i84 ' narrative: of an 



GHAP. pointed an enfign ; which gave me pleafure, and took 

 ,^ ^1^/' , place at a very fuitable time, fince this day my poor En- 

 fign Macdonald was fent down very fick to Paramaribo. 

 I anfwered to all this, that I was obliged to him ; adding, 

 that while I remained without reinforcement, I could 

 not be accountable for what confequences might happen, 

 in a place where I was left to defend a whole river with 

 none but fick people ; and even thefe without fuffi- 

 cient ammunition, and hourly expiring for want of 

 proper medicines, or a furgeon to attend them, there 

 being none here but one or two furgeon's mates belong- 

 ing to the troops of the Society, who could do little more 

 than occafionally draw blood, and cut off a beard or a 

 corn. 



On the 4th we buried another of my marines, and on 

 the following day another died ; and I had not one now 

 remaining who was not ill, or who was not rendered un- 

 fervipeable, by his feet being fwelled with the infects 

 called chigoes : thefe poor men were moftly Germans, 

 who had been accuftomed to a healthy climate in their 

 own country. I began now to be reconciled to putting 

 my laft man under ground, and almoft wifliing to leap 

 into the grave after him myfelf; when a barge arrived 

 from Paramaribo with the proper reinforcement, ammu- 

 nition, provifions, medicines, a furgeon, and an order 

 from my chief to trace out the track of the rebels im- 

 mediately, on the former path of communication called 

 the Cordon, between Gottica and Perica, and to write him 



the 



