CIGARETTE IN SYDNEY. QUARANTINED

Otago Witness, Issue 2412, 24 May 1900, Page 65

CIGARETTE IN SYDNEY.

QUARANTINED

We were playing solo whist, and in the intervals of dealing talked "plague."

" I wonder what would happsn if we had a case, here?" remaiktcl Murray. ■' WII3-, we'd have to go to 'quarantine like the rest, of course."

"I don't think so," said Mm ray. "Too many of us ; they'd isolate the house. Well, I'll go misere. '

But Murray was wrong, for the next day sure enough we had a case of plag-.xe in the boarding house, and the whole 55 of us had to go.

The young fellow had been ailing some days, Tout thought he had a biiious attack. Imagine my feelings, then, on returning home to dinner in the evening to see two policeman at the gate and a crowd of LuTikins hanging roiLid shouting, "They've got the piigue in there."' " Can't go in, f.ir," &aid the policeman.

" But I mutt; ; I Jive here." " Oh ! beg pardon. Are ycu one of tLe boaideisV "

" Yes."

" Then you'll have to go down with the rest, .sir. They've all gone to the quarantine ground." Well, I got in, and found one other late arrivals busy packing vp his tiaps prejnaratory to departure. He seemed in a bit of a funk, but after a stiff nobbier of whisky he &at down on tie edge of tho bed, and told me about Evant. '" Poor beggar, lie',; very bad. He'd just gone wlien I came in. I'lny're in the.c " (jerking his thumb to the ic:t) " fumigating lii rroom. . . ." We rook another nip, and Smith went on ?, ith his packing. It vas getting hue, so after that we fossickc-d round for Fo:jiethmg to eat, and made up our m.nds to remain where we were 'till the m^rninp. We had to propitiate the bobbies, end added whisky to our persuasive powers. After I copious draughts they impressed upon us that they would be fetcitio^ed all nk.ht at the fronc door; but, of couise, the}- knew nothing about the back. Smith suggested to me the advisability of "being '"missing" in the morning, but on second thoughts we decided to go down and get ib over.

"You see, Smith, if v,e cleared,' 1 I said, " we might be traced and ll;iiled off afterv> ard-s ; fo it's best to go peaceably." " Quite right ; have another whisky." We fini&hed the bottle, and retired fox the night. The vast mansion seemed unnttera'bly dismal. I fairly yearned for the i'amilinr f-oimd of slamming dcors and tramping feat, and would have welcomed with a smile the noisy boarder who slept above me, and whose boots drew curses from me every night. Well, in the morning the rmbulance arrived hke a hideous black Maria, and off we drove to Cowper's wharf, and embarked on the little launch with the yellow flag. It wos a pretty rough trip down, ai.d the little etcajier ■rolled about a lot as we crossed the heads. I felt glad there was no patient on board. She whistled once as we drew near tho jetty. That meant only " ; two whistles means a "case,"' three a " corpse." As soon as we landed we were shown into a room, and told to strip, another suit being given to each of us while our own was being disinfected. Our watches, money, etc., were handed to aa official, who wiped them over with a solution, and returned them. Our boots -were treated in the same way, and I had a new hat — a. grey fell — completely spoilt with the christening they gave it. Presently the clothes came back ari hot as muffins out of the oven.

'" Phew ! " cried Smith, " I believe I'm on fire. ' He tlmr-t his hand in his pocket, r-nd found the matchbox he had left there had buriVj a hole right through. Being clothed ones more we came out, and began to explore.

'"Fancy meeting you!" said a fpmiliar voice, arcl I recognised a man I had not fceit for year?. This was a bit of luck to beixin with, as lie told me he was employed as keeper of the quarantine .stores.

Next we encountered some of our feilcwboarders, including ihe landladj', who immediately took us iiader her wing and showed us our new quarter^ — very cczniorrable they were, too, spring beds and nicely iurnisJied room«.

