South Branch intelligencer. [volume] (Romney, Va. [W. Va.]) 1830-1896, 1836-01-23

| I was the identical man in question
1 and my people the crew ofthe Victory
| That the mate who commanded this
boat was as much astonished al thi:
information, as he appeared to be,
do not doubt; while with the usua
blunderheadedness of man on such oc.
casions. he assured me that | had been
dead for two years. l easily, howe
yer, convinced him, that what ough'
to have been true, according to his es
innate, was somewhat premature
conclusion as the bear-like form Of
the whole set of US might have shown
him, had he taken time to consider,
that we were certainly not whaling
| gentlemen, and that we carried tolera-
Bile evidences Of our being true men,
| and not imposters, on OUT Backs, and
! in our starved and unshaven counte-
nances. A hearty coogratulation fol-
lowed, of course, in the true seaman
style, and, after few natural inqoi-
ries, he added that the Isabella was
commanded by Captain Humphreys,
when he Immediately went off in his
boat to communicate his information
on board, repeating that we had long
been given up as lost. not BY them a.
lone, but by all EogIand.
AS we approached slowly after him
to the ship, he jumped up the side, aud
in moment the rigging was manned !;
while we were saluted with three
cheers, as we came within cables
lengih, and we were not long in get.
ting on board my old vessel, where we
were all received by Captain Hum
phreys, with hearty seaman's well
come.
Though we had not been supported
by our names and characters, we
should sot less have claimed from
charity, the attentions we received !;
for never was seen more miserable
set of wretehes while, that we were
but repuIsive looking people, none
Of US could doubt. lite be poor, wret-
chedly poor, as far as all our present
property was concerned was to have
claim on charity, no one could we'll
deserve ii more, but if TO look so, be
to brighten away the so called charita-
BILE, no beggar that wanders in Ireland,
could have out done us in exciting the
repugnance of those who, have not
known what poverty can be. Unsha-
ven since l know not when, dirty,
dressed ia rags of wild beasts instead
of the tatsers Of civilization, and starry
ed to the very bones, our gsunt and
grim looks when contrasted with those
of the we'll dressed and well fed men
around US, made US all feel, believe
for the first time, what we really were
as we'll as whst We seemed to others.
Poverty is without half its mark,unless
il be conlrasted with wealth: and what
we nigh, have known to be true in the
past days, we had forge.ten TO think
Of, until we were thus reminded OF
what we truly were, IS well as seemed
TO be.
But the Iudicrous soon took place
Of all other feelings; 10 such crowd.
and such confusion, all serious thought
was impossible, while the new buoy
ancy OF our spirits made US abundant-
ly willing to be amused by the scene
which now opened. Every man was
hungry, and was to be fed, all were
ragged and were to be clothed /; there
was not one to whom washing was not
indispensable, nor one whose beard
did not deprive him of all English
semblance.
All, every thing too, was to be done
a. once, it was washing, dressing, sh a
wing, eating, all intermingled il was
all the materials of each jumbled to
gether !; while in the midst of all,
there were in,erminable Questions to
be asked and answered on all sides,
the Adventures of the Victory, our
own escapes, the politics of England,
and the news which was now four
years old. But all subsidized in peace
at last. The sick were accommoda-
ted, the seamen disposed OF, aud all
was done, for all Of ds, which care g.
kindness could perform. Night at
length brought quiet and serious
thoughts :; and | trust there was not
one among us who did not then ex-
press where it was due, his gratitude
for that interposition which had raised
US all from despair which none could
now forget, and had brought US from
the very borders Of a not distant grave,
to life and friends and civilization.
Long accustomed, however, to a
cold bed on the hard snow or bare