we were followed by a
number of women and boys, who made a most horrible squalling, and some
stones were thrown at us on our pushing off. The yellow fever was still
making havoc amongst the officers and crew. We had lost five lieutenants,
the surgeon's mate, captain's clerk, and eight midshipmen, one of whom
died singing "Dulce Domum." It was at length my turn. I was seized with a
dreadful swimming in my head; it appeared so large that it was painful to
carry it. I was much distressed by a bitter nausea in my mouth and sudden
prostration of strength. The doctor gave me an emetic, and soon after I
ejected a quantity of bitter bile. It tried me exceedingly, and when I put
my head down I thought I was not far from "Kingdom come." The second
morning I knew no one, and was in a high fever. The third was much the
same until about noon, when I slept for about two hours. On awaking I
found the pain in my head less, and was perfectly sensible. I requested
something to drink, when the sentinel gave me some orange-juice and water,
which refreshed me. About dusk, one of the mids who had just come on board
from Port Royal, came to me with a cup filled with some sort of herb tea
mixed with rum. He requested me to drink it off. This I refused to do. He
assured me he had been on shore on purpose to procure it for me, that old
Dinah, who was a grey-headed washerwoman, had made it, and I must drink
it. I was so weak that I could scarcely answer him, when he put it to my
mouth and forced more than half of it down my throat. With the exertion I
fainted. He told me the following day he thought he had killed me, and had
called the doctor, who gave me a draught. On the morning of the fourth day
I was considerably better and in a gentle perspiration, and had passed a
quiet night. My three messmates, who alone survived out of eleven, came to
cheer me. He who had given me the tea and rum told me he was certain they
had cured me, and I really believe it caused the pores to open and in a
great measure drove the fever from the system. I was removed to the
gun-room, and in a few days was able to sit up and eat oranges.

A week had now elapsed since the doctor had reported me convalescent, when
I was painfully distressed by seeing my open-hearted, generous messmate
brought in his hammock to the gun-room, attacked by the fatal malady. As
he was placed near me, I watched him with intense anxiety. On the fourth
morning he died. He was a very florid and ro