English
AsQueequeg’sRamadan,orFastingandHumiliation,wastocontinueallday,Ididnotchoosetodisturbhimtilltowardsnight-fall;forIcherishthegreatestrespecttowardseverybody’sreligiousobligations,nevermindhowcomical,andcouldnotfinditinmyhearttoundervalueevenacongregationofantsworshippingatoad-stool;orthoseothercreaturesincertainpartsofourearth,whowithadegreeoffootmanismquiteunprecedentedinotherplanets,bowdownbeforethetorsoofadeceasedlandedproprietormerelyonaccountoftheinordinatepossessionsyetownedandrentedinhisname.
Isay,wegoodPresbyterianChristiansshouldbecharitableinthesethings,andnotfancyourselvessovastlysuperiortoothermortals,pagansandwhatnot,becauseoftheirhalf-crazyconceitsonthesesubjects.
TherewasQueequeg,now,certainlyentertainingthemostabsurdnotionsaboutYojoandhisRamadan;-butwhatofthat?
Queequegthoughtheknewwhathewasabout,Isuppose;heseemedtobecontent;andtherelethimrest.
Allourarguingwithhimwouldnotavail;lethimbe,Isay:andHeavenhavemercyonusall-PresbyteriansandPagansalike-forweareallsomehowdreadfullycrackedaboutthehead,andsadlyneedmending.
Towardsevening,whenIfeltassuredthatallhisperformancesandritualsmustbeover,Iwenttohisroomandknockedatthedoor;butnoanswer.
Itriedtoopenit,butitwasfastenedinside.
“Queequeg,”saidIsoftlythroughthekey-hole:-allsilent.“Isay,Queequeg!whydon’tyouspeak?It’sI-Ishmael.”Butallremainedstillasbefore.Ibegantogrowalarmed.
Ihadallowedhimsuchabundanttime;Ithoughthemighthavehadanapoplecticfit.
Ilookedthroughthekey-hole;butthedooropeningintoanoddcorneroftheroom,thekey-holeprospectwasbutacrookedandsinisterone.
Icouldonlyseepartofthefoot-boardofthebedandalineofthewall,butnothingmore.
IwassurprisedtobeholdrestingagainstthewallthewoodenshaftofQueequeg’sharpoon,whichthelandladytheeveningprevioushadtakenfromhim,beforeourmountingtothechamber.
That’sstrange,thoughtI;butatanyrate,sincetheharpoonstandsyonder,andheseldomornevergoesabroadwithoutit,thereforehemustbeinsidehere,andnopossiblemistake.
“Queequeg!-Queequeg!”-allstill.Somethingmusthavehappened.Apoplexy!
Itriedtoburstopenthedoor;butitstubbornlyresisted.
Runningdownstairs,IquicklystatedmysuspicionstothefirstpersonImet-thechamber-maid.“La!la!”
shecried,“Ithoughtsomethingmustthematter.
Iwenttomakethebedafterbreakfast,andthedoorwaslocked;andnotamousetobeheard;andit’sbeenjustsosilenteversince.
ButIthought,maybe,youhadbothgoneoffandlockedyourbaggageinforsafekeeping.La!la,ma’am!-Mistress!murder!Mrs.Hussey!apoplexy!”
-andwiththesecriessherantowardsthekitchen,Ifollowing.
Mrs.Husseysoonappeared,withamustard-potinonehandandavinegar-cruetintheother,havingjustbrokenawayfromtheoccupationofattendingtothecastors,andscoldingherlittleblackboymeantime.
“Wood-house!”criedI,“whichwaytoit?
RunforGod’ssake,andfetchsomethingtopryopenthedoor-theaxe!-theaxe!he’shadastroke;dependuponit!”
-andsosayingIwasunmethodicallyrushingupstairsagainempty-handed,whenMrs.Husseyinterposedthemustard-potandvinegar-cruet,andtheentirecastorofhercountenance.
“What’sthematterwithyou,youngman?”
“Gettheaxe!ForGod’ssake,runforthedoctor,someone,whileIpryitopen!”
“Lookhere,”saidthelandlady,quicklyputtingdownthevinegar-cruet,soastohaveonehandfree;“lookhere;areyoutalkingaboutpryingopenanyofmydoors?”-andwiththatsheseizedmyarm.“What’sthematterwithyou?What’sthematterwithyou,shipmate?”
Inascalm,butrapidamanneraspossible,Igavehertounderstandthewholecase.
Unconsciouslyclappingthevinegar-cruettoonesideofhernose,sheruminatedforaninstant;thenexclaimed-“No!
