As he crossed the glade, however, the sounds of the distant bell fell upon his ears, and he instantly whipped off his hat and sunk his head in prayer.

A cry of horror rose, not only from Adele but from everyone of the party, at the sight which met their eyes.
The top of the man's head was gone.

Not a vestige of hair or of white skin remained, but in place of it was a dreadful crinkled discoloured surface with a sharp red line running across his brow and round over his ears.
"By the eternal!" cried Amos, "the man has lost his scalp!" "My God!" said De Catinat.

"Look at his hands!" He had raised them in prayer.

Two or three little stumps projecting upwards showed where the fingers had been.
"I've seen some queer figure-heads in my life, but never one like that," said Captain Ephraim.
It was indeed a most extraordinary face which confronted them as they advanced.