InmostAmericanwhalementhemast-headsaremannedalmostsimultaneouslywiththevessel’sleavingherport;eventhoughshemayhavefifteenthousandmiles,andmore,tosailerereachingherpropercruisingground.
Andif,afterathree,four,orfiveyears’voyagesheisdrawingnighhomewithanythingemptyinher-say,anemptyvialeven-then,hermast-headsarekeptmannedtothelast!
andnottillherskysail-polessailinamongthespiresoftheport,doesshealtogetherrelinquishthehopeofcapturingonewhalemore.
Now,asthebusinessofstandingmast-heads,ashoreorafloat,isaveryancientandinterestingone,letusinsomemeasureexpatiatehere.
Itakeit,thattheearlieststandersofmast-headsweretheoldEgyptians;because,inallmyresearches,Ifindnonepriortothem.
Forthoughtheirprogenitors,thebuildersofBabel,mustdoubtless,bytheirtower,haveintendedtoreartheloftiestmast-headinallAsia,orAfricaeither;yet(erethefinaltruckwasputtoit)asthatgreatstonemastoftheirsmaybesaidtohavegonebytheboard,inthedreadgaleofGod’swrath;therefore,wecannotgivetheseBabelbuilderspriorityovertheEgyptians.
AndthattheEgyptianswereanationofmast-headstanders,isanassertionbaseduponthegeneralbeliefamongarchaeologists,thatthefirstpyramidswerefoundedforastronomicalpurposes:atheorysingularlysupportedbythepeculiarstairlikeformationofallfoursidesofthoseedifices;whereby,withprodigiouslongupliftingsoftheirlegs,thoseoldastronomerswerewonttomounttotheapex,andsingoutfornewstars;evenasthelook-outsofamodernshipsingoutforasail,orawhalejustbearinginsight.
InSaintStylites,thefamousChristianhermitofoldtimes,whobuilthimaloftystonepillarinthedesertandspentthewholelatterportionofhislifeonitssummit,hoistinghisfoodfromthegroundwithatackle;inhimwehavearemarkableinstanceofadauntlessstander-of-mast-heads;whowasnottobedrivenfromhisplacebyfogsorfrosts,rain,hail,orsleet;butvaliantlyfacingeverythingouttothelast,literallydiedathispost.
Ofmodernstanders-of-mast-headswehavebutalifelessset;merestone,iron,andbronzemen;who,thoughwellcapableoffacingoutastiffgale,arestillentirelyincompetenttothebusinessofsingingoutupondiscoveringanystrangesight.
ThereisNapoleon;who,uponthetopofthecolumnofVendomestandswitharmsfolded,someonehundredandfiftyfeetintheair;careless,now,whorulesthedecksbelow,whetherLouisPhilippe,LouisBlanc,orLouistheDevil.
GreatWashington,too,standshighaloftonhistoweringmain-mastinBaltimore,andlikeoneofHercules’pillars,hiscolumnmarksthatpointofhumangrandeurbeyondwhichfewmortalswillgo.
AdmiralNelson,also,onacapstanofgun-metal,standshismast-headinTrafalgarSquare;andevenwhenmostobscuredbythatLondonsmoke,tokenisyetgiventhatahiddenheroisthere;forwherethereissmoke,mustbefire.
ButneithergreatWashington,norNapoleon,norNelson,willanswerasinglehailfrombelow,howevermadlyinvokedtobefriendbytheircounselsthedistracteddecksuponwhichtheygaze;howeveritmaybesurmised,thattheirspiritspenetratethroughthethickhazeofthefuture,anddescrywhatshoalsandwhatrocksmustbeshunned.
Itmayseemunwarrantabletocoupleinanyrespectthemast-headstandersofthelandwiththoseofthesea;butthatintruthitisnotso,isplainlyevincedbyanitemforwhichObedMacy,thesolehistorianofNantucket,standsaccountable.
TheworthyObedtellsus,thatintheearlytimesofthewhalefishery,ereshipswereregularlylaunchedinpursuitofthegame,thepeopleofthatislanderectedloftysparsalongtheseacoast,towhichthelook-outsascendedbymeansofnailedcleats,somethingasfowlsgoupstairsinahen-house.
AfewyearsagothissameplanwasadoptedbytheBaywhalemenofNewZealand,who,upondescryingthegame,gavenoticetotheready-mannedboatsnighthebeach.
Thethreemast-headsarekeptmannedfromsun-risetosun-set;theseamentakingtheirregularturns(asatthehelm),andrelievingeachothereverytwohours.
Inthesereneweatherofthetropicsitisexceedinglypleasantthemast-head:nay,toadreamymeditativemanitisdelightful.
