Page:The Adventures Of A Revolutionary Soldier.pdf/188

186 after I was carried there. One occurrence (though nothing strange in such circumstances as I was then in) I took notice of, although I could take notice of little else. We lay on sacks filled with straw, and our beds mostly upon the floor, in a rank on each side of the room, with an alley between. The first man that died, after my being conveyed there, was the first in order from the entering door of the room, on the side I lay; next, the fourth man from him died, there was then four men between this last that died and me. In my weakness I felt prepossessed with a notion, that every fourth man would die, and that, consequently, I should escape, as I was the fifth from the one that died last; and just so it happened, the man next me on the side of those that had died, died next. I believe this circumstance contributed a great deal in retarding my recovery, until the death of this last man, and that after his death, when I thought myself exempted, it helped as much toward my recovery.—Such strange whims will often work great effects both in hindering and forwarding in such cases. When the body is feeble and the head weak, small causes often have great effect upon the sick; I know it by too frequent experience.

Eight men died at this time, the rest recovered, though the most of them very slowly; some were as crazy as coots for weeks after they had gained strength to walk about. My hair came off my head, and I was as bald as an eagle; but after I began to gain strength I soon got about. But it was a grievous sickness to me, the sorest I had ever undergone. Although death is much nearer to me now than it was then, yet I never had thought myself so near death as I did then.

The spring had now began to open and warm weather soon came on. We remained here till the month of May, when one of our sergeants and myself obtained permission to go down to Philadelphia for a couple of days, to visit some of our acquaintance in that city, but particularly to carry some little clothing to one of our men in the hospital there, who was wounded at the siege of Yorktown, and had had his leg amputated above the knee. I carried him, among other things, a pair of stockings and shoes; his nurse told him, that he was more lucky than most other people, for when they got