The water allowed them was so
brackish, and withal nasty, that they could not drink it until reduced
to extremity. Nor did they let them have a sufficiency of even such
water as this.
"When winter came on, our people suffered extremely for want of fire
and clothes to keep them warm. They were confined in churches where
there were no fireplaces that they could make fires, even if they had
wood. But wood was only allowed them for cooking their pittance of
victuals; and for that purpose very sparingly. They had none to keep
them warm even in the extremest of weather, although they were almost
naked, and the few clothes they had were their summer clothes. Nor had
they a single blanket, nor any bedding, not even straw allowed them
until a little before Christmas.
"At the time those were taken on Long Island a considerable part of
them were sick of the dysentery; and with this distemper on them were
first crowded on board the ships, afterwards in the churches in New
York, three, four or five hundred together, without any blankets, or
anything for even the sick to lie upon, but the bare floors or
pavements.
"In this situation that contagious distemper soon communicated from
the sick to the well, who would probably have remained so, had they
not in this manner been thrust in together without regard to sick or
well, or to the sultry, unwholesome season, it being then the heat of
summer.
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