Thereyoustand,ahundredfeetabovethesilentdecks,stridingalongthedeep,asifthemastsweregiganticstilts,whilebeneathyouandbetweenyourlegs,asitwere,swimthehugestmonstersofthesea,evenasshipsoncesailedbetweenthebootsofthefamousColossusatoldRhodes.
Forthemostpart,inthistropicwhalinglife,asublimeuneventfulnessinvestsyou;youhearnonews;readnogazettes;extraswithstartlingaccountsofcommonplacesneverdeludeyouintounnecessaryexcitements;youhearofnodomesticafflictions;bankruptsecurities;fallofstocks;arenevertroubledwiththethoughtofwhatyoushallhavefordinner-forallyourmealsforthreeyearsandmorearesnuglystowedincasks,andyourbilloffareisimmutable.
Inoneofthosesouthernwhalesmen,onalongthreeorfouryears’voyage,asoftenhappens,thesumofthevarioushoursyouspendatthemast-headwouldamounttoseveralentiremonths.
Anditismuchtobedeploredthattheplacetowhichyoudevotesoconsiderableaportionofthewholetermofyournaturallife,shouldbesosadlydestituteofanythingapproachingtoacosyinhabitiveness,oradaptedtobreedacomfortablelocalnessoffeeling,suchaspertainstoabed,ahammock,ahearse,asentrybox,apulpit,acoach,oranyotherofthosesmallandsnugcontrivancesinwhichmentemporarilyisolatethemselves.
Yourmostusualpointofperchistheheadofthet’gallant-mast,whereyoustandupontwothinparallelsticks(almostpeculiartowhalemen)calledthet’gallantcrosstrees.
Tobesure,incoldweatheryoumaycarryyourhousealoftwithyou,intheshapeofawatch-coat;butproperlyspeakingthethickestwatch-coatisnomoreofahousethantheuncladbody;forasthesoulisgluedinsideofitsfleshytabernacle,andcannotfreelymoveaboutinit,norevenmoveoutofit,withoutrunninggreatriskofperishing(likeanignorantpilgrimcrossingthesnowyAlpsinwinter);soawatch-coatisnotsomuchofahouseasitisamereenvelope,oradditionalskinencasingyou.
Concerningallthis,itismuchtobedeploredthatthemast-headsofasouthernwhaleshipareunprovidedwiththoseenviablelittletentsorpulpits,calledcrow’s-nests,inwhichthelook-outsofaGreenlandwhalerareprotectedfromtheinclementweatherofthefrozenseas.
InthefiresidenarrativeofCaptainSleet,entitled“AVoyageamongtheIcebergs,inquestoftheGreenlandWhale,andincidentallyforthere-discoveryoftheLostIcelandicColoniesofOldGreenland;”inthisadmirablevolume,allstandersofmast-headsarefurnishedwithacharminglycircumstantialaccountofthethenrecentlyinventedcrow’s-nestoftheGlacier,whichwasthenameofCaptainSleet’sgoodcraft.
HecalledittheSleet’scrow’s-nest,inhonorofhimself;hebeingtheoriginalinventorandpatentee,andfreefromallridiculousfalsedelicacy,andholdingthatifwecallourownchildrenafterourownnames(wefathersbeingtheoriginalinventorsandpatentees),solikewiseshouldwedenominateafterourselvesanyotherapparatuswemayberet.
Inshape,theSleet’scrow’s-nestissomethinglikealargetierceorpipe;itisopenabove,however,whereitisfurnishedwithamovablesidescreentokeeptowindwardofyourheadinahardgale.
Ontheafterside,orsidenextthesternoftheship,isacomfortableseat,withalockerunderneathforumbrellas,comforters,andcoats.
WhenCaptainSleetinpersonstoodhismast-headinthiscrow’s-nestofhis,hetellsusthathealwayshadariflewithhim(alsofixedintherack),togetherwithapowderflaskandshot,forthepurposeofpoppingoffthestraynarwhales,orvagrantseaunicornsinfestingthosewaters;foryoucannotsuccessfullyshootatthemfromthedeckowingtotheresistanceofthewater,buttoshootdownuponthemisaverydifferentthing.
