One hobbled, another
hopped, a third dragged his legs after him like a wounded snake,
a fourth straddled betwixt a pair of long crutches, like the
mummy of a felon hanging in chains; a fifth was bent into a
horizontal position, like a mounted telescope, shoved in by a
couple of chairmen; and a sixth was the bust of a man, set
upright in a wheel machine, which the waiter moved from place to
place.
Being struck with some of their faces, I consulted the
subscription-book; and, perceiving the names of several old
friends, began to consider the groupe with more attention. At
length I discovered rear-admiral Balderick, the companion of my
youth, whom I had not seen since he was appointed lieutenant of
the Severn. He was metamorphosed into an old man, with a wooden
leg and a weatherbeaten face, which appeared the more ancient
from his grey locks, that were truly venerable -- Sitting down at
the table, where he was reading a news-paper, I gazed at him for
some minutes, with a mixture of pleasure and regret, which made
my heart gush with tenderness; then, taking him by the hand, 'Ah,
Sam (said I) forty years ago I little thought' -- I was too much
moved to proceed.
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