that many fashionable gentlemen
are so careful to preserve, when they have it by nature, or, when nature
has been unkind, to obtain by artificial means; so that Dogberry's
axiom, that "to be a well-favored man is the gift of fortune," is not
altogether absurd. At any rate, I have seen many a "cherry ripe" lip
curled with an expression of irrepressible scorn when the owner of the
lip was accosted by one of these very fair, delicate-skinned gentlemen.
Girls just let out of a boarding-school generally run mad after these
animals; but ladies who have gone through one or two husband-hunting
campaigns, are not to be taken in by such painted butterflies: they very
wisely conclude that a man who takes such a reverend care of his
complexion worships none but himself, and of course he will have no
devotion to spare to his wife.

But to return to the gentleman we have left dangling in the starboard
mizzen-rigging of the ship Albatross: his countenance was indeed
somewhat tanned, but his forehead was as clear and white as ivory; its
breadth and openness gave an expression of frankness and candor to his
face,--so that, taken altogether, his physiognomy, though not regularly
perfect, was exceedingly prepossessing.

The second officer, who was walking the deck, being the officer of the
watch, was also a very good-looking young man, with large black
whiskers, and was two or three years younger than his messmate in the
rigging. His frequent stoppages at the caboose-house, to confer with the
cooks, indicated the second mate, who is always, for some reason or
other, a sort of "Betty," or "cot-quean," as Shakspeare calls it,
continually quiddling about the galley, to the annoyance of the doctor,
as the ship's cook is generally called.

About the after-hatchway were seated the gunner and sailmaker, both
engaged patching old clothes,--while the old carpenter, like the
captain, was reading the bible,--and the armorer was lying flat on his
back, and singing. A very pretty boy of fourteen, an apprentice to the
captain, was playing, or in sea language "skylarking," with a huge
Newfoundland dog. I might as well complete the _role d'equipage_ of the
good ship Albatross, by observing that Mr. Jonathan Bolton, M.D., the
surgeon of the ship, and Mr. Elnathan Bangs, the supercargo, were
neither of them on deck. Perhaps they were engaged with their
breakfasts, or their toilets, or their devotions, or their studies,
or--in short they were below.

J