Now,itwasplainlyalaborofloveforCaptainSleettodescribe,ashedoes,allthelittledetailedconveniencesofhiscrow’s-nest;butthoughhesoenlargesuponmanyofthese,andthoughhetreatsustoaveryscientificaccountofhisexperimentsinthiscrow’s-nest,withasmallcompasshekeptthereforthepurposeofcounteractingtheerrorsresultingfromwhatiscalledthe“localattraction”ofallbinnaclemagnets;anerrorascribabletothehorizontalvicinityoftheironintheship’splanks,andintheGlacier’scase,perhaps,totherehavingbeensomanybroken-downblacksmithsamonghercrew;Isay,thatthoughtheCaptainisverydiscreetandscientifichere,yet,forallhislearned“binnacledeviations,”“azimuthcompassobservations,”and“approximateerrors,”heknowsverywell,CaptainSleet,thathewasnotsomuchimmersedinthoseprofoundmagneticmeditations,astofailbeingattractedoccasionallytowardsthatwellreplenishedlittlecase-bottle,sonicelytuckedinononesideofhiscrow’snest,withineasyreachofhishand.
Though,uponthewhole,Igreatlyadmireandevenlovethebrave,thehonest,andlearnedCaptain;yetItakeitveryillofhimthatheshouldsoutterlyignorethatcase-bottle,seeingwhatafaithfulfriendandcomforteritmusthavebeen,whilewithmittenedfingersandhoodedheadhewasstudyingthemathematicsaloftthereinthatbird’snestwithinthreeorfourperchesofthepole.
ButifweSouthernwhale-fishersarenotsosnuglyhousedaloftasCaptainSleetandhisGreenlandmenwere;yetthatdisadvantageisgreatlycounter-balancedbythewidelycontrastingserenityofthoseseductiveseasinwhichweSouthfishersmostlyfloat.
Forone,Iusedtoloungeuptheriggingveryleisurely,restinginthetoptohaveachatwithQueequeg,oranyoneelseoffdutywhomImightfindthere;thenascendingalittlewayfurther,andthrowingalazylegoverthetop-sailyard,takeapreliminaryviewofthewaterypastures,andsoatlastmounttomyultimatedestination.
Withtheproblemoftheuniverserevolvinginme,howcouldI-beingleftcompletelytomyselfatsuchathought-engenderingaltitude-howcouldIbutlightlyholdmyobligationstoobserveallwhaleships’standingorders,“Keepyourweathereyeopen,andsingouteverytime.”
Bewareofenlistinginyourvigilantfisheriesanyladwithleanbrowandholloweye;giventounseasonablemeditativeness;andwhoofferstoshipwiththePhaedoninsteadofBowditchinhishead.
Bewareofsuchanone,Isay:yourwhalesmustbeseenbeforetheycanbekilled;andthissunken-eyedyoungPlatonistwilltowyoutenwakesroundtheworld,andnevermakeyouonepintofspermthericher.
Fornowadays,thewhale-fisheryfurnishesanasylumformanyromantic,melancholy,andabsent-mindedyoungmen,disgustedwiththecorkingcareofearth,andseekingsentimentintarandblubber.
ChildeHaroldnotunfrequentlypercheshimselfuponthemast-headofsomelucklessdisappointedwhale-ship,andinmoodyphraseejaculates:-
Veryoftendothecaptainsofsuchshipstakethoseabsent-mindedyoungphilosopherstotask,upbraidingthemwithnotfeelingsufficient“interest”inthevoyage;half-hintingthattheyaresohopelesslylosttoallhonorableambition,asthatintheirsecretsoulstheywouldrathernotseewhalesthanotherwise.
Butallinvain;thoseyoungPlatonistshaveanotionthattheirvisionisimperfect;theyareshort-sighted;whatuse,then,tostrainthevisualnerve?
“Why,thoumonkey,”saidaharpooneertooneoftheselads,“we’vebeencruisingnowharduponthreeyears,andthouhastnotraisedawhaleyet.
Perhapstheywere;orperhapstheremighthavebeenshoalsoftheminthefarhorizon;butlulledintosuchanopium-likelistlessnessofvacant,unconsciousreverieisthisabsent-mindedyouthbytheblendingcadenceofwaveswiththoughts,thatatlastheloseshisidentity;takesthemysticoceanathisfeetforthevisibleimageofthatdeep,blue,bottomlesssoul,pervadingmankindandnature;andeverystrange,half-seen,gliding,beautifulthingthateludeshim;everydimly-discovered,uprisingfinofsomeundiscernibleform,seemstohimtheembodimentofthoseelusivethoughtsthatonlypeoplethesoulbycontinuallyflittingthroughit.
Inthisenchantedmood,thyspiritebbsawaytowhenceitcame;becomesdiffusedthroughtimeandspace;likeCrammer’ssprinkledPantheisticashes,formingatlastapartofeveryshoretheroundglobeover.
Thereisnolifeinthee,now,exceptthatrockinglifeimpartedbyagentlerollingship;byher,borrowedfromthesea;bythesea,fromtheinscrutabletidesofGod.
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