第一百十三章 The Forge.
This chapter details Captain Ahab’s commissioning of a custom, unbreakable harpoon from the Pequod’s blacksmith Perth, the full forging and tempering process for the weapon (including the use of crew blood to temper the barbs), and Ahab’s departure with the finished harpoon, accompanied by the eerie, unsettling laugh of the ship’s boy Pip.
Perth Forges A Pike Head
At midday, the scarred, matted-bearded blacksmith Perth, swathed in a bristling shark-skin apron, stands between his forge and anvil placed on an iron-wood log, heating a pike-head in the coals while operating his forge’s bellows.
Ahab And Perth Discuss Madness And Scars
As Perth withdraws the hot iron to hammer it on the anvil, sending sparks flying near the approaching Ahab (who carries a small rusty leather bag), the pair discuss Perth’s fire-resistant scarred skin, and Ahab questions why Perth does not go mad, noting he is impatient of all others’ unhappiness that is not rooted in madness. Ahab then asks if Perth can smooth all dents and seams in forged metal.
Ahab Commissions A Custom Harpoon
Ahab reveals the one unsmoothable “seam” is the scar across his brow that has worked down into the bone of his skull, then abandons his request to repair the pike-head. He jingles the leather bag, reveals it holds nail-stubbs from the steel shoes of racing horses, and commands Perth to forge him a harpoon so strong a thousand fiends could not break it, one that will stick fast in a whale, starting with twelve rods for the harpoon’s shank.
Forging And Testing Harpoon Shank Rods
Perth forges the twelve shank rods per Ahab’s instructions, and Ahab tests each by spiraling it around a long, heavy iron bolt. He rejects the final rod as flawed and orders Perth to rework it.
The original text of this work is in the public domain. This page focuses on a guided summary article, reading notes, selected quotes, and visual learning materials for educational purposes.