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the bayou to De Zavalla's residence, which he had given up as a
hospital.
My Experience in the Hospital
Drs. Phelps and Reagan put me on a pallet on the floor and
took my shirt off and tore it up and made a bandage and put it
around my body under my arms. The next day my body was swollen
and hurting me. I told the Doctor it was too tight. "Let it alone;
it will have to stay there," he said. I took my knife, cut it off, threw
it on the floor, and said, "Doctor, there is your bandage." He put
another one on. I told him if he put it on tight like the other one
I would cut it off.
My diet was crackers and sweetened vinegar. They fed me on
that until I got so weak I couldn't get up. I came to the conclusion
that they would starve me to death if I didn't get something to eat.
There was a fine garden there and plenty of vegetables in it. Thomas
Johnson waited on me. I asked him every day what they were
cooking. He told me on this day they were cooking cabbage. The
doctors took their meals upstairs, but they had to come through the
room where I was to get up there.
As Dr. Phelps passed through on his way to dinner I asked
him if I couldn't eat a few cabbage. He said, "No, not a bite."
When Johnson came in with my crackers and vinegar I said,
"The Doctor says it will not hurt me to eat a few of those cabbage,
Johnson; so bring me a few of them." He brought the cabbage, and
just as I finished eating them the Doctor came down. When he
saw what I had been eating, he said, "Have you been eating cabbage?"
I said "Yes, I have just finished eating a pretty good mess."
He said, "Yes, and you will be dead by night." "I reckon you'll be
glad of it," I said.
My nurse kept trotting in and out all evening to see if I was
dying, but instead of dying I felt better than I had felt in a good
while. I had now got myself to where Johnson wouldn't believe me.
He told me they were cooking beans the next day. I wanted some
of those beans, but didn't know how to get them. I said, "Johnson
I want you to be in the room when the doctors go up to dinner.
When they came in I said, "Doctor, those cabbage didn't hurt me;
may I have some beans today?" "I don't care what you eat," he
said. "Thank you, sir," I replied. From then on I had a little of anything
they had to eat, and I was soon able to get up.
Some time after this I, with several others, was moved down to
Perkin's Island. Among the party was a wounded Mexican officer.
Dr. Reagan went with us. We were here quartered in a house with
side rooms on each side. I was placed in a room on one side and
the Mexican on the other side. When we got there my wound was
hurting me so I told Johnson to take off my shirt and see what
was the matter with it. (The Doctor had been staying with that
Mexican and neglecting Tom and myself for several days.) "Go tell
the Doctor to come here and tell me what to do." He sent word back
for me to come in there.
"Put some red precipitate on it, Johnson; may be it is proud
flesh." Johnson put it on and then put my shirt on. I had traded
a few days before that for a derringer pistol. I got my pistol and
put it under my pillow and lay down and waited. I thought he
would pass out that way. After a little while he came along, and