Such men were subject to the most
violent attacks of the fever, and were also its most certain victims."
CHAPTER XXXVI
THE INTERMENT OF THE DEAD
Captain Dring continues his narrative by describing the manner in
which the dead were interred in the sand of the Wallabout. Every
morning, he says, the dead bodies were carried to the upper deck and
there laid upon the gratings. Any person who could procure, and chose
to furnish, a blanket, was allowed to sew it around the remains of his
departed companion.
"The signal being made, a boat was soon seen approaching from the
Hunter, and if there were any dead on board the other ships, the boat
received them, on her way to the Jersey.
"The corpse was laid upon a board, to which some ropes were attached
as straps; as it was often the case that bodies were sent on shore for
interment before they had become sufficiently stiff to be lowered into
the boat by a single strap. Thus prepared a tackle was attached to the
board, and the remains * * * were hoisted over the side of the ship
into the boat, without further ceremony. If several bodies were
waiting for interment, but one of them was lowered into the boat at a
time, for the sake of decency. The prisoners were always very anxious
to be engaged in the duty of interment, not so much from a feeling of
humanity, or from a wish to pay respect to the remains of the dead,
for to these feelings they had almost become strangers, as from the
desire of once more placing their feet on the land, if but for a few
minutes.
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