"A singular affair happened on board of one of the hospital-ships, and
no less true than singular. All the prisoners that died after the boat
with the load had gone ashore were sewed up in hammocks, and left on
deck till next morning. As usual, a great number had thus been
disposed of. In the morning, while employed in loading the boat, one
of the seamen perceived motion in one of the hammocks, just as they
were about launching it down the board placel for that purpose from
the gunwale of the ship into the boat, and exclaimed, 'Damn my eyes!
That fellow isn't dead!' and if I have been rightly informed, and I
believe I have, there was quite a dispute between the man and the
others about it. They swore he was dead enough, and should go into the
boat; he swore he should not be launched, as they termed it, and took
his knife and ripped open the hammock, and behold, the man was really
alive. There had been a heavy rain during the night; and as the vital
functions had not totally ceased, but were merely suspended in
consequence of the main-spring being out of order, this seasonable
moistening must have given tone and elasticity to the great spring,
which must have communicated to the lesser ones, and put the whole
machinery again into motion. You know better about this than I do, and
can better judge of the cause of the re-animation of the man.
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