Moby Dick; Or, The Whale

The Shark Peril

Despite the night’s massacre, sharks return in greater numbers, lured by the blood flowing from the carcass. The rabid creatures swarm around the whale like bees. Queequeg stands amid these predators, pushing them aside with his floundering feet. Though sharks attracted by a dead whale seldom touch a man, their presence demands vigilant watchfulness.

Whale-Spade Protection

Suspended in a stage over the ship’s side, Tashtego and Daggoo wield keen whale-spades over Queequeg’s head, slashing at any sharks within reach. This benevolent but hasty protection comes with risks—during the blood-muddled chaos, their indiscriminate strikes nearly amputate a leg rather than a tail. Queequeg can only pray to Yojo and surrender his life to his gods.

Queequeg’s Return

After surviving sharks and spades in what the narrator terms “a sad pickle and peril,” Queequeg finally climbs the chains and stands trembling over the side, blue-lipped and bloodshot-eyed from exhaustion. The steward advances with benevolent intentions to offer him refreshment after his ordeal.

The Ginger Dispute

The steward offers Queequeg not hot Cognac, but a cup of tepid ginger and water. Stubb approaches suspiciously, sniffing the cup and questioning the virtue of ginger. He demands to know why the steward offers this inadequate remedy to a shivering harpooneer who has just risked his life. Stubb accuses the steward of practicing secret Temperance Society principles.

Stubb’s Rebuke

Stubb continues his tirade, demanding whether the steward is an apothecary dispensing bitter medicine to a half-drowned man. Starbuck agrees it is “poor stuff enough.” Stubb threatens to teach the steward not to drug harpooneers, though the steward protests the ginger was Aunt Charity’s doing. Starbuck finally instructs Stubb to descend and fetch what he actually wants. Stubb returns with strong spirits for Queequeg, while Aunt Charity’s ginger-jub is thrown to the waves.