Amiga ISO Collection/AmigaDemoCD2.iso/ASCII/TEXTE/BOOKS/Novels/H.Melville/moby.128

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.. < chapter cxxviii 9  THE PEQUOD MEETS THE RACHEL >

     Next day, a large
ship, the Rachel, was descried, bearing directly down upon the Pequod, all her
spars thickly clustering with men.  At the time the Pequod was making good
speed through the water; but as the broad-winged windward stranger shot nigh
to her, the boastful sails all fell together as blank bladders that are
burst, and all life fled from the smitten hull.  Bad news; she brings bad
news, muttered the old Manxman.  But ere her commander, who, with trumpet to
mouth, stood up in his boat; ere he could hopefully hail, Ahab's voice was
heard.  Hast seen the White Whale?  Aye, yesterday.  Have ye seen a
whale-boat adrift?  Throttling his joy, Ahab negatively answered this
unexpected question; and would then have fain boarded the stranger, when
the stranger captain himself, having stopped his vessel's way, was seen
descending her side.  A few keen pulls, and his boat-hook soon clinched the
Pequod's main-chains, and he sprang to the deck.  Immediately he was
recognized by ahab for a nantucketer he knew.  But no formal salutation was
exchanged.  Where was he? --not killed! --not killed!  cried Ahab, closely
advancing.  How was it?  It seemed that somewhat late on the afternoon of the
day previous, while three of the stranger's boats were engaged with
.. <p 522 >
a shoal of whales, which had led them some four or five miles from the ship;
and while they were yet in swift chase to windward, the white hump and head of
Moby Dick had suddenly loomed up out of the blue water, not very far to
leeward; whereupon, the fourth rigged boat --a reserved one --had been
instantly lowered in chase.  After a keen sail before the wind, this fourth
boat --the swiftest keeled of all --seemed to have succeeded in fastening --at
least, as well as the man at the mast-head could tell anything about it.  In
the distance he saw the diminished dotted boat; and then a swift gleam of
bubbling white water; and after that nothing more; whence it was concluded
that the stricken whale must have indefinitely run away with his pursuers, as
often happens.  There was some apprehension, but no positive alarm, as yet.
The recall signals were placed in the rigging; darkness came on; and forced
to pick up her three far to windward boats --ere going in quest of the fourth
one in the precisely opposite direction --the ship had not only been
necessitated to leave that boat to its fate till near midnight, but, for the
time, to increase her distance from it.  But the rest of her crew being at
last safe aboard, she crowded all sail --stunsail on stunsail --after the
missing boat; kindling a fire in her try-pots for a beacon; and every
other man aloft on the look-out.  But though when she had thus sailed a
sufficient distance to gain the presumed place of the absent ones when last
seen; though she then paused to lower her spare boats to pull all around her;

     and not finding anything, had again dashed on; again paused, and lowered her
boats; and though she had thus continued doing till day light; yet not the
least glimpse of the missing keel had been seen.  The story told, the
stranger Captain immediately went on to reveal his object in boarding the
Pequod.  He desired that ship to unite with his own in the search; by sailing
over the sea some four or five miles apart, on parallel lines, and so sweeping
a double horizon, as it were.  I will wager something now, whispered Stubb
to Flask, that some one in that missing boat wore off that Captain's best
coat; mayhap, his watch --he's so cursed anxious to get it back.  Who ever
heard of two pious whale-ships cruising after
.. <p 523 >
one missing whale-boat in the height of the whaling season?  See, Flask, only
see how pale he looks --pale in the very buttons of his eyes --look --it wasn't
the coat --it must have been the-- My boy, my own boy is among them.  For
God's sake --I beg, I conjure --here exclaimed the stranger Captain to Ahab,
who thus far had but icily received his petition.  For eight-and-forty hours
let me charter your ship --I will gladly pay for it, and roundly pay for it
--if there be no other way --for eight-and-forty hours only --only that --you
must, oh, you must, and you shall do this thing.  His son!  cried Stubb,

     oh, it's his son he's lost!  I take back the coat and watch --what says Ahab?

     We must save that boy.  He's drowned with the rest on 'em, last night, said
the old Manx sailor standing behind them; I heard; all of ye heard their
spirits.  Now, as it shortly turned out, what made this incident of the
Rachel's the more melancholy, was the circumstance, that not only was one of
the Captain's sons among the number of the missing boat's crew; but among the
number of the other boat's crews, at the same time, but on the other hand,
separated from the ship during the dark vicissitudes of the chase, there had
been still another son; as that for a time, the wretched father was plunged
to the bottom of the cruellest perplexity; which was only solved for him by
his chief mate's instinctively adopting the ordinary procedure of a whale-ship
in such emergencies, that is, when placed between jeopardized but divided
boats, always to pick up the majority first.  But the captain, for some
unknown constitutional reason, had refrained from mentioning all this, and not
till forced to it by Ahab's iciness did he allude to his one yet missing boy;
a little lad, but twelve years old, whose father with the earnest but
unmisgiving hardihood of a Nantucketer's paternal love, had thus early sought
to initiate him in the perils and wonders of a vocation almost immemorially
the destiny of all his race.  Nor does it unfrequently occur, that Nantucket
captains will send a son of such tender age away from them, for a protracted
three or four years' voyage in some other ship than their own; so that their
first knowledge of a whaleman's career shall be unenervated by any chance
display
.. <p 524 >
of a father's natural but untimely partiality, or undue apprehensiveness
and concern.  Meantime, now the stranger was still beseeching his poor boon of
Ahab; and Ahab still stood like an anvil, receiving every shock, but
without the least quivering of his own.  I will not go, said the stranger,

     till you say aye to me.  Do to me as you would have me do to you in the like
case.  For you too have a boy, Captain Ahab --though but a child, and nestling
safely at home now --a child of your old age too -- Yes, yes, you relent; I
see it --run, run, men, now, and stand by to square in the yards.  Avast,
cried Ahab -- touch not a rope-yarn; then in a voice that prolongingly
moulded every word -- Captain Gardiner, I will not do it.  Even now I lose
time.  Good bye, good bye.  God bless ye, man, and may I forgive myself,
but I must go.  Mr. Starbuck, look at the binnacle watch, and in three
minutes from this present instant warn off all strangers: then brace forward
again, and let the ship sail as before.  Hurriedly turning, with averted face,

     he descended into his cabin, leaving the strange captain transfixed at this
unconditional and utter rejection of his so earnest suit.  But starting from
his enchantment, Gardiner silently hurried to the side; more fell than
stepped into his boat, and returned to his ship.  Soon the two ships diverged
their wakes; and long as the strange vessel was in view, she was seen to yaw
hither and thither at every dark spot, however small, on the sea.  This way
and that her yards were swung round; starboard and larboard, she continued to
tack; now she beat against a head sea; and again it pushed her before it;
while all the while, her masts and yards were thickly clustered with men, as
three tall cherry trees, when the boys are cherrying among the boughs.  But by
her still halting course and winding, woful way, you plainly saw that this
ship that so wept with spray, still remained without comfort.  She was
Rachel, weeping for her children, because they were not.
.. <p 525 >