The Nevada journal., 1856-12-05

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take an order on the Quartermaster,
which is regarded as worthless, and is
SO in fact. l knew that, save by ac-
cepting the fifty cents a day. would
get nothing, and accordingly received
six dollars. In a few days afterwards,
like almost every person in the country,
l was taken sick with vomiting and
cramp, which shortly afterwards settled
into very violent fever. II then be-
came necessary to carry me to the hospi-
tai. | was taken there, and remained
for three months, and will now attempt
to give an unexaggerated description of
Nicaragua hospital. l am willing to
be sworn at any time that this statement
contains nothing but what l saw with
my own eyes and experienced in my
own person.
When a man. sick with the fever, is
carried to the hospital at Granada, he is
put on a raw-hide bed, without mat
tress or blankets, unless he should be so
fortunate as to have these articles him
self, which seldom happens. 1t is fire.
quently the case that the sick man is
put on bed from which some wretch
has inst been carried off to be buried,
who has died Of yellow fever cholera,
or some other contagious disease, and
whose bed has never been cleaned or
changed The sufferer cannot drink
water, because the doctors there say
it is poison to fever" and the only
drink allowed is orange-leaf tea. Even
this is often not to be had, on account of
the negligence of the stewards and ser
wants, and the sick man is left to burn
and parch with heat and thirst. | have
lain hours after hours and begged to get
a tablespoonful of wine from the doc
tors, and could not get it. They had
plenty, and many ofthem were drunk on
it most of their time. Ihave frequently
made my breakfast off cup Of tea,
without anything else; for the goodrea-
son that there was nothing else to be
had. AT dinner, would get piece of
boiled beef, with the water it was cook
ed in; but never any thing like vegeta-
bles or rice. At supper it was extreme
ly lucky if | got little mush and tea;
though these. little as they were, Ihave
frequently had to do without. There
was sometimes little money allowed
to buy vegetables for the patients; but
generally the drunken doctors orquacks,
| should rather call them, with two or
three exceptions, and other Aunkeys got
hold oft, and the patients never saw
either it or the vegetables. Had it not
been for some kind friends outside,
whose names are preserved sacred in
my memory, l should have died, time
and again; for there's certainly no more
miserable life than that led by patient
in a hospital in Nicaragua.
Soon after my arrival; as soon, in fact,
as saw Granada, l commenced devil
sing means of escaping. No person is
allowed to go from place to place with
out passport. No person, either citi-
zen or soldier, is allowed to leave Gra-
NADIA without one; and if soldier is
caught endeavoring to do so, he is taken
as deserter and shot Such is his in
evitable fate. If person escapes Wal
ker, he runs great risks of falling into
the hands of the Chamorristas, who
would also shoot him. If he escapes
both he must get out of the country the
best way ne can, and runs many risks
and dangers, too tedious here to enume-
rate. In my own case, so soon as l got
well enough to rise from my bed, which
was in three months, managed to pro-
cure furlough to go TO Virgin Bay or
San Carlos, to recruit my health
Avoiding both places as much as posi-
bic, went to see San George and thence
to San Juan. During this journey, |
had the fever, which was contracted in
the country, every day, and have it still
at this time, week since my arrival in
San Francisco. Having reached San
Juan, sold my pistol for S25. In four
or five days, the Sierra Nerada got there
from San Francisco, and going to the
Captain | offered him $25, and to work
out the balance of my passage-money;
but he refused to take me. l had been
accustomed to carry cane, and, in fact,
could not get along without it, but threw
it away, upon going to the Captain, to
look as spry as possible. The thing,
however, would not work, and it was
not until succeeded, through the kind
ness of friend, in borrowing $25 more,
that | procured a passage, and consid-
cred myself safe.
I arrived in San Francisco by the 81
era Necada on Thanksgiving day, the
mere shadow of my former self | left
here in June a large, healthy man,
weighing l64 pounds; on my arrival on
Thanksgiving day, my weight was 110
pounds, My suferings. together with
disease, have destroyed my constitution
and | am forced to consider myself a
worthless man, so far as any real labor
is concerned. Inever got cent of pay
except the Sc before spoken of, which
was paid at halt dollar day for burn
ing charcoal, which was, therefore, not
only sickly but very poor occupa-
ton. There are many persons now in
Nicaragua in as bad, and many in a
much worse situation, than / was in
rTLoro ,roro abo,,t 100 noreooc =, +bo