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HadyoufollowedCaptainAhabdownintohiscabinafterthesquallthattookplaceonthenightsucceedingthatwildratificationofhispurposewithhiscrew,youwouldhaveseenhimgotoalockerinthetransom,andbringingoutalargewrinkledrollofyellowishseacharts,spreadthembeforehimonhisscrewed-downtable.
Thenseatinghimselfbeforeit,youwouldhaveseenhimintentlystudythevariouslinesandshadingswhichtheremethiseye;andwithslowbutsteadypenciltraceadditionalcoursesoverspacesthatbeforewereblank.
Atintervals,hewouldrefertopilesofoldlog-booksbesidehim,whereinweresetdowntheseasonsandplacesinwhich,onvariousformervoyagesofvariousships,spermwhaleshadbeencapturedorseen.
Whilethusemployed,theheavypewterlampsuspendedinchainsoverhishead,continuallyrockedwiththemotionoftheship,andforeverthrewshiftinggleamsandshadowsoflinesuponhiswrinkledbrow,tillitalmostseemedthatwhilehehimselfwasmarkingoutlinesandcoursesonthewrinkledcharts,someinvisiblepencilwasalsotracinglinesandcoursesuponthedeeplymarkedchartofhisforehead.
Butitwasnotthisnightinparticularthat,inthesolitudeofhiscabin,Ahabthusponderedoverhischarts.
Almosteverynighttheywerebroughtout;almosteverynightsomepencilmarkswereeffaced,andothersweresubstituted.
Forwiththechartsofallfouroceansbeforehim,Ahabwasthreadingamazeofcurrentsandeddies,withaviewtothemorecertainaccomplishmentofthatmonomaniacthoughtofhissoul.
Now,toanyonenotfullyacquaintedwiththewaysoftheleviathans,itmightseemanabsurdlyhopelesstaskthustoseekoutonesolitarycreatureintheunhoopedoceansofthisplanet.
ButnotsodiditseemtoAhab,whoknewthesetsofalltidesandcurrents;andtherebycalculatingthedriftingsofthespermwhale’sfood;and,alsocallingtomindtheregular,ascertainedseasonsforhuntinghiminparticularlatitudes;couldarriveatreasonablesurmises,almostapproachingtocertainties,concerningthetimeliestdaytobeuponthisorthatgroundinsearchofhisprey.
Soassured,indeed,isthefactconcerningtheperiodicalnessofthespermwhale’sresortingtogivenwaters,thatmanyhuntersbelievethat,couldhebecloselyobservedandstudiedthroughouttheworld;werethelogsforonevoyageoftheentirewhalefleetcarefullycollated,thenthemigrationsofthespermwhalewouldbefoundtocorrespondininvariabilitytothoseoftheherring-shoalsortheflightsofswallows.
Onthishint,attemptshavebeenmadetoconstructelaboratemigratorychartsofthespermwhale.
Sincetheabovewaswritten,thestatementishappilyborneoutbyanofficialcircular,issuedbyLieutenantMaury,oftheNationalObservatory,Washington,April16th,1851.
Bythatcircular,itappearsthatpreciselysuchachartisincourseofcompletion;andportionsofitarepresentedinthecircular.
“Thischartdividestheoceanintodistrictsoffivedegreesoflatitudebyfivedegreesoflongitude;perpendicularlythrougheachofwhichdistrictsaretwelvecolumnsforthetwelvemonths;andhorizontallythrougheachofwhichdistrictsarethreelines;onetoshowthenumberofdaysthathavebeenspentineachmonthineverydistrict,andthetwootherstoshowthenumberofdaysinwhichwhales,spermorright,havebeenseen.”
Besides,whenmakingapassagefromonefeeding-groundtoanother,thespermwhales,guidedbysomeinfallibleinstinct-say,rather,secretintelligencefromtheDeity-mostlyswiminveins,astheyarecalled;continuingtheirwayalongagivenocean-linewithsuchundeviatingexactitude,thatnoshipeversailedhercourse,byanychart,withonetitheofsuchmarvellousprecision.
