Cask Leak Discovery and Standard Hold Inspection Procedure
During routine morning pumping, the crew discovers a significant oil leak from the casks in the hold. The narrative explains the standard procedure practiced by sperm-whalemen with substantial oil cargo: every few days, seawater is hosed into the hold and drenched over the casks to maintain their tightness. The water is then pumped out at intervals, and any deterioration in the withdrawn water’s character alerts the mariners to serious leakage in their precious cargo.
Ahab Reviews Oriental Navigation Charts in the Cabin
The Pequod approaches the waters between Formosa and the Bashee Isles, near the China Sea’s tropical outlets into the Pacific. Starbuck finds Ahab in his cabin studying a general chart of the oriental archipelagoes and a separate map of Japan’s eastern coasts—Niphon, Matsmai, and Sikoke. Ahab, with his white ivory leg braced against the table and a pruning-hook jack-knife in hand, is intently tracing his old navigational courses, absorbed in planning his pursuit.
Starbuck Reports Hold Oil Leak to Captain Ahab
Starbuck enters the cabin to report the oil leak, recommending immediate action: “We must up Burtons and break out.” Ahab initially rebuffs him, demanding to know why they should heave-to for a week near Japan to repair old hoops when they are so close to their hunting grounds. Starbuck argues that continuing to lose oil at the current rate would waste more than could be made good in a year, emphasizing that the purpose of their 20,000-mile voyage justifies saving the cargo.
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