Ether was promptly given, and as soon as the patient was fairly under its influence the bandages were removed and the sutures by which the wound had been drawn together cut.  The cavity left by the tumor was, of course, full of blood.  This was taken out with sponges, when at the lower part of the orifice a thin jet of blood was visible.  The surrounding parts had swollen, thus embedding the mouth of the artery so deeply that it could not be recovered without again using the knife.  What followed will be best understood if given in the doctor’s own words in a relation of the circumstances made by him a few years afterward.

“As you will see,” he said, “I was in the worst possible condition for an emergency like this.  I had used no stimulus since returning from Mr. Carlton’s though just going to order wine when the summons from Doctor Angier came.  If I had taken a glass or two, it would have been better, but the imperative nature of the summons disconcerted me.  I was just in the condition to be disturbed and confused.  I remembered when too late the grave omission, and had partly resolved to ask Mr. Carlton for a glass of wine before proceeding to reopen the wound and search for the bleeding artery.  But a too vivid recollection of my recent conversation with him about Doctor Kline prevented my doing so.

“I felt my hand tremble as I removed the bandages and opened the deep cavity left by the displaced tumor.  After the blood with which it was filled had been removed, I saw at the deepest part of the cavity the point from which the blood was flowing, and made an effort to recover the artery, which, owing to the uncertainty of hand which had followed the loss of stimulation, I had tied imperfectly.  But it was soon apparent that the parts had swollen, and that I should have to cut deeper in order to get possession of the artery, which lay in close contact with the internal jugular vein.  Doctor Kline was holding the head and shoulders of the patient in such a way as to give tension to all the vessels of the neck, while my assistant held open the lips of the wound, so that I could see well into the cavity.

“My hand did not recover its steadiness.  As I began cutting down to find the artery I seemed suddenly to be smitten with blindness and to lose a clear perception of what I was doing.  It seemed as if some malignant spirit had for the moment got possession of me, coming in through the disorder wrought in my nervous system by over stimulation, and used the hand I could no longer see to guide the instrument I was holding, for death instead of life.  I remember now that a sudden impulse seemed given to my arm as if some one had struck it a blow.  Then a sound which it had never before been my misfortune to hear—­and I pray God I may never hear it again—­startled me to an agonized sense of the disaster I had wrought.  Too well I knew the meaning of the lapping, hissing, sucking noise that instantly smote our ears.  I had made a deep cut across the jugular vein, the wound gaping widely in consequence of the tension given to the vein by the position of the patient’s head.  A large quantity of air rushed in instantly.