Fiction > Book editions > New York, 1889 - Master of Ballantrae

PERSECUTIONS. 101
the lugger, and the passenger standing alone upon the
point of rock, a tall slender figure of a gentleman, hab-
ited in black, with a sword by his side and a walking
cane upon his wrist. As he so stood, he waved the cane
to Captain Crail by way of salutation, with something
both of grace and mockery that wrote the gesture deeply
on my mind.
No sooner was the boat away with my sworn enemies,
than [ took a sort of half courage, came forth to the
margin of the thicket, and there halted again, my mind
being greatly pulled about between natural diffidence
and a dark foreboding of the truth. Indeed I might
have stood there swithering all night, had not the stran-
ger turned, spied me through the mists, which were be-
ginning to fall, and waved and cried on me to draw
near. I did so with a heart like lead.
"Here, my good man," said he, in the English
accent, " here are some things for Durrisdeer."
I was now near enough to see him, a very handsome
figure and countenance, swarthy, lean, long, with a
quick, alert, black look, as of one who was a fighter and
accustomed to command ; upon one cheek, he had a
mole, not unbecoming ; a large diamond sparkled on his
hand ; his clothes, although of the one hue, were of a
French and foppish design ; his ruffles, which he wore
longer than common, of exquisite lace ; and I wondered
the more to see him in such a guise, when he was but
newly landed from a dirty smuggling lugger. At the