Knights and Squires

Stubb was the second mate. He was a native of Cape Cod; and hence, according to local usage, was called a Cape-Cod-man. A happy-go-lucky; neither craven nor valiant; taking perils as they came with an indifferent air; and while engaged in the most imminent crisis of the chase, toiling away, calm and collected as a journeyman joiner engaged for the year. Good-humored, easy, and careless, he presided over his whale-boat as if the most deadly encounter were but a dinner, and his crew all invited guests. He was as particular about the comfortable arrangement of his part of the boat, as an old stage-driver is about the snugness of his box. When close to the whale, in the very death-lock of the fight, he handled his unpitying lance coolly and off-handedly, as a whistling tinker his hammer. He would hum over his old rigadig tunes while flank and flank with the most exasperated monster. Long usage had, for this Stubb, converted the jaws of death into an easy chair. What he thought of death itself, there is no telling. Whether he ever thought of it at all, might be a question; but, if he ever did chance to cast his mind that way after a comfortable dinner, no doubt, like a good sailor, he took it to be a sort of call of the watch to tumble aloft, and bestir themselves there, about something which he would find out when he obeyed the order, and not sooner.

Stubb was the second mate. He came from Cape Cod and was therefore called a Cape-Cod-man, as people there said. He was happy-go-lucky, neither cowardly nor brave, and met dangers as they came with an indifferent air. Even at the most dangerous moment of the chase, he worked as calmly as a carpenter hired for the year. Good-humored, easygoing, and careless, he commanded his whale-boat as if the deadliest encounter were a dinner and his crew were all invited guests. He was as particular about making his place in the boat comfortable as an old stagecoach driver was about keeping his seat snug. Even beside the whale, locked in a fight to the death, he handled his merciless lance coolly and casually. He was like a whistling tinker handling his hammer. He would hum his old rigadig tunes while side by side with the most enraged monster. Long experience had turned the jaws of death into an easy chair for Stubb. No one could say what he thought of death itself. Whether he ever thought of death at all was another question. But if he ever happened to think about death after a comfortable dinner, he no doubt saw it as a good sailor would. He would have taken death for a call to the watch to scramble aloft and get busy. He would find out what the work was when he obeyed the order, and not before.

What, perhaps, with other things, made Stubb such an easy-going, unfearing man, so cheerily trudging off with the burden of life in a world full of grave pedlars, all bowed to the ground with their packs; what helped to bring about that almost impious good-humor of his; that thing must have been his pipe. For, like his nose, his short, black little pipe was one of the regular features of his face. You would almost as soon have expected him to turn out of his bunk without his nose as without his pipe. He kept a whole row of pipes there ready loaded, stuck in a rack, within easy reach of his hand; and, whenever he turned in, he smoked them all out in succession, lighting one from the other to the end of the chapter; then loading them again to be in readiness anew. For, when Stubb dressed, instead of first putting his legs into his trowsers, he put his pipe into his mouth.

Perhaps, along with other things, Stubb’s pipe made him so easygoing and fearless. It may have helped him carry life’s burden so cheerfully through a world full of serious peddlers, all bent to the ground under their packs. His pipe may have helped produce his almost ungodly good humor. For, like his nose, his short, little black pipe was a regular feature of his face. You would almost as soon expect him to get out of his bunk without his nose as without his pipe. He kept a whole row of pipes in a rack there, loaded and within easy reach. Whenever he went to bed, he smoked them all in turn, lighting each one from the last until he had finished them all. Then he loaded them again so they would be ready. For when Stubb dressed, he put his pipe in his mouth before he put his legs into his trousers.

I say this continual smoking must have been one cause, at least, of his peculiar disposition; for every one knows that this earthly air, whether ashore or afloat, is terribly infected with the nameless miseries of the numberless mortals who have died exhaling it; and as in time of the cholera, some people go about with a camphorated handkerchief to their mouths; so, likewise, against all mortal tribulations, Stubb’s tobacco smoke might have operated as a sort of disinfecting agent.

I say that constant smoking must have been at least one cause of Stubb’s peculiar temperament. Everyone knows that the air on this earth, whether on land or at sea, is terribly infected. It carries the nameless miseries of the countless people who have died breathing it out. During a cholera outbreak, some people carry a camphor-soaked handkerchief over their mouths. In much the same way, Stubb’s tobacco smoke might have acted as a disinfectant against all mortal troubles.

The third mate was Flask, a native of Tisbury, in Martha’s Vineyard. A short, stout, ruddy young fellow, very pugnacious concerning whales, who somehow seemed to think that the great leviathans had personally and hereditarily affronted him; and therefore it was a sort of point of honor with him, to destroy them whenever encountered. So utterly lost was he to all sense of reverence for the many marvels of their majestic bulk and mystic ways; and so dead to anything like an apprehension of any possible danger from encountering them; that in his poor opinion, the wondrous whale was but a species of magnified mouse, or at least water-rat, requiring only a little circumvention and some small application of time and trouble in order to kill and boil. This ignorant, unconscious fearlessness of his made him a little waggish in the matter of whales; he followed these fish for the fun of it; and a three years’ voyage round Cape Horn was only a jolly joke that lasted that length of time. As a carpenter’s nails are divided into wrought nails and cut nails; so mankind may be similarly divided. Little Flask was one of the wrought ones; made to clinch tight and last long. They called him King-Post on board of the Pequod; because, in form, he could be well likened to the short, square timber known by that name in Arctic whalers; and which by the means of many radiating side timbers inserted into it, serves to brace the ship against the icy concussions of those battering seas.