Ihaven’tseenitsinceIputitthere.”
Runningtoalittleclosetunderthelandingofthestairs,sheglancedin,andreturning,toldmethatQueequeg’sharpoonwasmissing.“He’skilledhimself,”shecried.
“It’sunfort’nateStiggsdoneoveragaintheregoesanothercounterpane-Godpityhispoormother!-itwillbetheruinofmyhouse.Hasthepoorladasister?Where’sthatgirl?
-there,Betty,gotoSnarlesthePainter,andtellhimtopaintmeasign,with-“nosuicidespermittedhere,andnosmokingintheparlor;”-mightaswellkillbothbirdsatonce.Kill?TheLordbemercifultohisghost!What’sthatnoisethere?You,youngman,avastthere!”
Andrunningafterme,shecaughtmeasIwasagaintryingtoforceopenthedoor.
“Iwon’tallowit;Iwon’thavemypremisesspoiled.
Goforthelocksmith,there’soneaboutamilefromhere.Butavast!”
puttingherhandinhersidepocket,“here’sakeythat’llfit,Iguess;let’ssee.”
Andwiththat,sheturneditinthelock;butalas!
Queequeg’ssupplementalboltremainedunwithdrawnwithin.
“Havetoburstitopen,”saidI,andwasrunningdowntheentryalittle,foragoodstart,whenthelandladycaughtatme,againvowingIshouldnotbreakdownherpremises;butItorefromher,andwithasuddenbodilyrushdashedmyselffullagainstthemark.
Withaprodigiousnoisethedoorflewopen,andtheknobslammingagainstthewall,senttheplastertotheceiling;andthere,goodheavens!
theresatQueequeg,altogethercoolonhishams,andholdingYojoontopofhishead.
Helookedneitheronewaynortheotherwaybutsatlikeacarvedimagewithscarceasignofactivelife.
“Queequeg,”saidI,goinguptohim,“Queequeg,what’sthematterwithyou?”
“Hehain’tbeenasittin’soallday,hashe?”saidthelandlady.
Butallwesaid,notawordcouldwedragoutofhim;Ialmostfeltlikepushinghimover,soastochangehisposition,foritwasalmostintolerable,itseemedsopainfullyandunnaturallyconstrained;especially,asinallprobabilityhehadbeensittingsoforupwardsofeightortenhours,goingtoowithouthisregularmeals.
“Mrs.Hussey,”saidI,“he’saliveatallevents;soleaveus,ifyouplease,andIwillseetothisstrangeaffairmyself.”
Closingthedooruponthelandlady,IendeavoredtoprevailuponQueequegtotakeachair;butinvain.
Therehesat;andallhecoulddo-forallmypoliteartsandblandishments-hewouldnotmoveapeg,norsayasingleword,norevenlookatme,nornoticemypresenceintheslightestway.
Iwonder,thoughtI,ifthiscanpossiblybeapartofhisRamadan;dotheyfastontheirhamsthatwayinhisnativeland.
Itmustbeso;yes,it’sapartofhiscreed,Isuppose;well,then,lethimrest;he’llgetupsoonerorlater,nodoubt.
Itcan’tlastforever,thankGod,andhisRamadanonlycomesonceayear;andIdon’tbelieveit’sverypunctualthen.
Iwentdowntosupper.Aftersittingalongtimelisteningtothelongstoriesofsomesailorswhohadjustcomefromaplum-puddingvoyage,astheycalledit(thatis,ashortwhaling-voyageinaschoonerorbrig,confinedtothenorthoftheline,intheAtlanticOceanonly);afterlisteningtotheseplum-puddingerstillnearlyeleveno’clock,Iwentupstairstogotobed,feelingquitesurebythistimeQueequegmustcertainlyhavebroughthisRamadantoatermination.
Butno;therehewasjustwhereIhadlefthim;hehadnotstirredaninch.
Ibegantogrowvexedwithhim;itseemedsodownrightsenselessandinsanetobesittingtherealldayandhalfthenightonhishamsinacoldroom,holdingapieceofwoodonhishead.
“Forheaven’ssake,Queequeg,getupandshakeyourself;getupandhavesomesupper.You’llstarve;you’llkillyourself,Queequeg.”Butnotaworddidhereply.
Despairingofhim,therefore,Ideterminedtogotobedandtosleep;andnodoubt,beforeagreatwhile,hewouldfollowme.
Butprevioustoturningin,Itookmyheavybearskinjacket,andthrewitoverhim,asitpromisedtobeaverycoldnight;andhehadnothingbuthisordinaryroundjacketon.
