Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1852-11-24

knows the consequence of indulging this
deceitful stupor.
But we found we must do more than
talk; 30 we set the drums and trumpets' a.
bout the ears of the sleepers, and made
their comrades shake them with all then
might. II was not till after an hour's
march, in which coaxing, ,colding, and
pushing, stimulants to laughter and provo
catives to anger, had been necessarily en-
ployed in turn, that the vital powers appear
ed to be in tolerably full play. There was
one man more obstinate than the rest, who,
in order to get place on one of the caco-
lets, threatened every minute Ao lie down
on the ground. l slid among the ranks.
and began telling one of his comrades all
the horrible stories knew of those who,
Welding up to sleep in the cold, had awak-
ed no more; adding with affected indiffer-
ence: 81 am afraid we shall have to leave
some of our poor men as q supper to the
hyenas tonight. There are two or three
of them so benumbed and stupefied, that
they will perish if they halt for single in
stant." In few minutes learned the SOL
dier had done begging to be carried: ne
said his strength was returning.
In the midst of so much human distress,
it seems almost like triAing to advert to the
pun s"~,~'--- N-----i-:~o in th4 morn
ing, | had found two under my bed-cover.
They allowed themselves to be taken, and
either could not or would not fly away
when tried to banlsh them. So put them
in the hood of my cloak, and allowed 1t to
fall down my back, while raised over my
head that of the ample burnoose which |
wear in the cold above all my other gar
ments. The swallows Travelled thus for
several hours, and gradually recovered in
their warm nest. When the sun emitted
some genial rays, l took them out, and set
them free. They huttered for some time
round my horse, uttering little cry, which
| took for an expression of gratitude be-
fore taking flight into the mountains.
Other companies of them had taken shell
ter under the matted hair which hangs
from the hanks of the camel and when
the pitless driver persisted In dislodgins
them, they departed with plaintive cry,
to seek an asylum with camel whose dri.
yer was more hospitable. A sentinel had
found one 10 his pocket during the night,
but it paid dearly for its lodglng-he roast.
ed it for his supper These poor birds had
fed from the rigors of European winter,
to find cold as severe in the heart OF Afrl-
ca. Alas hcw many Of US felt that, like
the swallows, we had exiled ourselves to
improve our fortunes, and were now in dam
ger of perishing. How gladly would we
have resigned all our hopes of glory and
advantage for the fire side Of the modest
paternal dwelling.
But before uight we encamped in the
shelter of the mountains tine chiah, which
grew IN abundance around us, enabled US
to klndle fires, and salutary reaction took
place in the spirits Of the troops. Accord
ing to common practice of mine, l lnvIt-
ed to supper the man whose life | had saw
ed by frightening him into exer.ion. After
swallowing glass of warm wine, well su-
CARED, and spiced with tincture of CHINA
mon, he licked his lips, sucked the edges
of his glass. and said j: Thank ye, doctor;
but for YOU | should have been dead, with
naivete which can never forget, and
which ever now mingles pleasing associa-
t)rs with the thoughts of those days OF .uf-
fering.
The next day nearly 200 OF the men
were affected with partial or total blind
ness. Some had merely a sensation like
fatigue of the visual organs,with heaviness,
watering, and inflammation of the conf
tive membrane. But with others the pain
was acute, the eye much infamed, and the
cornea covered with minute ulcerations.-
Those who were more slightly affected,
marched like persons enveloped in cloud
of smoke, and trying to see their way out
of it; they took few steps with their eyes
shut, then half opened them with evident
pain to reconnoitre the ground before them,
and quickly closed them again. But many
had for the time wholly lost their sight !;
they stumbled on the tufts of the halfa, and
rolled on the ground, so that we were OBJ
liged to hoist them on the cacolets. The
general in state of much uneasiness, cal
led council of such members of the mill
tary corps Of health as were found in his
column. Some were of opinion that this
epidemic was occasioned by the sudden
cold, others that It was attributable to the
smoke of the chiah but the truth is, that,
before and after this period, we had expe-
rienced nearly as great extremes of heat by
day and cold by night, without any such
consequences, and thai some, who had not
approached the chiah fires, were as severe
lv affected as those who had. 1t was con-
cluded, with every appearance of reason,
that the real cause was the dazzling light
reflected from the snow during our march
Oh the Goth of April. l recollect one artil-
lery-man, who was conducting his gun,
when suddenly,as the sun broke out afresh,
he stopped. rubbed his eyes, turned his
head in every direction, and exclaimed, Il
cannot see; | am quite blind |" Although
We had not expected snow in the plains of
Sahara, the general had anticipated the re-
aections of light from the sand, and the
possibility of small particles of it getting in
to the eyes and with this view each man
had been provided with green gauze veil.
But the soldier dislikes anything out of his
regular routine as much as the most igno-
rant peasant; So, when the order was CIV
en- that these wells should be worn, the SOL
diers wore them to be sure-in their pock-
cts. insisted that each man should tas-
ten his on his helmet, and this, too, was
done; but it was allowed to fly like steam-
er behind, instead of being drawn over the
eyes. Happily the epidemic was but tenn
porary, and none permanently suffered the
loss of sight as the punishment of his folly.
PUTTY DISPENSED WITH.-Some down.
east operator has got way of setting glass
without putty. The window sash is made
entirely of wood. the outside permanent.