enable us to dig out the rest of the things, among which nothing
of any material consequence was subsequently found to have
suffered injury; and, having mustered the ships' companies to see
that they had put on dry clothes before going to dinner, they were
employed daring the rest of the day in drying those which had been
wet. The appearance which our faces presented at the fire was a
curious one, almost every nose and cheek having become quite white
with frostbites in five minutes after being exposed to the
weather; so that it was deemed necessary for the medical
gentlemen, together with some others appointed to assist them, to
go constantly round while the men were working at the fire, and to
rub with snow the parts affected, in order to restore animation.
Notwithstanding this precaution, which, however, saved many
frostbites, we had an addition of no less than sixteen men to the
sick lists of both ships in consequence of this accident. Among
these there were four or five cases which kept the patients
confined for several weeks; but John Smith, of the artillery, who
was Captain Sabine's servant, and who, together with Sergeant
Martin, happened to be in the house at the time the fire broke
out, was unfortunate enough to suffer much more severely. In their
anxiety to save the dipping-needle, which was standing close to
the stove, and of which they knew the value, they immediately ran
out with it; and Smith, not having time to put on his gloves, had
his fingers in half an hour so benumbed and the animation so
completely suspended, that on his being taken on board by Mr.
Edwards, and having his hands plunged into a basin of cold water,
the surface of the water was immediately frozen by the intense
cold thus suddenly communicated to it; and, notwithstanding the
most humane and unremitting attention paid to them by the medical
gentlemen, it was found necessary, some time after, to resort to