Though,inthesecases,thedirectiontakenbyanyonewhalebestraightasasurveyor’sparallel,andthoughthelineofadvancebestrictlyconfinedtoitsownunavoidable,straightwake,yetthearbitraryveininwhichatthesetimesheissaidtoswim,generallyembracessomefewmilesinwidth(moreorless,astheveinispresumedtoexpandorcontract);butneverexceedsthevisualsweepfromthewhale-ship’smast-heads,whencircumspectlyglidingalongthismagiczone.
Thesumis,thatatparticularseasonswithinthatbreadthandalongthatpath,migratingwhalesmaywithgreatconfidencebelookedfor.
Andhencenotonlyatsubstantiatedtimes,uponwellknownseparatefeeding-grounds,couldAhabhopetoencounterhisprey;butincrossingthewidestexpansesofwaterbetweenthosegroundshecould,byhisart,soplaceandtimehimselfonhisway,aseventhennottobewhollywithoutprospectofameeting.
Therewasacircumstancewhichatfirstsightseemedtoentanglehisdeliriousbutstillmethodicalscheme.Butnotsointhereality,perhaps.
Thoughthegregariousspermwhaleshavetheirregularseasonsforparticulargrounds,yetingeneralyoucannotconcludethattheherdswhichhauntedsuchandsuchalatitudeorlongitudethisyear,say,willturnouttobeidenticallythesamewiththosethatwerefoundtheretheprecedingseason;thoughtherearepeculiarandunquestionableinstanceswherethecontraryofthishasprovedtrue.
Ingeneral,thesameremark,onlywithinalesswidelimit,appliestothesolitariesandhermitsamongthematured,agedspermwhales.
SothatthoughMobyDickhadinaformeryearbeenseen,forexample,onwhatiscalledtheSeychellegroundintheIndianocean,orVolcanoBayontheJapaneseCoast;yetitdidnotfollowthatwerethePequodtovisiteitherofthosespotsatanysubsequentcorrespondingseason,shewouldinfalliblyencounterhimthere.
So,too,withsomeotherfeeding-grounds,wherehehadattimesrevealedhimself.
Butalltheseseemedonlyhiscasualstopping-placesandocean-inns,sotospeak,nothisplacesofprolongedabode.
AndwhereAhab’schancesofaccomplishinghisobjecthavehithertobeenspokenof,allusionhasonlybeenmadetowhateverway-side,antecedent,extraprospectswerehis,ereaparticularsettimeorplacewereattained,whenallpossibilitieswouldbecomeprobabilities,and,asAhabfondlythought,everypossibilitythenextthingtoacertainty.
Thatparticularsettimeandplacewereconjoinedintheonetechnicalphrase-theSeason-on-the-Line.
Forthereandthen,forseveralconsecutiveyears,MobyDickhadbeenperiodicallydescried,lingeringinthosewatersforawhile,asthesun,initsannualround,loitersforapredictedintervalinanyonesignoftheZodiac.
Thereitwas,too,thatmostofthedeadlyencounterswiththewhitewhalehadtakenplace;therethewaveswerestoriedwithhisdeeds;therealsowasthattragicspotwherethemonomaniacoldmanhadfoundtheawfulmotivetohisvengeance.
ButinthecautiouscomprehensivenessandunloiteringvigilancewithwhichAhabthrewhisbroodingsoulintothisunfalteringhunt,hewouldnotpermithimselftorestallhishopesupontheonecrowningfactabovementioned,howeverflatteringitmightbetothosehopes;norinthesleeplessnessofhisvowcouldhesotranquillizehisunquietheartastopostponeallinterveningquest.
Now,thePequodhadsailedfromNantucketattheverybeginningoftheSeason-on-the-Line.
Nopossibleendeavorthencouldenablehercommandertomakethegreatpassagesouthwards,doubleCapeHorn,andthenrunningdownsixtydegreesoflatitudearriveintheequatorialPacificintimetocruisethere.
Therefore,hemustwaitforthenextensuingseason.
YettheprematurehourofthePequod’ssailinghad,perhaps,beencorrectlyselectedbyAhab,withaviewtothisverycomplexionofthings.
Because,anintervalofthreehundredandsixty-fivedaysandnightswasbeforehim;anintervalwhich,insteadofimpatientlyenduringashore,hewouldspendinamiscellaneoushunt;ifbychancetheWhiteWhale,spendinghisvacationinseasfarremotefromhisperiodicalfeeding-grounds,shouldturnuphiswrinkledbrowoffthePersianGulf,orintheBengalBay,orChinaSeas,orinanyotherwatershauntedbyhisrace.
