THE BATAVIA FEVER. 39 



there was a great flood here at Batavia, which, proved 

 a fit subject for his pencil ; and the painting was so 

 gi'eatly admired, that he presented it to the King of 

 Holland. When I was introduced to him, he at once, 

 with all a courtier's art, inquired whether I was from 

 the North or the South ; and on hearing that I was 

 not only from the North, but had served for a time 

 in the Union army, he insisted on shaking hands 

 again, remarking that he trusted that it would not be 

 lonof before all the slaves in our land would be free. 



I had not been out many times collecting before I 

 found myself seized one night with a severe pain in 

 the back of the neck and small of the back — a sui'e 

 sign of an approaching fever. The next day found me 

 worse, then I became somewhat better, and then worse 

 again. The sensation was as if some one were repeat- 

 edly thrusting a handful of red-hot knitting-needles 

 into the top of my head, which, as they j^assed in, di- 

 verged till they touched the base of the brain. Then 

 came chills, and then as^ain those indescribable dart- 

 ing pains. It seemed as if I could not long retain 

 the command of my mind under such severe tortui*e. 

 At last, after seven days of this suffering, I decided 

 to go to the military hospital, which is open to citi- 

 zens of .all nations on their paying the same price 

 per day as in the best hotels. The hospital consisted 

 of a series of long, low, one-story buildings placed at 

 right angles to each other, and on both sides facing 

 o])en squares and wide walks or gardens, which were 

 all bordered with Jarge trees and contained some 

 fine flowers. In each of the buildings were two 

 rows of rooms or chambers of convenient size, which 



