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Table of Contents
Chapter 5
BREAKFAST
I quickly followed suit, and
descending into the bar-room accosted the grinning landlord very pleasantly. I
cherished no malice towards him, though he had been skylarking with me not a
little in the matter of my bedfellow. However, a good laugh is a mighty good
thing, and rather too scarce a good thing; the more's the pity. So, if any one
man, in his own proper person, afford stuff for a good joke to anybody, let
him not be backward, but let him cheerfully allow himself to spend and be
spent in that way. And the man that has anything bountifully laughable about
him, be sure there is more in that man than you perhaps think for. The
bar-room was now full of the boarders who had been dropping in the night
previous, and whom I had not as yet had a good look at. They were nearly all
whalemen; chief mates, and second mates, and third mates, and sea carpenters,
and sea coopers, and sea blacksmiths, and harpooneers, and ship keepers; a
brown and brawny company, with bosky beards; an unshorn, shaggy set, all
wearing monkey jackets for morning gowns. You could pretty plainly tell how
long each one had been ashore. This young fellow's healthy cheek is like a
sun-toasted pear in hue, and would seem to smell almost as musky; he cannot
have been three days landed from his Indian voyage. That man next him looks a
few shades lighter; you might say a touch of satin wood is in him. In the
complexion of a third still lingers a tropic tawn, but slightly bleached
withal; he doubtless has tarried whole weeks ashore. But who could show a
cheek like ..
2 Queequeg? which, barred
with various tints, seemed like the Andes' western slope, to show forth in one
array, contrasting climates, zone by zone. Grub, ho! now cried the landlord,
flinging open a door, and in we went to breakfast. They say that men who have
seen the world, thereby become quite at ease in manner, quite self-possessed
in company. Not always, though: Ledyard, the great New England traveller, and
Mungo Park, the Scotch one; of all men, they possessed the least assurance in
the parlor. But perhaps the mere crossing of Siberia in a sledge drawn by dogs
as Ledyard did, or the taking a long solitary walk on an empty stomach, in the
negro heart of Africa, which was the sum of poor Mungo's performances -- this
kind of travel, I say, may not be the very best mode of attaining a high
social polish. Still, for the most part, that sort of thing is to be had
anywhere. These reflections just here are occasioned by the circumstance that
after we were all seated at the table, and I was preparing to hear some good
stories about whaling; to my no small surprise, nearly every man maintained a
profound silence. And not only that, but they looked embarrassed. Yes, here
were a set of sea-dogs, many of whom without the slightest bashfulness had
boarded great whales on the high seas --entire strangers to them --and duelled
them dead without winking; and yet, here they sat at a social breakfast table
--all of the same calling, all of kindred tastes --looking round as sheepishly
at each other as though they had never been out of sight of some sheepfold
among the Green Mountains. A curious sight; these bashful bears, these timid
warrior whalemen! But as for Queequeg --why, Queequeg sat there among them
--at the head of the table, too, it so chanced; as cool as an icicle. To be
sure I cannot say much for his breeding. His greatest admirer could not have
cordially justified his bringing his harpoon into breakfast with him, and
using it there without ceremony; reaching over the table with it, to the
imminent jeopardy of many heads, and grappling the beefsteaks towards him. But
that was certainly very coolly done by him, and every ..
3 one knows that in most
people's estimation, to do anything coolly is to do it genteelly. We will not
speak of all Queequeg's peculiarities here; how he eschewed coffee and hot
rolls, and applied his undivided attention to beefsteaks, done rare. Enough,
that when breakfast was over he withdrew like the rest into the public room,
lighted his tomahawk-pipe, and was sitting there quietly digesting and smoking
with his inseparable hat on, when I sallied out for a stroll. ..
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