CHAPTER 



11 



DEAD AND WOUNDED 



THE moist heat (temperatures up to 140° F in the sun and 

 118° F in the shade were registered in this winter-spring 

 period) would have killed a bull, or a dog, as it killed our 

 Eros. We could protect ourselves by staying in the sea during 

 the day losing heat in the water, warm as it was. We ate 

 very little (practically speaking, once a day) drank as little 

 as possible (this came naturally with our rationing system) 

 and yet we led a highly active life. In the long run, however, 

 few of us escaped some complaint or other. Cecco, Gigi and 

 Priscilla had a full dose of tropical dysentery and Bruno 

 Vailati and the doctor, Alberto, had a short but terrible 

 attack. Silverio Zecca was out of action for a month with 

 acute inflammation of the ear and Priscilla had this too. 

 Captain Solari had conjunctivitis and Folco Quilici was 

 reduced to a shred in ten days with a sudden attack of 

 anaemia. Alberto had to cut a nasty whitlow out of Beppe's 

 finger, and Mauro and the boatswain Mollo suffered from 

 curious rashes. 



As for wounds and sores, we of the scientific group, working 

 in daily contact with the coral, were continually marked with 

 fairly serious cuts on our hands, arms and legs. After a day 

 or two each cut festered and formed a sore which would not 

 close. The scars have remained. Remedies were useless since 