SothatMonsoons,Pampas,Nor-Westers,Harmattans,Traders;anywindbuttheLevanterandSimoon,mightblowMobyDickintothedeviouszig-zagworld-circleofthePequod’scircumnavigatingwake.
Butgrantingallthis;yet,regardeddiscreetlyandcoolly,seemsitnotbutamadidea,this;thatinthebroadboundlessocean,onesolitarywhale,evenifencountered,shouldbethoughtcapableofindividualrecognitionfromhishunter,evenasawhite-beardedMuftiinthethrongedthoroughfaresofConstantinople?Yes.
Forthepeculiarsnow-whitebrowofMobyDick,andhissnow-whitehump,couldnotbutbeunmistakable.
AndhaveInottalliedthewhale,Ahabwouldmuttertohimself,asafterporingoverhischartstilllongaftermidnighthewouldthrowhimselfbackinreveries-talliedhim,andshallheescape?
Hisbroadfinsarebored,andscallopedoutlikealostsheep’sare!
Andhere,hismadmindwouldrunoninabreathlessrace;tillawearinessandfaintnessofponderingcameoverhim!
andintheopenairofthedeckhewouldseektorecoverhisstrength.Ah,God!
whattrancesoftormentsdoesthatmanendurewhoisconsumedwithoneunachievedrevengefuldesire.
Hesleepswithclenchedhands;andwakeswithhisownbloodynailsinhispalms.
Often,whenforcedfromhishammockbyexhaustingandintolerablyvividdreamsofthenight,which,resuminghisownintensethoughtsthroughtheday,carriedthemonamidaclashingofphrensies,andwhirledthemroundandroundandroundinhisblazingbrain,tilltheverythrobbingofhislife-spotbecameinsufferableanguish;andwhen,aswassometimesthecase,thesespiritualthroesinhimheavedhisbeingupfromitsbase,andachasmseemedopeninginhim,fromwhichforkedflamesandlightningsshotup,andaccursedfiendsbeckonedhimtoleapdownamongthem;whenthishellinhimselfyawnedbeneathhim,awildcrywouldbeheardthroughtheship;andwithglaringeyesAhabwouldburstfromhisstateroom,asthoughescapingfromabedthatwasonfire.
Yetthese,perhaps,insteadofbeingtheunsuppressablesymptomsofsomelatentweakness,orfrightathisownresolve,werebuttheplainesttokensofitsintensity.
For,atsuchtimes,crazyAhab,thescheming,unappeasedlysteadfasthunterofthewhitewhale;thisAhabthathadgonetohishammock,wasnottheagentthatsocausedhimtoburstfromitinhorroragain.
Thelatterwastheeternal,livingprincipleorsoulinhim;andinsleep,beingforthetimedissociatedfromthecharacterizingmind,whichatothertimesemployeditforitsoutervehicleoragent,itspontaneouslysoughtescapefromthescorchingcontiguityofthefranticthing,ofwhich,forthetime,itwasnolongeranintegral.
Butastheminddoesnotexistunlessleaguedwiththesoul,thereforeitmusthavebeenthat,inAhab’scase,yieldingupallhisthoughtsandfanciestohisonesupremepurpose;thatpurpose,byitsownsheerinveteracyofwill,forceditselfagainstgodsanddevilsintoakindofself-assumed,independentbeingofitsown.
Nay,couldgrimlyliveandburn,whilethecommonvitalitytowhichitwasconjoined,fledhorror-strickenfromtheunbiddenandunfatheredbirth.
Therefore,thetormentedspiritthatglaredoutofbodilyeyes,whenwhatseemedAhabrushedfromhisroom,wasforthetimebutavacatedthing,aformlesssomnambulisticbeing,arayoflivinglight,tobesure,butwithoutanobjecttocolor,andthereforeablanknessinitself.
Godhelpthee,oldman,thythoughtshavecreatedacreatureinthee;andhewhoseintensethinkingthusmakeshimaPrometheus;avulturefeedsuponthatheartforever;thatvulturetheverycreaturehecreates.
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