He was exceedingly polite,
and smiled and bowed, beseeching me to accept the cider, as plenty of
corn would be sent on the following day, when better arrangements would
be made for future supplies.
I could no longer refuse the cider, therefore I sent for Abd-el-Kader,
and gave him five jars for the officers and troops.
It was at this time about seven o'clock, and we sat down to dinner in
the divan, as it was too chilly to dine outside.
We had just finished dinner, when Abd-el-Kader suddenly entered the
divan in a state of troubled excitement, to inform me that "many of the
troops appeared to be dying, and they had evidently been POISONED by the
plantain cider!"
I inquired "how many men had drunk from the jars?" He could not tell,
but he feared that at least half the company had taken some portion,
more or less. He had himself drunk a tumblerful, and he already felt
uncomfortable, with a tightness of the throat, and a burning pain in his
inside.
I at once flew to my medicinal arms. Independently of the large
medicine-chest, I had a small box, about nine inches by five, which
contained all that could be desired for any emergency. This little chest
had been my companion for twenty-five years.
I begged my wife to get as much mustard and strong salt and water ready
as she could mix in a hurry, and I started off with Abd-el-Kader and
Lieutenant Baker. I immediately sent Monsoor to find Umbogo.
On arrival at the camp, which was about 120 yards distant, my first
order was to double all the sentries.
I found the men in a terrible state. Several lay insensible, while about
thirty were suffering from violent constriction of the throat, which
almost prevented them from breathing. This was accompanied by spasms and
burning pain in the stomach, with delirium, a partial palsy of the lower
extremities, and in the worst cases, total loss of consciousness.
I opened the jaws of the insensible, and poured down a dessert-spoonful
of water, containing three grains of emetic tartar, and, in about ten
minutes, I dosed everybody who had partaken of the poisoned cider with
the same emetic, while I insisted upon a flood of mustard and salt and
water being swallowed. Fortunately we had everything at hand. The
soldiers who were sound were all nursing the sick, and they poured down
gallons of brine, until the patients began to feel the symptoms of a
rough passage across the British Channel.
My servants always kept the lanterns trimmed - this was a positive
order. The lights were now moving to and fro, and having seen all the
poisoned under the full effect of a large dose of tartarised antimony,
with an accompaniment of strong brine and mustard, I returned to the
divan, where I found Umbogo had just arrived with Monsoor, who had met
with him at his own hut.
