How the Accident Occurred. 
109 
others went to fetch their wounded mate, I cut the clothes off his poor 
body, only to find unfortunately 1 lie chest in the same condition as his 
face : the continual trickle of the blood alone betrayed the situation 
of the eyes which had become quite swollen and unrecognisable. My 
next care was to clean up as carefully as I could the whole mixture 
of coagulated blood and dirt, during which operation the groaning of 
my poor friend naturally enough often made my hands shake. The two 
Indians were in the meantime hurriedly packed off to the opposite 
shore to fetch my brother, Dr. Eehlin, and the remainder of the party 
who, arriving shortly after, helped me in my efforts. After removing 
all the oozing blood, and carefully rubbing the lacerated parts with 
olive oil which we fortunately carried, we tried in every way to lessen 
the inflammation of the wounds. The whimpering and wailing indicat- 
ed only too clearly that our friend's sufferings were awful. 
374. After fixing up both patients as comfortably as possible, and 
doing everything we could for the present, some of the Indians returned 
for Mr. Glascott, who in the meantime had remained behind with the 
instruments, and it was only on his return that we learned the cause 
of the accident. Mr. King, who had arranged to fire the charge, had 
forgotten to wash out the mortar after the first shot: when he now 
went to pour in the fresh load of powder, about a beer-glassful, this 
exploded and as the mouth of the shorl barrel was directed pretty well 
vertically and he was just then bending over it, it blew him at least 
ten paces distant so that he lay as if dead for several minutes at Mr. 
Glascott’s feet. The poor Indian, who during the loading had closed 
the touch-hole with his hand, must not have noticed accurately that the 
powder-chamber still contained some fire: he also was blown away by 
the explosion and burnt in the manner above described. 
375. The general hilarity hitherto prevailing especially at our mid- 
day and evening meals, when King knew how to smoothe the gloomy 
wrinkles from out of any ruffled brow with his ever genial and exuber- 
ant humour, — humour that did not forsake him even at. night amidst 
the painful torments of mosquitoes,— had now disappeared, not only 
for the reason that our grief made every outbreak of cheeriness impos- 
sible but because, on account of ihe accident, the gaiety and mirth had 
run dry at its source. 
376. When on the following morning our hunters returned from their 
trip they brought a beautiful deer and an enormous alligator. The deer 
was the first mammal with which our table had been supplied since our 
departure from Georgetown, and accordingly proved most welcome. 
The alligator measured 7 feet, and without delay I seized knife and 
tools to skin and prepare it. Unfortunately like many another treas- 
ure, chis skin became the prey of moisture and irremovable mould. The 
musky smell peculiar to the animal developed to such a degree during 
its preparation, that becoming quite overpowered by it. I had to leave 
the work from time to time and get a whiff of fresh air. In spite of 
every washing it was a week before my hands lost the disgusting stench 
that gave rise to many a shudder and nauseous sensation, and it is for 
this reason I have ever since then had a strong antipathy to musk, 
