Moby Dick; Or, The Whale

Rationale for Captain Ahab’s Absence from Deck

While Peleg and Bildad act as joint commanders on deck during the departure, Captain Ahab remains unseen below deck. The pair explain that Ahab is still recovering from an unspecified injury, and his presence is not required to get the ship underway, as that falls under the pilot’s duties; they note that many merchant service captains stay below to host farewell gatherings with shore friends before formally leaving the ship with the pilot.

Peleg’s Command and Departure Maneuvers

Peleg takes charge of issuing most departure orders: he first calls sailors lingering at the main-mast aft to the quarter-deck, then orders the ship’s whalebone marquee tent struck (a well-known signal on the Pequod that the ship is about to weigh anchor), and finally commands the crew to man the capstan and heave the anchor up, using profane, urgent shouts to push the crew to work faster.

Bildad’s Contradictory Conduct as Licensed Pilot

As one of the port’s licensed pilots (a role he obtained to avoid paying pilot fees for ships he has a stake in, as he never pilots other vessels), Bildad stands at the bow of the ship watching for the raised anchor, and intermittently sings a somber psalm to encourage the windlass crew. This conduct contradicts his order just three days prior banning profane songs on board, and his sister Charity’s placement of a copy of Watts’ hymns in every crew berth.

Peleg’s Crew Berating and Narrator’s First Kick

While overseeing operations at the stern of the ship, Peleg rages and swears so fiercely that the narrator fears he will sink the ship before the anchor is fully raised. When the narrator and Queequeg pause briefly on their handspikes, Peleg kicks the narrator in the rear, berating him and the rest of the crew as lazy and ordering them to heave with more force; the narrator suspects Peleg is intoxicated.