“Why Bob!” exclaimed Ned. “What is the matter?”
“It came on me suddenly,” said the unfortunate lad, sitting down on the ground in the tent. “I was going to eat some more of the mangoes when, all at once, I was seized with a fit of trembling.”
As he spoke a series of tremors shook his body, and he seemed about to fall over. Jerry caught him.
“Quick, Ned!” he exclaimed. “Help me get Bob to bed. Then we’ll see what we can do.”
They undressed Bob, who continued to shake and shiver for he had a chill alternating with his fever. Then, while Jerry and Ned were worrying over the matter and pondering what to do, the poor lad’s temperature suddenly went up and he was in a higher fever.
“We’ve got to do something to bring that down,” remarked Jerry. “What did they give you when you were sick, Ned?” and Jerry looked at his chum.
“It’s so long since I was sick I’ve forgotten,” was the answer. “Have we any medicine at all?”
“Mother made me bring some quinine along, and a few other things, like witch hazel and sticking plaster, but I don’t believe any of them are good for fevers. I’ll look in the box.”
Jerry proceeded to investigate the small case of simple remedies his mother had packed, but which had never been opened. The chums were seldom ill, and when they were they usually let nature adjust itself. But they realized that something must be done for Bob.
“‘Spirits of nitre,’” read Ned from the label of one of the bottles. “Say, Jerry, this is the stuff for fevers. I remember my mother used to use it when I was a little chap. Let’s give him some.”
Jerry read the label on the bottle. The nitre, according to the directions, was good for fevers and they decided to give Bob a larger dose than was called for, as they had an idea the stuff was for children, and that a full grown youth would need more.
Anxiously they waited for the remedy to have some effect. Every now and then they would place their hands on Bob’s head or wrist to note the warmth of his body. To their worriment he seemed to be getting hotter instead of cooler. The fever indeed was rising fast and poor Bob was in a bad way.
“Doesn’t seem to be strong enough,” said Jerry after three hours of dreary watching. They had dressed and sat in the tent which was dimly lighted by a lantern.