1 |
"We had no communication whatever with the
out-side world. Each loaf of bread was cut open
by the guard to see that it contained no message.
All who believed in the Bahá'í manifestation,
children, men and women, were imprisoned with
us. There were one-hundred and fifty of us
together in two rooms and no one was allowed to
leave the place with the exceptions of four persons,
who went to the bazaar to market each morning,
under guard. The first summer was dreadful.
Akká is a fever-ridden town. It was said that a
bird attempting to fly over it would drop dead.
The food was poor and insufficient, the water was
drawn from a fever-infected well and the climate
and conditions were such, that even the natives of
the town fell ill. Many soldiers succumbed and
eight out of ten of our guard died. During the
intense heat, malaria, typhoid and dysentery
attacked the prisoners, so that all, men, women
and children, were sick at one time. There were
no doctors, no medicines, no proper food, and no
treatment of any kind.
|