"The next disgusting object which met my sight was a man suffering
from small-pox, and in a few minutes I found myself surrounded by many
others laboring under the same disease in every stage of its
progress."
Dring was obliged to inoculate himself, as that was thought to be the
safest way of taking the disease. He borrowed some virus from a
sufferer, and scarified the skin of his hand with a pin. He then bound
up his hand. Next morning he found that it had festered. He took the
disease lightly, and soon recovered, while a very large proportion of
those who contracted smallpox in the natural manner died of it.
All the prisoners from the Belisarius were obliged to fast for
twenty-four hours. Dring had some ship biscuit with him, in his
bag. These he distributed to his companions. They then formed
themselves into messes of six each, and next morning drew their scanty
pittance of food.
We have said that Dring and the other officers on board solved the
problem of living with _comparative_ comfort on board the
Jersey. As they were officers, the gun-room was given up to their use,
and they were not so terribly crowded as the common sailors. Also the
officers had money to supply many of their wants, but all this will
appear in the course of the narrative.
He says that, even on the second day of their confinement, they could
not obtain their allowance of food in time to cook it.
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