The third mate was Flask, a native of Tisbury, on Martha’s Vineyard. He was a short, stout, ruddy young man, very eager to fight whales. Somehow, he seemed to think the great leviathans had personally insulted him and his ancestors. So he considered it a point of honor to kill them whenever he encountered them. He had no reverence at all for the many wonders of their majestic size and mysterious ways. Nor did he have any sense of the possible danger of encountering them. In his poor opinion, the wondrous whale was just a kind of giant mouse, or at least a water rat. Killing and boiling one took only a little ingenuity and a bit of time and trouble. His unthinking fearlessness, born of ignorance, made him rather playful about whales. He pursued these fish for fun, and a three-year voyage around Cape Horn was just a jolly joke that lasted that long. Carpenters’ nails are divided into wrought nails and cut nails. Mankind can be divided in much the same way. Little Flask was one of the wrought ones, made to hold tight and last a long time. Aboard the Pequod, they called him King-Post. His shape resembled the short, square timber of that name used in Arctic whalers. Many side timbers radiate from the king-post, bracing the ship against the icy blows of those battering seas.

Now these three mates—Starbuck, Stubb, and Flask, were momentous men. They it was who by universal prescription commanded three of the Pequod’s boats as headsmen. In that grand order of battle in which Captain Ahab would probably marshal his forces to descend on the whales, these three headsmen were as captains of companies. Or, being armed with their long keen whaling spears, they were as a picked trio of lancers; even as the harpooneers were flingers of javelins.

The three mates, Starbuck, Stubb, and Flask, were important men. By established custom, each commanded one of the Pequod’s boats as its headsman. Captain Ahab would probably arrange his forces in a grand battle formation to attack the whales. In that formation, the three headsmen were like company captains. Or, armed with their long, sharp whaling spears, they were like a select trio of lancers, just as the harpooneers were like javelin throwers.

And since in this famous fishery, each mate or headsman, like a Gothic Knight of old, is always accompanied by his boat-steerer or harpooneer, who in certain conjunctures provides him with a fresh lance, when the former one has been badly twisted, or elbowed in the assault; and moreover, as there generally subsists between the two, a close intimacy and friendliness; it is therefore but meet, that in this place we set down who the Pequod’s harpooneers were, and to what headsman each of them belonged.

In this famous fishery, each mate or headsman is always accompanied by his boat-steerer, or harpooneer, like a Gothic Knight of old. When the headsman’s lance is badly twisted or bent during an attack, the harpooneer sometimes provides him with a fresh one. The two are also generally close friends. So it is only fitting that we name the Pequod’s harpooneers here and say which headsman each served.

First of all was Queequeg, whom Starbuck, the chief mate, had selected for his squire. But Queequeg is already known.

First was Queequeg, whom Starbuck, the chief mate, had chosen as his squire. But we already know Queequeg.

Next was Tashtego, an unmixed Indian from Gay Head, the most westerly promontory of Martha’s Vineyard, where there still exists the last remnant of a village of red men, which has long supplied the neighboring island of Nantucket with many of her most daring harpooneers. In the fishery, they usually go by the generic name of Gay-Headers. Tashtego’s long, lean, sable hair, his high cheek bones, and black rounding eyes—for an Indian, Oriental in their largeness, but Antarctic in their glittering expression—all this sufficiently proclaimed him an inheritor of the unvitiated blood of those proud warrior hunters, who, in quest of the great New England moose, had scoured, bow in hand, the aboriginal forests of the main. But no longer snuffing in the trail of the wild beasts of the woodland, Tashtego now hunted in the wake of the great whales of the sea; the unerring harpoon of the son fitly replacing the infallible arrow of the sires. To look at the tawny brawn of his lithe snaky limbs, you would almost have credited the superstitions of some of the earlier Puritans, and half-believed this wild Indian to be a son of the Prince of the Powers of the Air. Tashtego was Stubb the second mate’s squire.

Next was Tashtego, a Native American of unmixed ancestry from Gay Head, the westernmost point of Martha’s Vineyard. The last remnant of a Native American village still exists there. For a long time, the village has supplied neighboring Nantucket with many of its most daring harpooneers. In the whaling trade, they are generally called Gay-Headers. Tashtego had long, straight black hair, high cheekbones, and round black eyes. His eyes were large for a Native American, almost Oriental in size, but Antarctic in their icy glitter. All these features clearly marked him as a descendant of those proud warrior hunters of unmixed blood. They had ranged through the ancient forests of the mainland, bow in hand, hunting the great New England moose. But Tashtego no longer followed the scent of wild beasts through the woods. He now hunted in the wake of the great whales of the sea. The son’s unerring harpoon fittingly replaced his ancestors’ unfailing arrows. Looking at the tawny muscles of his supple, snakelike limbs, you might almost believe some early Puritan superstitions. You might half believe this wild Indian was a son of the Prince of the Powers of the Air. Tashtego was the squire of Stubb, the second mate.

