The author uses a great amount of imagery and descriptive words to develop the purpose of this excerpt. They built the scene to have a dark and questionable environment to add mystery and suspense to the plot. The dark black sea and the fog make the story seem unpredictable, which can be seen in the way the sailors describe it as "a superstition." Words such as palpable and moist black give the scene a much more eerie feeling for the reader as they continue reading as well as the eagerness to find out what happens next. Overall, this text uses a great amount of detailed imagery to develop the setting and meaning of the text, and develops the reader's emotions into the story for what is to come.