Ahab’s Crew Rows with Powerful Strokes
Ahab’s boat, rowed by the five tiger-yellow men, pulls far ahead of the other three boats, their powerful, regular strokes moving the boat with tremendous speed, like a horizontal burst of steam from a Mississippi steamer. Fedallah rows the harpooneer oar with his bare chest exposed, while Ahab balances steadily at the stern as he has in countless previous boat lowerings before his encounter with the White Whale.
Ahab Spots the Whale and Halts the Boats
Ahab suddenly signals a halt: he has spotted the whale, which has sounded (dived) without giving a visible sign from a distance. All four boats stop immediately.
Crew Members Take High Vantage Points
To scan for the whale, crew members take elevated positions: Queequeg stands on a triangular raised box at the bow of Starbuck’s boat, Starbuck balances on the triangular stern platform, and Flask perches on the loggerhead (a post at the stern of his boat) supported by Daggoo’s shoulders to get a higher vantage point.
Stubb Awaits the Whale with Lit Pipe
While waiting for the whale to resurface, Stubb withdraws his pipe from his hatband to light it, taking a casual approach to the pause in the chase.
Tashtego Signals the Whale Chase
Tashtego, Stubb’s harpooneer, who has been staring fixedly windward, suddenly cries out in a hurry, signaling that the whale has been spotted and the crew should row again immediately.
Pursuit of the Sperm Whale
All four boats give chase to the spot of troubled, greenish-white water and scattered vapor where the whale is swimming beneath the surface. The whale moves quickly, and the boats row at full speed to keep up with the disturbed water, which flies forward like interblending bubbles borne down a rapid stream.
Flask’s Wild Antics and Stubb’s Cheerleading
Flask behaves wildly during the chase, shouting to his crew, promising them his Martha’s Vineyard plantation and family if they beach the whale, and even stamping on his hat and throwing it overboard in excitement. Stubb follows at a short distance, drawling humorous, teasing encouragement to his own crew, and jokes about Flask’s wild antics, calling them “fits.”
Ahab’s Fierce Commands to His Crew
Ahab gives fierce, intense, unprintable commands to his tiger-yellow crew, his expression stormy and murderous as he urges them forward in the chase, his words so extreme they are omitted by the narrator.
The Thrill of the First Whale Chase
The chase is a thrilling, awe-inspiring experience: the boats navigate violent, knife-edged waves, the crew rows with all their strength, and the Pequod bears down on the boats under full sail like a wild hen after her screaming brood. The experience is more intense and strange for the men than a raw recruit’s first battle or a dead man’s first encounter with a phantom in the afterlife.
CHAPITRE 48. The First Lowering.
As the whales dispersed and the darkening cloud-shadows deepened over the sea, Starbuck gave chase to three whales running dead to leeward while the crew pulled their boats farther apart, sailing with such speed through the white water that the oarsmen could scarcely keep pace. Suddenly a squall overtook them, wrapping the scene in a suffusing mist that hid both ship and boat, and amid the chaos Starbuck whispered the order to stand up as Queequeg hurled his harpoon; the strike grazed the whale, which escaped, while the combined force of squall, whale, and harpoon swamped the boat and left the crew half-suffocated, clinging to their seats with water up to their knees. The storm intensified into a howling wilderness of forked lightning and crashing waves, the useless oars were pressed into service as life-preservers, and Starbuck finally managed to ignite the lantern and hand it to Queequeg, who sat holding up that feeble light in the heart of the squall as a symbol of a man without faith, hopelessly upholding hope amid despair. At dawn, hearing the muffled creak of rigging through the mist, the crew glimpsed the looming hull of their ship bearing down upon them; they leaped into the sea as the vessel rolled over and crushed the abandoned boat, and after being dashed against the wreckage by the waves they were at last taken up and safely landed aboard, where they learned the ship had only just ceased searching for tokens of their perishing.
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