Third among the harpooneers was Daggoo, a gigantic, coal-black negro-savage, with a lion-like tread—an Ahasuerus to behold. Suspended from his ears were two golden hoops, so large that the sailors called them ring-bolts, and would talk of securing the top-sail halyards to them. In his youth Daggoo had voluntarily shipped on board of a whaler, lying in a lonely bay on his native coast. And never having been anywhere in the world but in Africa, Nantucket, and the pagan harbors most frequented by whalemen; and having now led for many years the bold life of the fishery in the ships of owners uncommonly heedful of what manner of men they shipped; Daggoo retained all his barbaric virtues, and erect as a giraffe, moved about the decks in all the pomp of six feet five in his socks. There was a corporeal humility in looking up at him; and a white man standing before him seemed a white flag come to beg truce of a fortress. Curious to tell, this imperial negro, Ahasuerus Daggoo, was the Squire of little Flask, who looked like a chess-man beside him. As for the residue of the Pequod’s company, be it said, that at the present day not one in two of the many thousand men before the mast employed in the American whale fishery, are Americans born, though pretty nearly all the officers are. Herein it is the same with the American whale fishery as with the American army and military and merchant navies, and the engineering forces employed in the construction of the American Canals and Railroads. The same, I say, because in all these cases the native American liberally provides the brains, the rest of the world as generously supplying the muscles. No small number of these whaling seamen belong to the Azores, where the outward bound Nantucket whalers frequently touch to augment their crews from the hardy peasants of those rocky shores. In like manner, the Greenland whalers sailing out of Hull or London, put in at the Shetland Islands, to receive the full complement of their crew. Upon the passage homewards, they drop them there again. How it is, there is no telling, but Islanders seem to make the best whalemen. They were nearly all Islanders in the Pequod, Isolatoes too, I call such, not acknowledging the common continent of men, but each Isolato living on a separate continent of his own. Yet now, federated along one keel, what a set these Isolatoes were! An Anacharsis Clootz deputation from all the isles of the sea, and all the ends of the earth, accompanying Old Ahab in the Pequod to lay the world’s grievances before that bar from which not very many of them ever come back. Black Little Pip—he never did—oh, no! he went before. Poor Alabama boy! On the grim Pequod’s forecastle, ye shall ere long see him, beating his tambourine; prelusive of the eternal time, when sent for, to the great quarter-deck on high, he was bid strike in with angels, and beat his tambourine in glory; called a coward here, hailed a hero there!

The third harpooner was Daggoo, a gigantic, coal-black African savage with the stride of a lion. He looked like an Ahasuerus. Two golden hoops hung from his ears. They were so large that the sailors called them ring-bolts and talked of fastening the topsail halyards to them. When Daggoo was young, he had willingly joined a whaling ship anchored in a lonely bay on his native coast. He had never been anywhere in the world except Africa, Nantucket, and the pagan ports most often visited by whalers. For many years, he had lived the daring life of a whaler. He had sailed on ships whose owners took unusual care over the men they hired. So Daggoo kept all his barbaric virtues. Standing as tall and straight as a giraffe, he moved around the decks in all the splendor of his six feet five inches, without shoes. Looking up at him made a person feel physically humble. A white man standing before him looked like a white flag come to beg a fortress for a truce. Strangely enough, this imperial black man, Ahasuerus Daggoo, was little Flask’s squire. Flask looked like a chess piece beside him. As for the rest of the Pequod’s crew, less than half the thousands of ordinary seamen now employed in American whaling are American-born. Yet nearly all the officers are. The same is true of the American army, the military and merchant navies, and the workers building American canals and railroads. In all these cases, the native American generously supplies the brains, while the rest of the world just as generously supplies the muscle. Quite a few of these whaling sailors come from the Azores. Nantucket whalers on their outward voyages often stop there to add hardy peasants from those rocky shores to their crews. In the same way, Greenland whalers sailing from Hull or London stop at the Shetland Islands to complete their crews. On their way home, they drop the sailors there again. No one can say why, but islanders seem to make the best whalers. Nearly all the Pequod’s crew were islanders. I call such men Isolatoes too. They do not recognize the common continent of humanity. Instead, each Isolato lives on a separate continent of his own. Yet, now united along a single keel, what a group these Isolatoes were! They were an Anacharsis Clootz delegation from all the islands of the sea and all the ends of the earth. They accompanied Old Ahab on the Pequod to lay the world’s grievances before that court from which not very many ever return. Black Little Pip never did. Oh, no! He went before. Poor Alabama boy! Before long, you will see him on the grim Pequod’s forecastle, beating his tambourine. His playing was a prelude to the eternal time when he was summoned to the great quarter-deck on high. There he was told to join the angels and beat his tambourine in glory. He was called a coward here, but hailed as a hero there!