第十六章 The Ship.
This chapter details Ishmael’s process of joining the crew of the whaling ship Pequod: he meets the ship’s co-owners Bildad and Peleg in the cabin, negotiates his profit share (lay) for the voyage, signs the ship’s articles, arranges for his friend Queequeg to join the crew, and learns about the reclusive, enigmatic Captain Ahab from Peleg, leaving with mixed feelings of curiosity and vague sympathy for the missing captain.
Meeting Bildad and Peleg in the cabin
Ishmael follows Captain Peleg into the cramped cabin of the Pequod, where he meets elderly Quaker Bildad, one of the ship’s principal owners, seated bolt-upright on the transom, absorbed in reading a large religious volume and paying little mind to the conversation around him.
Negotiation of Ishmael’s lay share
Before the lay negotiation, Ishmael mentally decides that a 275th share of the voyage’s net profits is fair compensation for his existing seafaring skills, even though it is considered a very long (low-value) lay. Bildad then proposes a 777th lay, which Ishmael quickly realizes is an extremely low offer, as a 777th share of even a small profit is nearly worthless.
Dispute over Ishmael’s lay terms
Peleg rejects Bildad’s proposed 777th lay as an unfair swindle of Ishmael, insisting Ishmael be given a 300th lay instead. Bildad pushes back, arguing the higher share would deprive other widowed and orphaned part-owners of the ship of their due earnings, sparking a heated argument between the two owners that ends only after Peleg vents his rage and calms down.
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