The Plan to Diddle
Stubb schemes with the Guernsey-man to circumvent the ignorant captain. They agree to work together through an “interpreter”—the Guernsey-man will translate Stubb’s words to the captain while both conspirators enjoy a private joke at the captain’s expense. Stubb keeps his suspicions about ambergris to himself, waiting for opportunity.
The Captain’s Round-House
The captain appears as a small, dark man with large whiskers and a red velvet vest. Meanwhile, his ship’s crew works reluctantly, holding cloth to their noses and puffing tobacco smoke to mask the stench. The ship’s surgeon, driven mad by the situation, hides in the captain’s round-house (cabinet) but continues to yell protests through the cracked door.
The Interpreter Scheme
The Guernsey-man ostentatiously plays interpreter between Stubb and the captain. He translates Stubb’s sarcastic remarks into French, beginning with a supposed observation that the captain looks “babyish.” The deception proceeds smoothly as the Guernsey-man invents alarming stories about fever-plagued crews on other ships that towed blasted whales.
The Polite Deception
Stubb instructs the Guernsey-man to tell the captain that the dried-up whale is far more deadly than the blasted one, conjuring them to cut loose immediately. The terrified captain rushes forward and orders the crew to desist from hoisting the whales and to cast loose the cables. Stubb then tells the Guernsey-man to reveal that he has “diddled” the captain—and perhaps someone else.
Stubb’s Departure
The captain, grateful for the warning, offers Stubb wine, which he refuses with a principled statement about not drinking with men he has deceived. The captain then suggests dropping all boats to tow the ship away from the whales since the calm weather makes drifting impossible.
Towing the Whale
Stubb hails the Guernsey-man, offering to help by pulling the lighter whale away from the ship using his long tow-line. While the Frenchman’s boats tow their vessel one direction, Stubb tows the floating whale the other, conspicuously paying out an unusually long line.
The Excavation
A breeze springs up and Stubb feigns casting off. The Frenchman sails away while the Pequod slides between them and the whale. Stubb quickly returns to the floating body and begins excavating with his boat-spade behind the side fin, digging into the whale’s flesh as if excavating a cellar. His crew watches anxiously as countless sea fowl dive and scream around them.
The Discovery
As the horrible stench continues, Stubb suddenly detects a faint stream of perfume flowing through the bad smells without being absorbed—a river flowing into another without blending. He cries out in delight, striking something in the whale’s depths.
Ambergris Found
Stubb thrusts both hands into the whale and withdraws handfuls of something resembling ripe Windsor soap or mottled old cheese—unctuous, savory, and easily dented, with a color between yellow and ash. This is ambergris, worth a gold guinea an ounce to any druggist. They secure about six handfuls, though much more is lost to the sea. Ahab’s urgent command to come aboard prevents them from retrieving more.
CHAPTER 92. Ambergris.
CHAPTER 92. Ambergris.** This chapter explores ambergris—a valuable commodity that prompted a Nantucket-born Captain Coffin to testify before the English House of Commons in 1791. The substance remained a mystery to scholars until relatively recently, much like amber itself. The chapter distinguishes ambergris from amber, examines theories about its formation in whales, defends the whaling industry against accusations of bad odors, and celebrates the surprising fragrance of the sperm whale.
The Nature of Ambergris
The Nature of Ambergris** Ambergris is described as a very curious substance, highly valued in commerce. So important was this commodity that in 1791, Captain Coffin—a native of Nantucket—was examined at the bar of the English House of Commons regarding it. At that time, and until a comparatively late period, the precise origin of ambergris remained an unsolved problem for the learned, paralleling the mystery surrounding amber itself.
Distinguished from Amber
Distinguished from Amber** Though “ambergris” is merely the French compound for “grey amber,” the two substances are fundamentally distinct. Amber, while sometimes found on sea coasts, is also unearthed in far inland soils; ambergris, however, is never discovered except upon the sea. Additionally, amber is hard, transparent, brittle, and odorless—commonly fashioned into pipe mouthpieces, beads, and ornaments. Ambergris, in contrast, is soft, waxy, and highly fragrant and spicy, making it valuable in perfumery, pastiles, precious candles, hair-powders, and pomatum. The Turks employ it in cooking and carry it to Mecca similarly to how frankincense is carried to St. Peter’s in Rome. Some wine merchants even add grains to claret for flavoring.
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