The daily Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1878-1???, 1884-12-14
ITO DO Continued
PANGS OF STARVATION.
Horrible Sufferlngs Caused by Lack Of
Food and Water.

"When look back to my own brief
experience and think of the poor fell
lows of the Greedy expedition, and the
long and weary months they suffered
in the Arctic region, think the mantle
of charity and forgetfulneSs should be
thrown over their action" said George
w. Bower, an ex-coxswain of the navy,
who had been attached to the Inflated
schooner TallapooSa. Continuing, he
said; Il was coxswain of one of the
boats of the Tallapoosa when she was
attached to the gulf squadron. One
evening when returning from a boat
expedition we were caught in terrific
squall and our boat was capsized near
a small island Ny crew managed to
reach the shore, but our boat drifted
away in the darkness. We lay down
n the bushes and slept that night, and
when morning broke we realized that
we were on a desolate island. We ex-
plored the island and found on it only
underbrush and trees. nothing in the
shape of food or water. We had only
to hope that we would soon be rescued.
The gale continued with violence, and
we spent another night in our bed of
bushes.
'On the following morning we began
to feel the pangs of hunger and thirst,
and finding an old barrel on the beach
we broke it up and used the slaves to
dig for water, which we found SO brack-
ish that we could not drink it. Then
we set up a pole on a cliff, with a shirt
of one of the men fastened to it as a
signal of distress. Our suilerings from
thirst were indcscribablc. We passed
the third night and day on the island
without any change, except in one Incl
dent. With companion ! started on
tour around the island, it being our
practice to take turns TO search for a
passing vessel that we might signal,
and going through a c'ump Of woods
! saw 4 cormOrant, 4 bird OF carrion con-
sidered unfit TO eat. Killed it with a
club and we rayenously tore itin pieces
and sucked its blood, which. in our
condition, was refreshing. But we did
not mention the fact to our comrades
upon our return to camp, The morn
ing Of the fourth day broke wtheXces-
sive hea and one OF our party was so
delirious that it required two Of Us 10
subdue him. Our tongue. had so swol-
len that we could scarcely speak above
a whisper. Our lips were also cracked
and split with the intense heat
''ln the afternoon one of the men
who had been on his tour was observed
running toward the camp, and we
could just distinguish a. he came near
er that he was crying "a boat Those
who were able started toward the end
Of the island, where our distress signal
was flying, and we distinguished a boat
approaching Us from the distance, AS
it approached the shore va recognized
it as the launch of the TaIapoosa. As
the officer came on shore we begged
him to give Us water. He gave US
couple of swallows each, which made
us crave for more, but il was denied to
US. Then a fire was made on the
beach, and in few moments pot Of
hot coffee was ready. OF this we re-
ceived only few swallows each. and
then we were given a few pieces of pi-
lot bread soaked in the coffee. Then
we were assisted into the boat and Ia
ken to the ship, which we reached late
at night. A few days OF careful feed
ing and tender nursing restored us to
our former strength, ! have often
thought how thankful | was to God for
that rescue. Persons who have never
had like experience can form no idea
Of the terrible sullcrings of men in
that condition; and those persons who
so harshly criticse the survivors of the
Greedy expedition, if placed among
similar surroundings, would no doubt
adopt the same course. "--NeW York
Tribune.