C HAP.
XXIII.
fmoking grey paper, dhd chewing leaves and leather as
, a fubftitute for the want o f it. Few men, however, Were
worfe off than I was at this time ; hncé, having neither
provi'frons nor cloaths, I wâs almoft nakecf as well as
itarved, w ith a running ulcer in my leFtfö$, everfincè
the ambufcade and màrchtôPirieâ ;n o r had I a friënd
in the camp Who could give me the fmaileft affiftanciL
To compleat my mifery, the little bloöd I'jaacl remaining
Was in two fucceflive nights 'again nearly' fucked ' away
by the vampire-bat, or fpeiftfe : thus I f e S e d a w a y in
my hammock, and was almoft fbrry to'"recWery paféicu-
larly upon being informed by a letter that Joanna arid het
boy were dying with a putrid fever ât Paramaribo!' '
AtTaft,- on thei 2th, Serjeant Fowler arrived-from Mocha,
with One of m y boxes ; when this poor fellow, nptwith-
ftanding toy fituation, made me laugh alou d t>yp!Po2tiqn g
a letter from his mother in Eurbp^ which made him
extremely happy ; and Which I muft beg leave verbatirh
to tranferibe.
" Dair Shonny,
§ I . have.relayed your girl from the Bridevail— and your' '
“ Ihits from the panbroker—the baby is died— blefled be Goat, ■
P while I hop yow be Hying. Iam your lading mother tell |
“ death, Maggx | Fowler.”
The fame evening Colonel'Seyburg’s ‘party returned,
without having obtained any further intelligence.
On the 14th Colonel Fourgeoud was fo dangeroufly
wSÈ
E X F E I ) I T IO M T O S U R I N A M . m
iii, that he at length was obliged to relinquifti his com- .c h a p .
mand,. and proceed to town for his* recovery. Accord-
irigly on the 15 th, "h& fet out by water for Paramaribo:
thus, after having facrificed all his troops, he became
himfelf’finally a vi&im‘ to his unbounded ambition and
obftinate perseverance in this Wöfft o f all climates, while
by toiling lefs aftd living better both he and his foldiers
/might have renderedthècolony, i f 1 not fupérior, at kaft an
equal fèfvi'ëe'— A harge loaded with fick and dying was
at the fame time once more lent to-the hofpifal at Devil’s
Harwar.
The command of thé rëma’inifl'g feareefows now1 dew
Volved uponthe Lieutenant Colonel, who (ftrange to tell?)
that; very Weniijg inherited the* fame diftemperpas well
a® the chief command ;- the 'barge' that rowed- off thé
Old hero having but juft disappeared, when thfe gehtle-
man was attacked abb by the phrenzy fever; the above
complaint Was. indeed at this time very common among®
all ranks and degrees Who were broiling'under a burning
fun at Jerufalem; it being the dry feafon, when we ought
to have been in the woods— but1 for thofe expeditions* as I
have ftated before, the rainy feafons were moft unhappily
preferred'. Several-officers would have before now th rown
u p their military commiffions, could they with decency
have taken fuch a meafure, during an expedition on ac-
■ tual fervice; nor, in my opinion, ought/fuch to be granted,
cafes o f the very greateft neceffity excepted. I could
to y Self have wiflaed to' go far .fome time: to Paramaribo,
Z 2 but H