10th. No fever—tolerably well.
11th. Between 8 and 9 in the morning a cold and hot fit, much more severe than the last—great heat, thirst and oppression—much weakened. I now perceived I had got a regular tertian, and determined on the bark, but was prevailed on by the Armenian not to use it, he promising to cure me in a day or two. He gave me water-melon and his infusion of vinegar and seeds.
12th. No fever—find the water-melon to disagree greatly with my stomach.
13th. Had not as yet indulged much hopes of recovery. I felt still, even in those days previous to this last relapse, many alarming symptoms of disease, which made me apprehend I could not recover; and this last attack had again reduced me so low, that it was evident that, unless I could get removed from those scorching climates, a very short time would put an end to my life. Except in the humanity and goodness of Mr. Beaumont, I was without a single comfort or conveniency of life at Bushire. The heat of the weather seemed daily to increase, and the house we were in hardly covered us from the direct rays of the sun. My servant was taken ill, and appeared to be dying: it was with the greatest pleasure, therefore, I received the accounts this day of the Eagle cruiser having arrived last night from Bussorah, on her way to Bombay.
At half past seven o’clock I had a very severe fit; the hot fit was uncommonly violent, and continued about three hours. I was much reduced, and resolved at all events to take the bark in powder, and in large doses, and to dismiss the Armenian. In this I was confirmed by Mr. Puget, who informed me that the few survivors at Bussorah owed their lives entirely to the bark, which had at last been given in very large doses.
14th. I took four doses, or eight tea-spoonfuls, of powdered bark. It purged me, and carried off a great quantity of black putrid bile. This evening I was carried in my cot on board the Eagle, resolved at all events, even if I had been certain of dying in the boat, to leave Bushire, where I had hardly shelter from the sun, and where the heat was so excessive, that Capt. Alderson of the Eagle and two passengers were taken ill from it last night. I got on board very late, yet found myself refreshed from the sea air.
15th. The fever did not return. I continued to take the bark as yesterday, and found myself surprisingly strengthened. I persevered under this course till the 3d of August, when the vessel arrived at Muscat, and I was astonishingly recovered for the shortness of the time.
From the 14th of July to the 3d of August I had taken seven ounces of bark; and as the fever had returned upon me the last day of the springs at the preceding change of the moon, two days before this change I increased my daily dose, and continued in this manner till the 4th, when the springs being over, and perceiving no symptoms of fever remaining, I left off the bark entirely. I had generally taken six tea-spoonfuls every day.
From the 15th of July till my arrival at Muscat, a seaport on the coast of Arabia, my recovery was exceedingly rapid. I had a keen appetite, a pretty good digestion, sound, refreshing sleep, and my daily increase of strength was very perceptible. My diet, till this time, had been generally chicken broth, rice and boiled fowl, light pudding, &c. On leaving off the bark I observed no particular regimen, only abstaining from salted and high-seasoned meats, and confining myself to three or four glasses of Madeira. I found that an infusion of prunes, with a small quantity of cream of tartar, was of much service to me during the course of the bark, as it kept me cool, and my body open. I was sensible, at times, during my recovery, of a slight but troublesome pain under my fifth rib on the right side, especially when I lay on that side; but from feeling and pressing my hand over the region of the liver, and from other circumstances, I had no reason to suspect that my liver was affected; and, as it soon left me, the cause was probably trifling or accidental.
On my leaving Muscat a large boil came upon the hip-bone, the size of a small melon, extending some way up the side, and down the thigh, with a hard basis. After arriving at Bombay, which we did in fourteen days, it broke, and in a few days healed up. I shall only add, that at Bombay I was detained four months before I had an opportunity of proceeding to Europe. In that time I had three returns of my ague, but on taking a few doses of bark it left me. Those attacks happened at the change of the moon. From Bombay to Europe I had three or four slight fits of the ague; the worst on our making the coast of South Guinea, at the settlement of Benguela, where we found the wretched remains of a Portuguese garrison, the survivors of a fatal putrid fever, which, as they told us, raged in those parts for eighteen months before. The last attack I had was the day we made the Rock of Lisbon, since which time I have had no returns of the ague, although, when the wind continues long at east, I am sensible of a tendency to that complaint.