A Queer Race: The Story of a Strange People — page 58: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

A QUEER RACE. Bi for in truth my friend’s conduct was almost, if not alto- gether, indefensible. ‘“ Never mind about the captain,” interposed somebody. “What are we to do? that is the question.” ‘“‘What can we do but grin and abide?” I answered. ‘<'There is no possibility of running away.” | ‘“ But cannot we take something—brandy or quinine; or do something with carbolic acid?” ‘‘Carbolic is merely a disinfectant; it is being used all Over the ship already; brandy, I should think, is about the worst thing you could take,and quinine about the best. A manual of medicine I was looking at yesterday, In the captain’s cabin, recemmends strong doses of quin- Ine as a prophylactic.” ‘* Let us have some!” ‘* Where can we get it?” “* Hag the captain any?” ‘* How much should we take?” shouted the five passengers. 1 said that I believed the captain had some; and when he returned from seeking Bulnois they asked him for quinine even before they inquired after their sick friend. Iie had some, though not very much, and gave each man a small dose forthwith. - Bulnois was very ill; Peyton could not deny that his symptoms were those of yellow fever; and if he had de- nied it I should have known that he was wrong, for I had been reading the subject up. I had seen Bailey, and the moment [ saw poor Bulnois (none of the other fellows would go near him) I recognized ali the signs of .the dread disease in its incipient stage—the shivering, the hot skin, the suffused eyeballs, the drunken-like aspect of ihe eyes, and the flushed zone that encircled them. Poor fellow! we could do nothing for him; I doubt whether the ablest physician in England could have done anything for him. He died deliricus on the second day. Inthe meantime three of the crew had fallen ill, and ther, too, died; and after that there were several deaths every day; within a week of the outbreak of the fever, the forty- six souls whom the Diana had on board when she sailed from Liverpool were reduced to twenty-five. Yet the virulence of the plague did not abate. It seemed as if we should all perish, and I do not think there were more than two men aboard who believed they would escape. EeGom ,00 (@. cS (EO) m =>)