had become what the men called “steerly”—which means covered with boils that were full of matter. It was a nasty job killing these, for when you plunged your knife into them they would burst, and splash foul-smelling stuff into your face; and when a man’s sleeves were smeared with blood, and his hands steeped in it, how was he ever to wipe his face, or to clear his eyes so that he could see?
