第十三章 Wheelbarrow.
Ishmael and Queequeg begin their journey to the whaling ship by settling their inn bill, borrowing a wheelbarrow for their belongings, and sailing aboard the Nantucket packet schooner Moss. During the voyage, a dangerous boom accident threatens the ship, and Queequeg heroically rescues a passenger who had previously mocked him. Ishmael’s loyalty to Queequeg deepens profoundly following this display of courage and selflessness.
Settling Bills and Local Reaction to Ishmael and Queequeg’s Friendship
On Monday morning following the strange events of the previous night, Ishmael settles both his own and Queequeg’s inn bill, though he uses Queequeg’s money to do so. The landlord and fellow boarders appear highly entertained by the sudden friendship that has developed between them, especially given that Peter Coffin’s outlandish stories about Queequeg had previously alarmed Ishmael about the very person he now keeps company with. The local townspeople stare at them as they pass through the streets—not particularly at Queequeg, since the residents are accustomed to seeing cannibals in their midst, but rather at seeing such intimate companionship between a white man and a savage.
Journey to the Schooner Moss and Queequeg’s Explanation of His Personal Harpoon
The two companions borrow a wheelbarrow and load it with their belongings, including Ishmael’s carpet-bag and Queequeg’s canvas sack and hammock, making their way down to the Moss, a little Nantucket packet schooner moored at the wharf. As they wheel the barrow along, Queequeg occasionally stops to adjust the sheath on his harpoon barbs. When Ishmael questions why he carries such a cumbersome item ashore, pointing out that whaling ships typically provide their own harpoons, Queequeg explains that he has a particular affection for his own weapon because it is made of assured stuff, well tried in many mortal combats, and deeply intimate with the hearts of whales. Like inland reapers who prefer their own scythes though not obligated to furnish them, Queequeg keeps his harpoon for private reasons.
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