The Meeker herald. [volume] (Meeker, Colo.) 1885-current, 1892-01-23
rroa H,asGsooi.

Nraei inal" Is very
dull: aud have
often sondcrci thnt british soldiers
gu, hero arv. on tho whole, such "a
steady, well'behav-i set OF lads.
Compare "a soldiers llic In "a small
Indian station. with being qnnT,crcd
even Mt Malta or Gibraltar, aud
either Of ,hrs. places will rsrm like
Paradise. though III. ''ilork' u by
no means popular. and is Away.
Called u prison by tho troop, Tor the
time i-ing in garrison th.r-.
Well, "" found Arcoi horribly duil.
md /, was with Ercat satisfaction
'hn, W. heard nn order had BEEN
given for our company 10 marrh to
Ncllofo to strengthen tie garrison
thrn'. which had bsvn very much ~
dnooi by cholera.
l, was then about tho middle OF
March, md consequently later than
Is usual FOR moving troops. ns tho
days b~gin To got very hot on tho
plains In the Cnrnntic about that
time Of 'h-ycnr. Bu, ours WINS special
duty; and rs We should only march
u the early morning, We did not fear
the Inconvenience i tho midday heat.
hut LOOKED upon tho whol. thing ns
rather n lax. mud welcome chang,
from the monoiony OF garrison duty.
A. to tho cholcrn. not on, OF u. gave
II n thought. Not likely II would
touch one OF nsl
u was on the second day after
leaving Arcot TINT Private Thomas
Atkins. who WINS my right ;ll'. sud
denly Ind To inll out, | expected him
TO rrjoin our ranks before long, hrt
did not trouble myself about his nh.
s.nec. |, wns not uItil we reached
the camp. md had finished breakfast,
that ! heard anything more about
him.
then learned TIM, h. WINS buried.
knew cholera was nwIully sudden
In its attack and effects, but | had
not Imagined tho possibility OF itS
carrying OF II healthy man quite 40
rapidly. OF course immediate inter
mcnt must take place in the ease of
death on the line oil march. ! had
liked Atkins much, but ! fancy his
death and burial were SO sudden that
the rest OF us failed to realize the
truth Of what had happened to our
comrndc, aud half expected to sec
him turn up again. Anyhow we soon
forgot the incident.
Late in the afternoon was listen
ing to description of Ncllorc by one
of our fellows who had been there,
md specializing on the chance oil sec-
ing the crocoliles which Tippoo Sui
tan had placed in the mont round the
fort, MS the best possible scn,inols to
prevent prisoners from escaping, or
any of his troops from attempting
To desert, when suddenly felt spasms
and sickness.
"lIolloal old fellow. how blue you
look!' remarked u companion sitting
next to me: and rs he spoke n.rcom-
rades shranl: terror.strickcn from me.
1t needed no doctor to tell me what
was tho matter. the cholera had
seized me!
l was hastily conveyed to the tenn
porary hospital whore our assistant
surgeon already had several cases of
the disease under treatment, and |
was laid on n charpoy. l rapidly
passed from the first to the second
stage oithat malady, and by 8 O'Clock
at night the incessnnt vomiting and
purging had reduced me to n con-
dition oi weakness approaching in
scnsibility. ] was consumed by u
burning. raging thirst, but the dress.
or dsregardcd all my cntreat!cs for
drink of water. The system of
treating cholera in those days allow
ed the patient nothing more than
lust to have the lips moistencd oc-
cnsiounlly with weak brandy-nnd-
water and this simply aggravated
the torture of thirst. Nowadays
champagne is given, and the sufferer
is allowed to drink pretty freely.
The hospital was, OF course, only
pandnl, hastily constructed with
palmyra leaves, with n large cuscus
mat at the entrance II each end. Two
large chattics of water were placed
Just outside of each entrance, from
which II coolic from time to time threw
pnnnikinful on the cuscus to this,
SO that the wind. blowing through
the west mats, might cool the tenn
peraturc inside the pandal. This re-
suit certainly wau attained, but at
the cost OF intensiiying the pangs of
the patients, whose thirst was tamil
lied by herring the splashing of the
water.
had begged, sworn and menaced
Mt intervals. hut no one paid the
slightest heed to me, and was sink
inm into that condition OF torpor
which is tho immediate precursor OF
the third and iatal stage of cholera