The Pequod Meets the Delight

The intense Pequod sailed on; the rolling waves and days went by; the life-buoy-coffin still lightly swung; and another ship, most miserably misnamed the Delight, was descried. As she drew nigh, all eyes were fixed upon her broad beams, called shears, which, in some whaling-ships, cross the quarter-deck at the height of eight or nine feet; serving to carry the spare, unrigged, or disabled boats.

The intense Pequod sailed on as the waves rolled and the days passed. The life-buoy-coffin still swung gently. Then another ship came into view, miserably misnamed the Delight. As the Delight drew near, all eyes were fixed on her broad beams, called shears. On some whaling ships, these beams cross the quarter-deck eight or nine feet above it. They hold spare, unrigged, or damaged boats.

Upon the stranger’s shears were beheld the shattered, white ribs, and some few splintered planks, of what had once been a whale-boat; but you now saw through this wreck, as plainly as you see through the peeled, half-unhinged, and bleaching skeleton of a horse.

On the stranger’s shears lay the shattered white ribs and a few splintered planks of a former whale-boat. But you could see through the wreck as clearly as through a stripped, partly disjointed, and bleaching horse skeleton.

“Hast seen the White Whale?”

“Have you seen the White Whale?”

“Look!” replied the hollow-cheeked captain from his taffrail; and with his trumpet he pointed to the wreck.

“Look!” replied the hollow-cheeked captain from the rail at the stern. He pointed to the wreck with his speaking trumpet.

“Hast killed him?”

“Have you killed him?”

“The harpoon is not yet forged that ever will do that,” answered the other, sadly glancing upon a rounded hammock on the deck, whose gathered sides some noiseless sailors were busy in sewing together.

“The harpoon that will ever do that has not yet been forged,” the other answered. He glanced sadly at a rounded hammock on the deck. Some sailors were silently sewing its gathered sides together.

“Not forged!” and snatching Perth’s levelled iron from the crotch, Ahab held it out, exclaiming—“Look ye, Nantucketer; here in this hand I hold his death! Tempered in blood, and tempered by lightning are these barbs; and I swear to temper them triply in that hot place behind the fin, where the White Whale most feels his accursed life!”

“Not forged!” Ahab snatched Perth’s raised harpoon from its forked support and held it out. He exclaimed, “Look, Nantucketer, I hold his death in this hand! These barbs were tempered in blood and by lightning. I swear I’ll temper them a third time in that hot spot behind the fin, where the White Whale feels his cursed life most!”

“Then God keep thee, old man—see’st thou that”—pointing to the hammock—“I bury but one of five stout men, who were alive only yesterday; but were dead ere night. Only that one I bury; the rest were buried before they died; you sail upon their tomb.” Then turning to his crew—“Are ye ready there? place the plank then on the rail, and lift the body; so, then—Oh! God”—advancing towards the hammock with uplifted hands—“may the resurrection and the life——”

“Then may God keep you, old man. Do you see that?” He pointed to the hammock. “I am burying only one of five strong men. They were alive only yesterday, but dead before nightfall. I bury only that one. The rest were buried before they died. You are sailing over their tomb.” Then he turned to his crew. “Are you ready? Put the plank on the rail, then lift the body. That's it. Oh, God.” He approached the hammock with his hands raised. “May the resurrection and the life...”

“Brace forward! Up helm!” cried Ahab like lightning to his men.

“Brace forward! Up helm!” Ahab shouted to his men like lightning.

But the suddenly started Pequod was not quick enough to escape the sound of the splash that the corpse soon made as it struck the sea; not so quick, indeed, but that some of the flying bubbles might have sprinkled her hull with their ghostly baptism.

But the Pequod, though it had suddenly set off, was not fast enough to escape the splash as the corpse hit the sea. In fact, the ship was not so fast that some of the flying bubbles could not have sprinkled its hull with their ghostly baptism.

As Ahab now glided from the dejected Delight, the strange life-buoy hanging at the Pequod’s stern came into conspicuous relief.

As Ahab sailed away from the dejected Delight, the strange life buoy hanging at the Pequod’s stern came clearly into view.

“Ha! yonder! look yonder, men!” cried a foreboding voice in her wake. “In vain, oh, ye strangers, ye fly our sad burial; ye but turn us your taffrail to show us your coffin!”

“Ha! There! Look over there, men!” cried an ominous voice behind her. “Strangers, you flee our sad burial in vain. You only turn your stern toward us to show us your coffin!”