On the 23d of May, the hot wind came on. The air was darkened with mist, which was so thick that it rendered breathing difficult. We were glad to cover ourselves over the head with our blankets: for although the heat was intense, and the blankets disagreeably warm and heavy, yet we found our breathing more tolerable under them than when uncovered. The orderly men, who had to go out of the shed for water, and on other necessary business, complained of the heat of the wind, saying that it blew the sand in their faces as hot as fire.[14] Towards evening the wind blew from the sea; the air became clear; and the night was about its usual coolness. But the consequences of this wind were dreadful to the hospital. The plague now raged with redoubled fury, and made fearful havoc among the nurses and orderly men, and those who had slight wounds. The three nurses who attended the division of the shed I was in, were infected one after the other, and were sent to the post hospital; where, as I afterwards heard, they died. One set of nurses and orderly men followed another in rapid succession for some weeks. It was observed, that none of those who had large sores were infected by it; but such sores after this period were more mortal, for mortifications now became rapid in their progress, and baffled the power of medicine to arrest them. Amputations were multiplied, but were mostly unavailing; and even sores comparatively slight, mortified and proved fatal. Some of the cases struck me forcibly.--A sailor who had a slight wound in one of his legs, and who could move about, and be serviceable to those that were bed-fast, went one night to the shore, which was not far off, to get some drink; his leg immediately got worse; in a few days the entire calf of it was one putrid ulcer, with numbers of maggots; poultices, spirits of wine, and other strong liquors, and tinctures were profusely used, but in vain--he died in about a week. Another, whose wound was cured, and who was ordered to join his regiment, absented himself on the night previous to the day appointed for his departure, and that of some others. In a day or two after the party was gone, he appeared in his place with a sore leg. It was believed that he had purposely scratched his shin with a stone; but whatever way he had taken to make it sore, the surgeon, who had not noticed his conduct, saw that it required dressing, which was done without any particular inquiry; and as none that knew his conduct liked spontaneously to inform upon him, he was not called in question. It was manifest, however, that cowardice was the cause of his injuring his leg, that he might remain in the hospital until danger was over. But the very means he took to avoid danger, to which he might never have, been exposed, proved his destruction. In three or four days his leg became so much inflamed, that amputation was rendered necessary. This was performed above the knee, but the inflammation had reached the thigh.