind,
but they had it but slightly, and soon got over it. It is worth
remarking, that of all those who had it in its last stage only one man
lived, who is now in a fair way of recovering; and I think Mr. Banks was
the only one that was cured at the first Attack'd that had it to a great
degree, or indeed at all, before we got into the South-East Trade, for it
was before that time that his Cure was happily effected.

It is to be wished, for the good of all Seamen, and mankind in general,
that some preventative was found out against this disease, and put in
practice in Climates where it is common, for it is impossible to Victual
and water a Ship in those Climates but what some one article or another,
according to different Peoples opinions, must have bee