第四十八章 The First Lowering.
As the whales dispersed and the darkening cloud-shadows deepened over the sea, Starbuck gave chase to three whales running dead to leeward while the crew pulled their boats farther apart, sailing with such speed through the white water that the oarsmen could scarcely keep pace. Suddenly a squall overtook them, wrapping the scene in a suffusing mist that hid both ship and boat, and amid the chaos Starbuck whispered the order to stand up as Queequeg hurled his harpoon; the strike grazed the whale, which escaped, while the combined force of squall, whale, and harpoon swamped the boat and left the crew half-suffocated, clinging to their seats with water up to their knees. The storm intensified into a howling wilderness of forked lightning and crashing waves, the useless oars were pressed into service as life-preservers, and Starbuck finally managed to ignite the lantern and hand it to Queequeg, who sat holding up that feeble light in the heart of the squall as a symbol of a man without faith, hopelessly upholding hope amid despair. At dawn, hearing the muffled creak of rigging through the mist, the crew glimpsed the looming hull of their ship bearing down upon them; they leaped into the sea as the vessel rolled over and crushed the abandoned boat, and after being dashed against the wreckage by the waves they were at last taken up and safely landed aboard, where they learned the ship had only just ceased searching for tokens of their perishing.
Chase Intensifies in Darkening Seas
As evening shadows deepen over the sea, the white water of the chase grows more visible and the whales’ wakes begin to separate. Starbuck pursues three whales running to leeward, and the boat surges through the water at a dangerous pace, straining the oarsmen to keep pace.
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