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Table of Contents
Chapter 21
GOING ABOARD
It was nearly six o'clock,
but only grey imperfect misty dawn, when we drew nigh the wharf. There are
some sailors running ahead there, if I see right, said I to Queequeg, it can't
be shadows; she's off by sunrise, I guess; come on! Avast! cried a voice,
whose owner at the same time coming close behind us, laid a hand upon both our
shoulders, and then insinuating himself between us, stood stooping forward a
little, in the uncertain twilight, strangely peering from Queequeg to me. It
was Elijah. Going aboard? Hands off, will you, said I. Lookee here, said
Queequeg, shaking himself, go 'way! Aint going aboard, then? Yes, we are, said
I, but what business is that of yours? Do you know, Mr. Elijah, that I
consider you a little impertinent? No, no, no; I wasn't aware of that, said
elijah, slowly and wonderingly looking from me to Queequeg, with the most
unaccountable glances. Elijah, said I, you will oblige my friend and me by
withdrawing. We are going to the Indian and Pacific Oceans, and would prefer
not to be detained. Ye be, be ye? Coming back afore breakfast? He's cracked,
Queequeg, said I, come on. Holloa! cried stationary Elijah, hailing us when we
had removed a few paces. Never mind him, said I, Queequeg, come on. But he
stole up to us again, and suddenly clapping his hand on my shoulder, said --
Did ye see anything looking like men going towards that ship a while ago?
Struck by this plain matter-of-fact question, I answered, saying, ..
2 Yes, I thought I did
see four or five men; but it was too dim to be sure. Very dim, very dim, said
Elijah. Morning to ye. Once more we quitted him; but once more he came softly
after us; and touching my shoulder again, said, See if you can find 'em now,
will ye? Find who? Morning to ye! morning to ye! he rejoined, again moving
off. Oh! I was going to warn ye against --but never mind, never mind --it's
all one, all in the family too; --sharp frost this morning, ain't it? Good bye
to ye. Shan't see ye again very soon, I guess; unless it's before the Grand
Jury. And with these cracked words he finally departed, leaving me, for the
moment, in no small wonderment at his frantic impudence. At last, stepping on
board the Pequod, we found everything in profound quiet, not a soul moving.
The cabin entrance was locked within; the hatches were all on, and lumbered
with coils of rigging. Going forward to the forecastle, we found the slide of
the scuttle open. Seeing a light, we went down, and found only an old rigger
there, wrapped in a tattered pea-jacket. He was thrown at whole length upon
two chests, his face downwards and inclosed in his folded arms. The
profoundest slumber slept upon him. Those sailors we saw, Queequeg, where can
they have gone to? said I, looking dubiously at the sleeper. But it seemed
that, when on the wharf, Queequeg had not at all noticed what I now alluded
to; hence I would have thought myself to have been optically deceived in that
matter, were it not for Elijah's otherwise inexplicable question. But I beat
the thing down; and again marking the sleeper, jocularly hinted to Queequeg
that perhaps we had best sit up with the body; telling him to establish
himself accordingly. He put his hand upon the sleeper's rear, as though
feeling if it was soft enough; and then, without more ado, sat quietly down
there. Gracious! Queequeg, don't sit there, said I. Oh! perry dood seat, said
Queequeg, my country way; won't hurt him face. Face! said I, call that his
face? very benevolent countenance ..
3 then; but how hard he
breathes, he's heaving himself; get off, Queequeg, you are heavy, it's
grinding the face of the poor. Get off, Queequeg! Look, he'll twitch you off
soon. I wonder he don't wake. Queequeg removed himself to just beyond the head
of the sleeper, and lighted his tomahawk pipe. I sat at the feet. We kept the
pipe passing over the sleeper, from one to the other. Meanwhile, upon
questioning him in his broken fashion, Queequeg gave me to understand that, in
his land, owing to the absence of settees and sofas of all sorts, the king,
chiefs, and great people generally, were in the custom of fattening some of
the lower orders for ottomans; and to furnish a house comfortably in that
respect, you had only to buy up eight or ten lazy fellows, and lay them round
in the piers and alcoves. Besides, it was very convenient on an excursion;
much better than those garden-chairs which are convertible into
walking-sticks; upon occasion, a chief calling his attendant, and desiring him
to make a settee of himself under a spreading tree, perhaps in some damp
marshy place. While narrating these things, every time Queequeg received the
tomahawk from me, he flourished the hatchet-side of it over the sleeper's
head. What's that for, Queequeg? Perry easy, kill-e; oh! perry easy! He was
going on with some wild reminiscences about his tomahawk-pipe, which, it
seemed, had in its two uses both brained his foes and soothed his soul, when
we were directly attracted to the sleeping rigger. The strong vapor now
completely filling the contracted hole, it began to tell upon him. He breathed
with a sort of muffledness; then seemed troubled in the nose; then revolved
over once or twice; then sat up and rubbed his eyes. Holloa! he breathed at
last, who be ye smokers? Shipped men, answered I, when does she sail? Aye,
aye, ye are going in her, be ye? She sails to-day. The Captain came aboard
last night. What Captain? --Ahab? Who but him indeed? ..
4 I was going to ask him
some further questions concerning Ahab, when we heard a noise on deck. Halloa!
Starbuck's astir, said the rigger. He's a lively chief mate, that; good man,
and a pious; but all alive now, I must turn to. And so saying he went on deck,
and we followed. It was now clear sunrise. Soon the crew came on board in twos
and threes; the riggers bestirred themselves; the mates were actively engaged;
and several of the shore people were busy in bringing various last things on
board. Meanwhile Captain Ahab remained invisibly enshrined within his cabin.
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