Wounded Whale Sounds, Boats Hold Fast
The whale dives rapidly after being struck, the harpoon lines running out so fast they gouge deep grooves in the Pequod’s loggerheads; the boats are pulled down almost to the waterline, held in place by the tension of the lines as the whale descends into the deep, with the crews bracing to avoid being pulled under or running out of line.
Exhausted Whale Rises, Is Killed
The exhausted whale eventually rises back to the surface, his non-valvular blood vessels causing him to bleed steadily from his wounds; the Pequod’s crews lance him repeatedly as he surfaces, and the already aged, injured, blind whale is killed to be processed for oil.
第八十一章 The Pequod Meets The Virgin.
The chapter opens with an active whale hunt, where Flask attempts to prick a wounded whale despite Starbuck’s urgent protests, provoking the injured creature’s violent retaliation.
The Death Stroke
Goaded by unbearable pain from the wound, the whale spouts thick blood and blindly rams Flask’s boat, capsizing it and covering the crew in gore. Already drained of blood, the whale helplessly rolls, flaps its stumped fin, slowly revolves, and dies, its final spout fading like a slowly drained fountain.
Securing the Body
The whale’s body begins to sink with its blubber fully intact, so Starbuck orders lines secured to the carcass at multiple points to use the boats as temporary buoys. When the Pequod arrives, the body is transferred to her side and fastened tightly with stiff fluke-chains to prevent it from sinking completely.
Ancient Weapons Found Within
While cutting into the whale, the crew finds a corroded harpoon embedded in its flesh, plus a stone lance-head with perfectly healed flesh around it, indicating it was inflicted long before, possibly by pre-Columbian Indigenous whalers operating in the region.
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