SHIPWRECKED LEPERS. 3 



by hearing voices in a creek not far from 

 that in which we had slept, and, on rounding 

 a rocky point of the island, saw the speakers 

 — and a melancholy sight it was ! There sat, 

 drenched and shivering on the bare shore of 

 this desolate islet, seven human beings in every 

 stage of virulent leprosy. Three were far gone 

 in the disease, — a woman and two men, appa- 

 rently old. The men had lost their sight, and 

 one was speechless ; and all had lost the use 

 of their extremities, which, indeed, appeared 

 to have been eaten away. Two others had 

 not lost the use of their hands ; but their toes 

 were gone, and they could scarcely walk. A 

 fine young man and a well-grown rather hand- 

 some girl remained, and at a distance appeared 

 unharmed ; but on nearer approach the bandages 

 on one foot of the female, and over one eye 

 of the youth, told that the plague-spot was 

 upon them too. Their tale was a short one. 

 They were a family of lepers, Greeks, from 

 the island of Syme, who wandered from port 

 to port in their boat, fishing and collecting 

 alms. In the storm of the day before they 

 had been driven ashore in this little bay, and 

 their boat lay much damaged on the beach . 



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