Some of, our companions in misfortune looked horribly nervous. One man, a great burly fellow of 6ft, was all the time in a blue funk. He. too, was a '" Pott's Pointer." Wo called the second class quarters '" Wooilouinooloo." Ue sal, next me at ciinnei and ppoilt my first meal in quarantine. " I feel awfully queer," he ?a:d, iird he looked i_, rubbing his fingerr,up and down his neck. "I Kay, I wish you'd just look and tell me if ray glands are swelling."' 1 looked. "You're all right," I said. '"No, no," he cried, "I'm not! They're bigger — I know they are ; I've gor. it ! Oh, Lord, I've got the plague !" ; and down he 3opj>eo[ unconscious on the floor. We fetched the doctor and he took him away to an observation ward, where 113 gradually came to, and found that after all he was only a "contact" still.

We had three courses every day for dinner, but no fruit, except what our friends in >Sydney liked to fcond down. Whisky wos in great demand. As a plague antidote iv is unrivalled. Unfortunately, poor Evans m the hospital couldn't toke it, and that kept him back a bit. We u^ed to stroll down to the Point every day and inquire after him; he -»a.s very bad. poor chap. Br fcVJter was awfully good to the patients. He u&cd to &it up all night with the bad cases, pouring stimulants down tlicir throat?. Dv Hc'rvey looked after the '" contacts " — that is, he felt everybody'rpulse each day. It didn't take long. I heard one girl &ay, " Oh, doctor, vhtit was only my bracelet you felt. 1 ' Smith, Mm Ay, and I .'-hared a 100 m, and whipky — by Jove, we did gen through a lot. It'w no ufiC saying we were not nc-r-vguk ; we were, every one of us, and then tho&e bea.-.tly whi&tles we were always liv ienhij ior ninde u=i worse. Ju<t a i i we ■uero trying to yet to sL-sp Mvrray would start tyj, " One — fcvro — -it's a patiuni ;_—-;io ;

its a corpse. Poor old Merai. v/ill have to turn out and bury it.'' Alter that it wai no use trying to get to .sleep : Are couldn't. We were fishing down at tha jetty one night when the launch came in, blowing three blasts. " Another funeral," said Smith. " Lev's get out of the wav or we'll get another five days," which is the rule, j Y7e slipped aside and watched while five 1 ghostly figures clad in white came down the ptth, swinging lanterns. Then t-lic corpse, in ils eo£r.i of quicklime, was landed, and j the ghastly procession climbed the path- | wa/ to the lonely cemetery over the hill, j Every day fresh patients arrived, and the

rruir.bea' of contacts .'ncreased, though, o2 cnai I^. r.'ir.-!".. v-Jiose five days had expired, w ere isleased. "If it goe c - on like tin;, we shan't ba t-bie to accommodate them all," said an offiiual w me, fetid then added confidentially : '" The fact is they're a deal too comfortable down bere. It's quite true that as soon, as thofcfc loafers get wind of a case of plague in the city they simply rush the place, s-,0 as to get taken as contacts.'' We tried to get up a concerl one nighty bot there was no piano, and things fell fiat. One fellow, of a cheerful turn of mind, chose the '■ Death of Nelson, but the recitative wvs enough for me. After that we had

" Sharaus O'Brien," and then Murray recited '• KilKecrankie, ' thereby making a friend for life oi the cook, who, by the way, is a Pvci-ke's Drift man. He sent us up eggs and bacon next morning Tor breakfast, and we always had an unlimited supply of milk. Our chief occupation was fishing. There was bream, rock cod, end black fish, and one day I caught a splendid eel. We couldn't f,sttle to read or write, somehow, i did my correspondence by telegrams, which were allowed to go frse. The iccnery was magnificent, and I often wished I hid' had o. camera with me. Still, notwithstanding all the att ructions of the place we v.-ere all glad when our time was up. Our p?-ty all came back to- ether, with the exception oi poor Evan?, who Is still in hos•nitalt The little launch tumbled about gloriously crossing the Heads. Most of -ihe ladies were i'J, and one or two went into hysterics, expecting to find a watery crave. " However ", we all arrived safely on terra flrnu, none the woise for our enforced &eclu&ion. Somehow, I expected to be creeled with ocan arms by all my friends, who, I fla.ttered myself, would be delighted tj'-tes me again; but, alas! for hum™ vonhi.-, they all fought shy of me, and the deadest of all h~.d taken the precaution to rend a letter msrked " Immediate to greet ray arrival. I tore it 'open, and read—' Oi course we must not expect to see you now for a month at least !" Et tu. Brute!