The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-03-14

prised that so many sailors should die on board ship than that any should emerge alive after having been unfortu- nate enough to enter the hospital.
 When Captain Oakum learned that the sick bay was full he swore that he would | have no sick men aboard his vessel. His surgeon, pr. Mackshane, who owed his appointment to him, agreed with the ig- 1 norant autocrat in all things and declared 1 that most of the men were shamming. Despite the furious arguments of Nor l gan, the patients were hauled on deck and set to work with such excellent re- ! suits that within a week the sick list of I Her Majestys Thunder had been re- 1 duced by nearly one-half
 1 It is true that the reduction was brought about, not by the recovery of the sick men, but by their death. This, l however, was ascribed to the selfishness 1 and natural obstinacy of sailors and I could not be suffered to cloud the glad | fact that the hospital was nearly empty. Morgan and Roderick Random were punished for their contumacy by being accused of fomenting mutiny and were chained to the deck, where they remained til the ship sighted Jamaica, when they were pardoned and released in time to avoid an inquiry.
 From Jamaica the Thunder sailed to l join in the attack on Carthagena, that glorious attempt which might well be i called one of the great jokes of history if | the jest had not cost the lives of great many thousand seamen and soldiers who ! IL 1 ton.
 1 The Thunder played her proper part in i the pleasantly by anchoring in the most
 exposed position. This judicious care gave the three surgeons mates so much
 work that they hewed down limbs with out mercy and cut and stitched men until they could hardly move for fatigue. When
 the greater part of the ships company
 had been properly wounded, the British
 vessels slipped their cables and retired.
 As the Spanish guns had not killed all
 the men despite the invitation extended to them, the naval authorities thought fully provided hospital ships into which
 the sick and wounded were crowded so
 closely that some of them could not sit
 upright in their hammocks. The unm-
 portant detail of providing doctors or
 nurses, unfortunately. was forgotten, and
 some of the ships lacked cooks. But as
 the patients died with obliging celerity
 this oversight became less important as
 the days passed. When fever added itself
 to wounds, the men departed so fast thai
 some of the more zealous and energetic
 captains threw the corpses overheard l ctfp fo fhap fir
 canvas
 This made the anchorage look very in
 spring to those sailors who had re
 mained alive through no fault of theil
 commanders; and 1t was with deep regre
 that the British received orders to raist
 the siege and sail home.
 At Jamaica Random was transferred tt
 the sloop-of-war Lizard, bound for Eng
 land. He had obtained commission a.
 first surgeons mate and looked forward
 to arriving home with honors and in al
 assured position. But the captain died ol the voyage and Crampley, his old enemy
 succeeded to the command.
 Besides having been the occasion O having Crampley locked in irons, n
 had beaten the tyrant and broken hi arm in a boxing match. The fellow los , no time in perRetrating every meannes i and cruelty that malice could invent oi the enemy whom he now had in hi power, until Random was tempted to pis tol him on the quarterback.
 Through Crampley's negligence the shil I struck near the Scilly Islands and tn crew made it's way ashore in small boats As soon as they reached land Random
 forced Crampley to fight Having dis charged their pistols without effect, Ran dom fell on his antagonist and drove tn pistol butt into his face with such goo' I will that 1t knocked out the commander : front teeth. Then he thrust his swor'