Rolling Home by William Morris Barnes

Author:William Morris Barnes
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781473817739
Publisher: Pen & Sword Books

7. Fever again – am pronounced dead

before appearing for breakfast next

morning – locked in the ice I have

recourse to my wife’s ‘blessed candles’.

MY NEXT VOYAGE was as captain of the Maida and I left for Barbados with a cargo of codfish. When we arrived the authorities sent a note that the yellow fever was that bad that even the troops had been removed from barracks and tented out in the countryside. It also said that if I, or any of the crew came ashore, they would not give me a clean bill of health for any other island.

Well, we were not ordered on to any other island, and as I’d been long enough on board, yellow fever or not, I was going ashore. Out boat and soon I was there, and, as I know everybody around Barbados, I met Mr Clairmont, an old friend, who says, ‘Ain’t you afraid of the fever, Barnes?

‘No, sir,’ I replies. ‘I’ve had a mess of it in the past and if I’m to get it I will, if not, I won’t.’

I allowed no one else ashore, and we got the cargo out in eight days and took in ballast for St John’s and left in a rain squall, myself at the wheel while the crew were getting on sail. I got wet through and went below for a glass of rum. I changed into some dry clothes and went back up, and about eight that night we were just off the end of the island, when I began to feel queer.

I said to the mate, Davis, ‘I’m feeling damn bad, and believe I’m breeding the fever. I had it before and know the feeling.’ He asked if we should turn back. ‘No,’ says I, ‘we’ll go on.’

I went down to my cabin and thought of a tale one captain had told me about having the cholera in Martinique, how he’d stood in his cabin like I was doing and having heard plenty of liquor was good for cholera, as much as you could, he put a bottle of brandy to his mouth and drank the whole of it. Then a full dose of laudanum, followed by one of castor oil. Then he’d jumped into his bunk and laid down. In the morning he got up, shook himself, and there was no cholera, all gone.

So I went to the medicine chest myself and got a dose of castor oil and drank it. Then I took a turn about the deck and came back down to the cabin where I drank a tumblerful of the rum then back up again. A quick walk round, then back down for a dose of laudanum. Then a big dose of salts. Then another glass of the rum and lay down. Then another tumblerful of rum. Then lay down once more with the bottle alongside me so I’d no need to get up next time.

Davis came down and asked how I was. I told him what I’d drank and he looked frightened to death.

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