Forsometime,doallIwould,Icouldnotgetintothefaintestdoze.
Ihadblownoutthecandle;andthemerethoughtofQueequeg-notfourfeetoff-sittingthereinthatuneasyposition,starkaloneinthecoldanddark;thismademereallywretched.
Thinkofit;sleepingallnightinthesameroomwithawideawakepaganonhishamsinthisdreary,unaccountableRamadan!
ButsomehowIdroppedoffatlast,andknewnothingmoretillbreakofday;when,lookingoverthebedside,theresquattedQueequeg,asifhehadbeenscreweddowntothefloor.
Butassoonasthefirstglimpseofsunenteredthewindow,uphegot,withstiffgratingjoints,butwithacheerfullook;limpedtowardsmewhereIlay;pressedhisforeheadagainagainstmine;andsaidhisRamadanwasover.
Now,asIbeforehinted,Ihavenoobjectiontoanyperson’sreligion,beitwhatitmay,solongasthatpersondoesnotkillorinsultanyotherperson,becausethatotherpersondon’tbelieveitalso.
Butwhenaman’sreligionbecomesreallyfrantic;whenitisapositivetormenttohim;and,infine,makesthisearthofoursanuncomfortableinntolodgein;thenIthinkithightimetotakethatindividualasideandarguethepointwithhim.
AndjustsoInowdidwithQueequeg.“Queequeg,”saidI,“getintobednow,andlieandlistentome.”
Ithenwenton,beginningwiththeriseandprogressoftheprimitivereligions,andcomingdowntothevariousreligionsofthepresenttime,duringwhichtimeIlaboredtoshowQueequegthatalltheseLents,Ramadans,andprolongedham-squattingsincold,cheerlessroomswerestarknonsense;badforthehealth;uselessforthesoul;opposed,inshort,totheobviouslawsofHygieneandcommonsense.
Itoldhim,too,thathebeinginotherthingssuchanextremelysensibleandsagacioussavage,itpainedme,verybadlypainedme,toseehimnowsodeplorablyfoolishaboutthisridiculousRamadanofhis.
Besides,arguedI,fastingmakesthebodycavein;hencethespiritcavesin;andallthoughtsbornofafastmustnecessarilybehalf-starved.
Thisisthereasonwhymostdyspepticreligionistscherishsuchmelancholynotionsabouttheirhereafters.
Inoneword,Queequeg,saidI,ratherdigressively;hellisanideafirstbornonanundigestedapple-dumpling;andsincethenperpetuatedthroughthehereditarydyspepsiasnurturedbyRamadans.
IthenaskedQueequegwhetherhehimselfwasevertroubledwithdyspepsia;expressingtheideaveryplainly,sothathecouldtakeitin.
Hesaidno;onlyupononememorableoccasion.
Itwasafteragreatfeastgivenbyhisfatherthekingonthegainingofagreatbattlewhereinfiftyoftheenemyhadbeenkilledbyabouttwoo’clockintheafternoon,andallcookedandeatenthatveryevening.
“Nomore,Queequeg,”saidI,shuddering;“thatwilldo;”forIknewtheinferenceswithouthisfurtherhintingthem.
Ihadseenasailorwhohadvisitedthatveryisland,andhetoldmethatitwasthecustom,whenagreatbattlehadbeengainedthere,tobarbecuealltheslainintheyardorgardenofthevictor;andthen,onebyone,theywereplacedingreatwoodentrenchers,andgarnishedroundlikeapilau,withbreadfruitandcocoanuts;andwithsomeparsleyintheirmouths,weresentroundwiththevictor’scomplimentstoallhisfriends,justasthoughthesepresentsweresomanyChristmasturkeys.
Afterall,IdonotthinkthatmyremarksaboutreligionmademuchimpressionuponQueequeg.
Because,inthefirstplace,hesomehowseemeddullofhearingonthatimportantsubject,unlessconsideredfromhisownpointofview;and,inthesecondplace,hedidnotmorethanonethirdunderstandme,couchmyideassimplyasIwould;and,finally,henodoubtthoughtheknewagooddealmoreaboutthetruereligionthanIdid.
Helookedatmewithasortofcondescendingconcernandcompassion,asthoughhethoughtitagreatpitythatsuchasensibleyoungmanshouldbesohopelesslylosttoevangelicalpaganpiety.
Atlastweroseanddressed;andQueequeg,takingaprodigiouslyheartybreakfastofchowdersofallsorts,sothatthelandladyshouldnotmakemuchprofitbyreasonofhisRamadan,wesalliedouttoboardthePequod,saunteringalong,andpickingourteethwithhalibutbones.
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