472 SPANISH AMERICA. 



were as little anxious to risk a battle in the 

 lesser plains, where he could take advan- 

 tage of the woods to protect his infantry 

 from the attacks of the patriot cavalry. So 

 that after marching and countermarching for 

 some time, (these marches often commencing 

 before daylight and continuing long after 

 dark, in order to reach wood and water for 

 the purpose of cooking ; and during them, 

 it was not an uncommon occurrence to see 

 two or three soldiers lying dead at the 

 edge of the small pools of muddy water, 

 filled with alligators and snakes, out of 

 which they had drunk too incautiously,) it 

 was found that dysentery had made great 

 inroads into the health of the British, from 

 a constant use of beef without salt : fifty 

 being reported entirely unable to proceed, 

 were mounted and sent to a miserable place 

 in the rear, where they almost all died ; se- 

 veral others daily fell sick, and it was ne- 

 cessary to mount them also : they soon ap- 



