English
WhenintheSouthernFisheryacapturedSpermWhale,afterlongandwearytoil,isbroughtalongsidelateatnight,itisnot,asageneralthingatleast,customarytoproceedatoncetothebusinessofcuttinghimin.
Forthatbusinessisanexceedinglylaboriousone;isnotverysooncompleted;andrequiresallhandstosetaboutit.
Therefore,thecommonusageistotakeinallsail;lashthehelma’lee;andthensendeveryonebelowtohishammocktilldaylight,withthereservationthat,untilthattime,anchor-watchesshallbekept;thatis,twoandtwoforanhour,eachcouple,thecrewinrotationshallmountthedecktoseethatallgoeswell.
Butsometimes,especiallyupontheLineinthePacific,thisplanwillnotansweratall;becausesuchincalculablehostsofsharksgatherroundthemooredcarcase,thatwereheleftsoforsixhours,say,onastretch,littlemorethantheskeletonwouldbevisiblebymorning.
Inmostotherpartsoftheocean,however,wherethesefishdonotsolargelyabound,theirwondrousvoracitycanbeattimesconsiderablydiminished,byvigorouslystirringthemupwithsharpwhaling-spades,aprocedurenotwithstanding,which,insomeinstances,onlyseemstoticklethemintostillgreateractivity.
ButitwasnotthusinthepresentcasewiththePequod’ssharks;though,tobesure,anymanunaccustomedtosuchsights,tohavelookedoverhersidethatnight,wouldhavealmostthoughtthewholeroundseawasonehugecheese,andthosesharksthemaggotsinit.
Nevertheless,uponStubbsettingtheanchor-watchafterhissupperwasconcluded;andwhen,accordinglyQueequegandaforecastleseamancameondeck,nosmallexcitementwascreatedamongthesharks;forimmediatelysuspendingthecuttingstagesovertheside,andloweringthreelanterns,sothattheycastlonggleamsoflightovertheturbidsea,thesetwomariners,dartingtheirlongwhaling-spades,*keptupanincessantmurderingofthesharks,bystrikingthekeensteeldeepintotheirskulls,seeminglytheironlyvitalpart.
Butinthefoamyconfusionoftheirmixedandstrugglinghosts,themarksmencouldnotalwayshittheirmark;andthisbroughtaboutnewrevelationsoftheincredibleferocityofthefoe.
Theyviciouslysnapped,notonlyateachother’sdisembowelments,butlikeflexiblebows,bentround,andbittheirown;tillthoseentrailsseemedswallowedoverandoveragainbythesamemouth,tobeoppositelyvoidedbythegapingwound.Norwasthisall.
Itwasunsafetomeddlewiththecorpsesandghostsofthesecreatures.
AsortofgenericorPantheisticvitalityseemedtolurkintheirveryjointsandbones,afterwhatmightbecalledtheindividuallifehaddeparted.
Killedandhoistedondeckforthesakeofhisskin,oneofthesesharksalmosttookpoorQueequeg’shandoff,whenhetriedtoshutdownthedeadlidofhismurderousjaw.
*Thewhaling-spadeusedforcutting-inismadeoftheverybeststeel;isaboutthebignessofaman’sspreadhand;andingeneralshape,correspondstothegardenimplementafterwhichitisnamed;onlyitssidesareperfectlyflat,anditsupperendconsiderablynarrowerthanthelower.
Thisweaponisalwayskeptassharpaspossible;andwhenbeingusedisoccasionallyhoned,justlikearazor.
Initssocket,astiffpole,fromtwentytothirtyfeetlong,isinsertedforahandle.
“Queequegnocarewhatgodmadehimshark,”saidthesavage,agonizinglyliftinghishandupanddown;“wedderFejeegodorNantucketgod;butdegodwatmadesharkmustbeonedamIngin.”
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