Moby Dick; Or, The Whale

Radney’s Vengeful Strike

Radney’s Vengeful Strike Chief Mate Radney, whose bandaged head bears the mark of an earlier blow, emerges from his berth and takes the rope from the captain, daring to do what the captain will not. Steelkilt calls him a coward, and as Radney strikes, another hiss stays his arm; pausing only a moment, Radney completes the blow, and the men are cut down and returned to work, the pumps clanging as before.

The Crew’s Pact of Silence

The Crew’s Pact of Silence At Steelkilt’s instigation, the remaining crew adopts a policy of strict peacefulness and obedience, agreeing to desert the ship in a body when she reaches port. To hasten the voyage’s end, they secretly vow not to cry out for whales, preserving appearances while the captain and Radney continue their watch as though nothing has changed.

Steelkilt’s Braided Revenge

Steelkilt’s Braided Revenge Steelkilt keeps his true intentions hidden, nursing a private vendetta against Radney, who had struck him in the heart as well as the body. Studying Radney’s habit of dozing on the gunwale of the hoisted boat at night, Steelkilt calculates that his own helm-watch will place him aloft in the early morning of the third day after the betrayal. Below decks, he spends the intervening hours carefully braiding a length of line—the instrument of his calculated, patient revenge.

CAPÍTULO 54. The Town-Ho’s Story.

This is the full account of the whaling ship Town-Ho’s voyage, centered on the conflict between crew member Steelkilt and the ship’s first mate Radney, the appearance and attack of the white whale Moby Dick, the crew’s desertion at a remote island, and the subsequent questioning of the story’s truth.

Lakeman Asks for Twine to Mend Hammock

The crew member later identified as Steelkilt asks his forecastle shipmates for twine to mend his hammock, then goes to Mate Radney to request the material when none is available in the common area. Radney provides the twine, though neither the twine nor a lanyard Steelkilt is seen making are ever seen again; the next day, a netted iron ball is found in Steelkilt’s jacket, revealing his plan to use the twine for a weapon against Radney.

Steelkilt’s Foiled Revenge Against the Mate

Steelkilt had planned to kill Radney as vengeance for prior abuses, but a foolish crew member inadvertently alerts others and foils the direct attack. Despite this, Steelkilt ultimately achieves his goal of harming Radney without being the direct actor, as fate intervenes to carry out the revenge he had planned.

Moby Dick Is Spotted

At daybreak on the second day of the voyage, a Teneriffe sailor washing the decks spots Moby Dick just 50 yards from the ship. The captain, mates, and harpooneers react with frantic excitement to pursue the famous white whale, while the rest of the sullen crew watches with curses, awed by the whale’s terrifying beauty.

Whale Hunt and Mate Radney’s Death

When four whaleboats are lowered to pursue Moby Dick, Steelkilt serves as the bowsman assigned to Mate Radney. During the chase, the boat strikes a sunken ledge, spills Radney into the sea, and Moby Dick attacks the struggling mate, seizing him between its jaws and diving underwater with his body.

Steelkilt Cuts the Line to Free the Whale

As Moby Dick is pulled toward the boat via the attached line, Steelkilt intentionally slackens and then cuts the line, freeing the whale. Moby Dick resurfaces with scraps of Radney’s red woollen shirt caught in its teeth before vanishing, and the remaining boats fail to recapture it.

Crew Deserts at the Savage Island

The Town-Ho reaches a remote, uninhabited savage island to repair hull leaks. Led by Steelkilt, all but five or six of the foremastmen deliberately desert the ship, seizing a large local war canoe to sail to another harbor.

Captain Sails to Tahiti for Reinforcements

With only a tiny crew remaining, the captain anchors the ship far offshore, arms himself, and sails 500 miles to Tahiti in a whaleboat to recruit new crew members, as the remaining men are too weakened by hard labor to sail the heavy vessel on their own.