Queequeg’s Tattoo Comparison
Stubb observes Queequeg approaching with his tattooed body resembling the signs of the Zodiac. The Cannibal attempts to read the doubloon but, finding nothing familiar, concludes it must be an old button from some king’s trousers. Stubb watches as Queequeg compares the coin’s imagery to his own tattooed skin, apparently searching his thigh for corresponding celestial signs—perhaps Sagittarius—and muttering about Surgeon-Surgeon Astronomy in tones of old country folk wisdom.
Fedallah’s Fire Worship
Fedallah appears, described as that “ghost-devil” with his tail coiled and oakum in his pump toes. He makes a sign to the sun symbol on the coin and bows reverently. Stubb correctly interprets this as fire worship, noting the sun depicted on the doubloon’s face. Fedallah’s silent, oblique acknowledgment of the celestial imagery stands in contrast to the more explicit interpretations offered by other crew members.
Pip’s Delirium
Pip arrives with his “unearthly idiot face,” having watched all the interpreters at work. Stubb retreats to hear Pip’s reading, which consists of the repeating grammatical phrase: “I look, you look, he looks; we look, ye look, they look.” Pip has apparently memorized this from Murray’s Grammar. He then shifts to delirium, declaring “I, you, and he; and we, ye, and they, are all bats” while identifying himself as a crow standing atop a pine tree. His disjointed imagery includes scarecrows and bones stuck in old trousers. Stubb finds Pip “too crazy-witty” and departs, musing he could hang himself.
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