A
small bullet head was set firmly on its broad foundation, and it was
thickly covered with a mass of brown hair that was already a little
grizzled. The face was that of a man of thirty, and it was worthy of the
frame, being manly, bold, decided, and rather handsome; though it
expressed little more than high daring, perfect coolness, some obstinacy,
and a certain degree of contempt for others, that its owner did not always
take the trouble to conceal. The color was a rich, deep, and uniform red,
such as much exposure is apt to give to men whose complexions are, by
nature, light and florid.
The dress of the stranger was quite as remarkable as his person. He wore a
short pea-jacket, cut tight and tastefully; a little, low, and rakish cap,
and full bell-mouthed trowsers, all in a spotlessly white duck; a material
well adapted to the season and the climate. The first was made without
buttons, affording an apology for the use of a rich Indian shawl, that
belted his body and kept the garment tight to his frame. Faultlessly clean
linen appeared through the opening above, and a collar, of the same
material, fell over the gay bandanna, which was thrown, with a single
careless turn, around his throat. The latter was a manufacture then little
known in Europe, and its use was almost entirely confined to seamen of the
long voyage. One of its ends was suffered to blow about in the wind, but
the other was brought down with care over the chest, where it was
confined, by springing the blade of a small knife with an ivory handle, in
a manner to confine the silk to the linen: a sort of breast-pin that is
even now much used by mariners.
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