I could never learn this man's country; and though he himself claimed to be American, neither his English nor his education warranted the claim.

In all likelihood he was of Scandinavian birth and blood, long pickled in the forecastles of English and American ships.

It is possible that, like so many of his race in similar positions, he had already lost his native tongue.

In mind, at least, he was quite denationalised; thought only in English--to call it so; and though by nature one of the mildest, kindest, and most feebly playful of mankind, he had been so long accustomed to the cruelty of sea discipline, that his stories (told perhaps with a giggle) would sometimes turn me chill.

In appearance, he was tall, light of weight, bold and high-bred of feature, dusky-haired, and with a face of a clean even brown: the ornament of outdoor men.