The Young Marooners on the Florida Coast Read online

  CHAPTER III

  TAMPA BAY--BELLEVUE--UNLADING--A DANGEROUS CUT--HOW TO STOP A BLEEDINGARTERY--TOM STARBOARD AGAIN

  Tampa Bay is a perfect gem of its kind. Running eastward from the gulffor twelve or fifteen miles, then turning suddenly to the North, it isso far sheltered from within, that, except in case of severe westerlygales, its waters are ever quiet and clear as crystal. Its beach iscomposed of sand and broken shells of such snowy whiteness as almost todazzle the eye, and it slopes so gradually from the land, that, in manyplaces, a child may wade for a great distance without danger. To thosewho bathe in its limpid waters it is a matter of curiosity to see below,the slow crawling of the conch, while the nimble crab scampers off inhaste, and fish and prawn dart wantonly around. When the tide is downthere is no turnpike in the world better fitted for a pleasure ride thanthat smooth hard beach, from which no dust can rise, and which is ofcourse as level as a floor.

  The spot on which Dr. Gordon proposed to build, was one commanding aview both of the distant fort and of the open sea, or rather of thegreen islands which guarded the mouth of the bay. It already containeda small house, with two rooms, erected by a white adventurer, andafterwards sold to an Indian chief of the better class. Dr. Gordon hadbeen originally attracted by the picturesque beauty of its location,and, on closer inspection, still more interested by seeing on each sideof the chief's door a large bell pepper, that, having grown for yearsuntouched by frost, had attained the height of eight or ten feet, andwas covered all the year round with magnificent bells of green andcrimson. The old chief was dead, and the premises had been vacated formore than a year.

  Early in the afternoon the brig anchored opposite this spot, to whichDr. Gordon had given the name of Bellevue. All hands were called toassist the ship carpenter and Sam (Dr. Gordon's negro carpenter), tobuild a pier head, or wharf, extending from the shore to the vessel;this occupied them till nightfall, and the work of unlading continuedthrough a great part of the night, and past the middle of the next day.

  The work was somewhat delayed by an untoward accident befalling one ofthe sailors, and threatening for a time to take his life. Peter, thebrother of Sam, was standing on the gangway, with his ax on hisshoulder, just as two of the sailors were coming out with a heavy box.Hearing behind him the noise of their trampling, he turned quicklyaround to see what it was, at the moment when the sailor, who waswalking backwards, turned his head to see that the gangway was clear.By these two motions, quickly made, the head was brought towards the ax,and the ax towards the head, and the consequence was that the sailor'stemple received a terrible gash. The blood gushed out in successivejets, proving that the cut vessel was an artery. Setting down the boxwith all speed, the assisting sailor seized the skin of the woundedtemple and tried with both hands to bring the gaping lips together, soas to stop the bleeding. His effort was in vain. The blood gushedthrough his fingers, and ran down to his elbows. By this time thecaptain reached the spot, and seeing that an artery was cut, directedthe sailor to press with his finger on the _heart_ side of the wound.In a moment the jets ceased; for the arterial blood is driven by theheart towards the extremities, and therefore moves by jets as the heartbeats, while the _venous_, or black blood, is on its way _from theextremities_ to the heart; consequently, the pressure, which stops theflow from a wound in either vein or artery, must correspond to thedirection in which the blood is flowing. [_See note p._ 16.]

  While the sailor was thus stopping the blood by the pressure of hisfinger on the side from which the current came, the captain hastilyprepared a ball of soft oakum, about the size of a small apple. This helaid upon the wound, and bound tightly to the head by means of ahandkerchief. It is probable the flow might have been staunched had thecompress been sufficiently tight, but for some reason the blood forceditself through all the impediments, saturated the tarred oakum, andtrickled down the sailor's face. During this scene Dr. Gordon was athis house on the bluff. Hearing through a runner, dispatched by thecaptain, that a man was bleeding to death, he pointed to a quantity ofcobwebs that hung in large festoons from the unceiled roof, and directedhim to bring a handful of these to the vessel, remarking, that "_nothingstopped blood more quickly than cobwebs_."

  The sailor was by this time looking pale and ready to faint. Dr. Gordoninquired of the captain what had been done, pronounced it all right, anddeclared that he should probably have tried the same plan, but furtherremarked,

  "This artery in the temple is oftentimes exceedingly difficult to manageby pressure. You may stop for a time the bleeding of _any_ artery bypressing with sufficient force upon the right place; or, if necessary toadopt so summary a mode, you may obliterate it altogether by _burningwith a hot iron_. But in the present case I will show you an easierplan."

  While speaking he had removed the bandages, and taken out his lancet;and, to the captain's amazement, in uttering the last words, he cut thebleeding artery in two, saying, "Now bring me some cold water."

  The captain was almost disposed to stay the doctor's arm, supposing thathe was about to make a fatal mistake; but when he saw the jets of bloodinstantly diminish, he exclaimed, "What new wonder is this! Here I havebeen trying for half an hour to staunch the blood by _closing_ thewound, while you have done it in a moment, by making the wound greater."

  "It is one of the secrets of the art," responded the doctor, "but asecret which I will explain by the fact, that _severed_ arteries alwayscontract and close more or less perfectly; whereas, if they should beonly _split_ or _partly cut_, the same contraction will keep the orificeopen and bleeding. I advise you never to try it, except when you knowthe artery to be small, or when every other expedient has failed. Buthere comes the bucket. See what a fine styptic cold water is."

  He washed the wound till it was thoroughly cooled; after which hebrought its lips together by a few stitches made with a bent needle, andputting on the cobwebs and bandage, pronounced the operation complete.

  "Live and larn!" muttered old Tom Starboard, as he turned away from thisscene of surgery. "I knew it took a smart man to manage a ship; butI'll be hanged if there a'n't smart people in this world besidessailors."

  The main arteries in a man's limbs are _deeply buried and lie in thesame general direction with the inner seams of his coat sleeves and ofhis pantaloons_. When one of them is cut--which may be known by thelight red blood flowing in jets, as above described--all the bandages inthe world will be insufficient to staunch it, except imperfectly, andfor a time, it must be tied or cauterized. If any one knows theposition of the wounded artery, the best bandage for effecting atemporary stoppage of the blood, is the _tourniquet_, which is made topress like a big strong finger directly upon it on the side from whichthe blood is flowing. A good substitute for the tourniquet may beextemporized out of a handkerchief or other strong bandage, and a pieceof corn-cob two inches long, or a suitable piece of wood or stone. Thislast is to be placed so as to press directly over the artery; and thebandage to be made very tight by means of a stick run through it so asto twist it up with great power.