When open it seemed as if it was the place where a few very black teeth were kept.

When closed it seemed as if made to match his enormous nose; the line formed by the closed lips, being continued right down on either side in a half-moon or parenthesis curve to the chin, which was always in motion.
A closer examination showed that Ike had only a mouth of the ordinary dimensions, the appearance of size being caused by two marks of caked tobacco-juice, a piece of that herb being always between his teeth.
This habit he afterwards told me he had learned when he was a soldier, and he still found it useful and comforting in the long night watches he had to take.
I have said that his eyes were piercing, and so it seemed to me at first; but in a short time, as I grew more accustomed to him, I found that they were only piercing one at a time, for as if nature had intended to make him as ugly as possible, Ike's eyes acted independently one of the other, and I often found him looking at me with one, and down into the barge basket with the other.
Old Brownsmith had no sooner left the pit than Ike seized a couple of handsful of roses, plunged with them into the basket, bobbed up, and looked at me with one eye, just as he caught me noticing him intently.
"Rum un, ain't I ?" he said, gruffly, and taking me terribly aback.

"Not much to look at, eh ?" "You look very strong," I said, evasively.
"Strong, eh?
Yes, and so I am, my lad.

Good un to go." Then he plunged into the barge again and uttered a low growl, came up again and uttered another.

I have not the least idea what he meant by it, though I suppose he expected me to answer, for to my great confusion he rose up suddenly and stared at me.
"Eh ?" he said.
"I didn't speak, sir," I said.
"No, but I did.