The author uses  this  long  descriptive sentence but his use of commas makes the long sentence run smoothly. " ...was shorter of leg  and longer of arm , with muscles........stingy and knotty rather than..... swelling."  The author also  sets a balance with adjectives belonging to the same group : " shorter .... longer "; " stingy ..knotty".  The sentence the author uses to describe the  fact the man is afraid of darkness is also long but runs smoothly ; this makes the reader get a clear picture of the beastly  characteristics  of this man. " ........ into which he peered continually , clutching ...., which hung ....., a stick ..." There is a repetition of clauses begining with 'which' . This makes the reader get a picture of the man as if he were being shown with a movie camera. The man was afraid of darkness. He showed his feelings through the sounds he made. He also peered into the drakness without stopping . He was so scared that he held his walking stick tightly.
The author has described a man who had animal characteristics. The man looked like an animal and he was scared of the dark. The picture of a frightened wild man has been created.
