CHAP, of u s : as. for myfelf, hhadthe leaft caufcto complain», be*
, XIV' , ing well: attended by Joanna and my fervarits, who the
v next day all- arrived,(from Eguion’d at thee Hope, befides
receiving prefents, which Were as ufual ferit me from ail
q u a rte rsO n e additional inconvenience 1 however felt—
my feet were infefled:with qhigcfeSi ’which'I partly im-'
pute to having, during my illnefs,^wora ffookingsi -and
fhoes while at the good Frenchman's- eftate -Egraond.1
Of this itroublefome infedt I haVes“already made feme
mentionf, as being extremely numerous at ’Devil's-. Harwar,
but now IhaU circumflantiallyideferibe’it.^ |
The chigoeh is a kind'of fmall fand-flea, that gets in
between the ikin and the fle lh ^ ith o u t’ it^^being'felt.,
and generally under the nails of the toes; where, .While'
it feeds, it keeps growing till it becomes 'the -fize of-a
large pea, caufing no further pain than a cbfagifeeable
itching; in procefs of. time it appears in the form? of a
fmall bladder, in which are depofited thbufands?io f eggs
or nits, and which, if i f breaks; produce fo many* young*;
chigoes,; that in courfe of time create running ;uledrs,r;
which arc often of very dangerous confequence to the
patient: fo much fo, indeed, that f haVe known a fol-
dier, the foies of whole feet were obliged fo .be cut- away
with a razor, before he could recover;; and fame men
have loft their limbs by amputation«—nay even their
lives, by having negle&ed in time to root out thefe abominable
vermin. The moment, therefore, that one per-
, ceiyes a kind of itching and rednefs more than ufual
about
T X P E D I T I O N TO S U R IN A M.
about the feet, it as time to begin éxtrafling the chigoe
th at oêcafions i t : this is done with a fharp - pointed
needle, at «which;Operation the black, girls are extremely
dexterous, taking every care not to oocalon unneceflary
Tain, and to prevent the ohigoo n r Madder from breaking
in the wound* The crue h to put töbaeco*afhes in the
mifiee, by Which in a Ihtle tin ^ it is perfèétly healed*
Being at this time, as I have juft mentiohed^ Infefted with
th e chigoes, Joanna with her netdle picked twenty-three ^of
thefe infers out of my left foot ; which being all hatched
under the nails, caufed, as may be iniaginedj theuaoft terrible
torment, but which I bore without flftncMng,-With
the refolution of an African negro. Thefe are theihfe<fts
«called niqtmi by the Spaniards atOaStbagena.
On the lift ï received a letter fram the bommahder in
chief, not an apfwer to nay laft, but orders to fend him
up to the eftate Crawaftfbo JwMchcwas at pre&nt his
head-* quarters) all the provifiohs, kettles, aXe&^ Sscv that
could be fpared from the Hope, he was prepafingto
re-enter thë woods. I accordingly dilpatched them the
-next day : but the fupply of ftétuate Was hot géëat; for
a whole barge, with beéf .aaid pork, bound for thé Hope,
had been flaipwrecked in ihe river.
On the agth Mr. Sfcqger» thêi fergeon who had fo
nearly poifoned me that I could not yet get the better of
the effects of his ignorance, was difcharged from thé regiment,
as incapable of his profeffion. Still, notwith-
ftanding my unfettled ftate of health, as feveral officers
Vol. i Z z
353
CHAP.
XIV.
Were