Stubb Links Strangers to the White Whale
Stubb soliloquizes that he suspected the strangers were stowaways linked to Ahab’s frequent trips to the after hold, and concludes the White Whale is the reason for their presence, but resolves to focus on the hunt regardless.
Crew Superstition and Prior Warnings
The strangers’ arrival at the moment of lowering sparks superstitious amazement among the crew, but prior rumors of stowaways (spread by Archy) and Stubb’s casual attitude ease their fear, though wild conjectures about Ahab’s role in bringing the men aboard remain. The narrator recalls seeing mysterious shadows board the Pequod at Nantucket and the enigmatic warnings of Elijah.
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.
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