Not a cloud broke the softness of the sky, in which the sun glowed hotter and hotter as it rose towards the zenith.

The sails of the schooner hung idly from the yards; her reflected image was distorted, but scarcely broken, by the long, gentle swell; her crew, with the exception of the watch, were asleep either on deck or down below; and so deep was the universal silence, that, as the vessel rose and fell with a slow, quiet motion, the pattering of the reef-points on her sails forcibly attracted the listener's attention, as does the ticking of a clock in the deep silence of night.

A few sea-birds rested on the water, as if in the enjoyment of the profound peace that reigned around; and far away on the horizon might be seen the tops of the palm trees that grow on one of those coral islands which lie scattered in thousands, like beautiful gems, on the surface of that bright blue sea.
Among the men who lay sleeping in various easy, off-hand attitudes on the schooner's deck, was one who merits special attention--not only because of the grotesque appearance of his person, but also because he is one of the principal actors in our tale.
He was a large, powerful man, of that rugged build and hairy aspect that might have suggested the idea that he would be difficult to kill.

He was a fair man, with red hair, and a deeply sun-burned face, on which jovial good humor sat almost perpetually enthroned.

At the moment when we introduce him to the reader, however, that expression happened to be modified in consequence of his having laid him down to sleep in a sprawling manner on his back--the place as well as the position being, apparently, one of studied discomfort.