Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1902-11-29
YELL ow JACK

| fever. and gave my experiences:
81 brought up in the harbor of Ha-
vana one fine day in June, first mate
of trim little bark. In those DAYS
there was yellow fever hospitar
there, and in the season merchant YES
sells crews were taken by NJ. Jacques
at so much head by contract. If
taken Sick they were cured or killed,
generally the latter, without further
charge, but if no contract was made.
why, you paid by the day, but if i'll go
to the hospital you must by Spanish
ordinance
"Well, you see, our boys commenced
to go under, first one and then another,
until 1 had hardly any one left, and to
end this part l was logged off myself
! to the 'BeSlas.' They broke the fever
on me. when l began to get so hungry
| L could have eaten donkey, l think.
but it was no use. Soup. gentlemen. n
very little bread, and that was all. l
complained to the house surgeon. lie
spoke of relapse. fatal results. etc, but
l was not satisfied with that, so l
watched my Glance and got piece of
cake one night at II clock. Never did
anything taste so good. Then | went to
sleep.
"Old Down Below as the sailors
called him. used to come round every
morning at 10 o'clock. and when lie en-
tered my ward l was the first one he
visited.
You have been eating said he. |
denied it. but he didn't believe me and
passed on. with the cheering remark
that 1 WAS Il dead maA.' | laughed,
but scon after l began To feel queer.
The servant looked very impertincnt.
and became oblivious to all surround
ings in my attempt to correct him.
Il became conscious that evening
when some one lifted up my cyelid and
then said: Take him out. It's no use
1t flashed on me in Il second that they
were to take me out to die. When 700
or 500 are dying daily. they CANT waste
their time with them-dt least they
think they can't. | had seen many go
the same road. and they never came
back. SO | felt the cool night breeze
first. and then that sensation that is in
dcscribable. but inseparable from q
dcadhouse. | WAS put down OH my
stretcher and left there TO die. and l
knew it. Pretty soon they brought in
another one-he was raVing-and then
another one IN the same condition. We
were given up. and there was no time
TO waste us. The first one in lis |
delirium managed to get across my
body and there died. My brain never /,
was so clear as it WAS that night. and /
after the other one was dead, which |
hon I lraI mn
again.
The old songs used to sing came I
back 10 me. and | could sing them. so /
to speak. internally. Scenes long for
gotten passed in review. and after 1 /
had gone through it all thought that 1
it was years that | had lain there it .
seemed so long since / had left the |
bark-so long since | had heard any
one speak. Gentlemen. l lived 10000 /
years that night. could feel my hand ,
against my side as you feel with your
hand asleep. as you term it. l could
feel the dead man across me as though
he We're pressing some one else. and
then by and by slight roseate hue
took my eyelids. What was it? | could
not open them. Was it the translation
of the soul to the other. the great I'M
known world beyond the dark river?
l thought so. | was not afraid. l
thought, L am dead
THE hue became more intense-it
was the sun-and with it came the car
riers of the dead. Men dying with yell
low jack must be buried soon, and so
they bury early those who die during
the night. l was the first in. l would
be the last out.
Il heard the steps of the negroes as
they became fainter in their retreat,
and as they became louder in their adj
vance l felt the stretcher lifted up, the
oscillating motion as they bore me
along, when, like flash of lightning.
came the conviction that 1 was not
dead. L could not move. l tried in vain
TO open my eyes. | prayed that they
would cast their eyes upon me, but |
felt they would not. ] could not see,
but l knew they were not looking at
me. l have heard the word agony
used. gentlemen. but l never appreci-
lted it until that moment. l never felt
the meaning of it until then. Was l to
be buried alive? How long before 1T
would be over? Would they walk over
my head. and could 1 then hear them?
Did the earth transmit sound vertical
ly as well as horizontally? And how
long before it would be all over?
"At last one carrier made misstep,
the stretcher canted to one side. and
my head dropped down. They noticed
that. then my face. They dropped the
stretcher and went away. Soon the
surgeon came.
"'Take him back said he. III try
what can do
81 had no pulse. My heart did not
beat. They poured something down my
throat 1t cut its way down like a
thread of fire. 1t increased in dimen-
;ions-that warm feeling-and soon In
, Ialcc, Lot