Astheexternaldifferencebetweenthemismainlyobservableintheirheads;andasaheadofeachisthismomenthangingfromthePequod’sside;andaswemayfreelygofromonetotheother,bymerelysteppingacrossthedeck:-where,Ishouldliketoknow,willyouobtainabetterchancetostudypracticalcetologythanhere?
Botharemassiveenoughinallconscience;but,thereisacertainmathematicalsymmetryintheSpermWhale’swhichtheRightWhale’ssadlylacks.
Inthepresentinstance,too,thisdignityisheightenedbythepepperandsaltcolorofhisheadatthesummit,givingtokenofadvancedageandlargeexperience.
Farbackonthesideofthehead,andlowdown,neartheangleofeitherwhale’sjaw,ifyounarrowlysearch,youwillatlastseealashlesseye,whichyouwouldfancytobeayoungcolt’seye;sooutofallproportionisittothemagnitudeofthehead.
Now,fromthispeculiarsidewaypositionofthewhale’seyes,itisplainthathecanneverseeanobjectwhichisexactlyahead,nomorethanhecanoneexactlyastern.
Inaword,thepositionofthewhale’seyescorrespondstothatofaman’sears;andyoumayfancy,foryourself,howitwouldfarewithyou,didyousidewayssurveyobjectsthroughyourears.
Youwouldfindthatyoucouldonlycommandsomethirtydegreesofvisioninadvanceofthestraightside-lineofsight;andaboutthirtymorebehindit.
Ifyourbitterestfoewerewalkingstraighttowardsyou,withdaggerupliftedinbroadday,youwouldnotbeabletoseehim,anymorethanifhewerestealinguponyoufrombehind.
Inaword,youwouldhavetwobacks,sotospeak;but,atthesametime,also,twofronts(sidefronts):forwhatisitthatmakesthefrontofaman-what,indeed,buthiseyes?
Moreover,whileinmostotheranimalsthatIcannowthinkof,theeyesaresoplantedasimperceptiblytoblendtheirvisualpower,soastoproduceonepictureandnottwotothebrain;thepeculiarpositionofthewhale’seyes,effectuallydividedastheyarebymanycubicfeetofsolidhead,whichtowersbetweenthemlikeagreatmountainseparatingtwolakesinvalleys;this,ofcourse,mustwhollyseparatetheimpressionswhicheachindependentorganimparts.
Thewhale,therefore,mustseeonedistinctpictureonthisside,andanotherdistinctpictureonthatside;whileallbetweenmustbeprofounddarknessandnothingnesstohim.
Butwiththewhale,thesetwosashesareseparatelyinserted,makingtwodistinctwindows,butsadlyimpairingtheview.
Thispeculiarityofthewhale’seyesisathingalwaystobeborneinmindinthefishery;andtoberememberedbythereaderinsomesubsequentscenes.
AcuriousandmostpuzzlingquestionmightbestartedconcerningthisvisualmatterastouchingtheLeviathan.ButImustbecontentwithahint.
Solongasaman’seyesareopeninthelight,theactofseeingisinvoluntary;thatis,hecannotthenhelpmechanicallyseeingwhateverobjectsarebeforehim.
Nevertheless,anyone’sexperiencewillteachhim,thatthoughhecantakeinanundiscriminatingsweepofthingsatoneglance,itisquiteimpossibleforhim,attentively,andcompletely,toexamineanytwothings-howeverlargeorhoweversmall-atoneandthesameinstantoftime;nevermindiftheyliesidebysideandtoucheachother.
Butifyounowcometoseparatethesetwoobjects,andsurroundeachbyacircleofprofounddarkness;then,inordertoseeoneofthem,insuchamannerastobringyourmindtobearonit,theotherwillbeutterlyexcludedfromyourcontemporaryconsciousness.Howisit,then,withthewhale?
True,bothhiseyes,inthemselves,mustsimultaneouslyact;butishisbrainsomuchmorecomprehensive,combining,andsubtlethanman’s,thathecanatthesamemomentoftimeattentivelyexaminetwodistinctprospects,oneononesideofhim,andtheotherinanexactlyoppositedirection?
Ifhecan,thenisitasmarvellousathinginhim,asifamanwereablesimultaneouslytogothroughthedemonstrationsoftwodistinctproblemsinEuclid.
Itmaybebutanidlewhim,butithasalwaysseemedtome,thattheextraordinaryvacillationsofmovementdisplayedbysomewhaleswhenbesetbythreeorfourboats;thetimidityandliabilitytoqueerfrights,socommontosuchwhales;Ithinkthatallthisindirectlyproceedsfromthehelplessperplexityofvolition,inwhichtheirdividedanddiametricallyoppositepowersofvisionmustinvolvethem.
Ifyouareanentirestrangertotheirrace,youmighthuntoverthesetwoheadsforhours,andneverdiscoverthatorgan.
Theearhasnoexternalleafwhatever;andintotheholeitselfyoucanhardlyinsertaquill,sowondrouslyminuteisit.Itislodgedalittlebehindtheeye.
Whiletheearsoftheformerhasanexternalopening,thatofthelatterisentirelyandevenlycoveredoverwithamembrane,soastobequiteimperceptiblefromwithout.
Isitnotcurious,thatsovastabeingasthewhaleshouldseetheworldthroughsosmallaneye,andhearthethunderthroughanearwhichissmallerthanahare’s?
ButifhiseyeswerebroadasthelensofHerschel’sgreattelescope;andhisearscapaciousastheporchesofcathedrals;wouldthatmakehimanylongerofsight,orsharperofhearing?Notatall.
Letusnowwithwhateverleversandsteam-engineswehaveathand,cantoverthespermwhale’shead,so,thatitmayliebottomup;then,ascendingbyaladdertothesummit,haveapeepdownthemouth;andwereitnotthatthebodyisnowcompletelyseparatedfromit,withalanternwemightdescendintothegreatKentuckyMammothCaveofhisstomach.
Butcomeoutnow,andlookatthisportentouslowerjaw,whichseemslikethelongnarrowlidofanimmensesnuff-box,withthehingeatoneend,insteadofoneside.
Butfarmoreterribleisittobehold,whenfathomsdowninthesea,youseesomesulkywhale,floatingtheresuspended,withhisprodigiousjaw,somefifteenfeetlong,hangingstraightdownatright-angleswithhisbody;foralltheworldlikeaship’sjibboom.
Thiswhaleisnotdead;heisonlydispirited;outofsorts,perhaps;hypochondriac;andsosupine,thatthehingesofhisjawhaverelaxed,leavinghimthereinthatungainlysortofplight,areproachtoallhistribe,whomust,nodoubt,imprecatelock-jawsuponhim.
Inmostcasesthislowerjaw-beingeasilyunhingedbyapractisedartist-isdisengagedandhoistedondeckforthepurposeofextractingtheivoryteeth,andfurnishingasupplyofthathardwhitewhalebonewithwhichthefishermenfashionallsortsofcuriousarticlesincludingcanes,umbrellasticks,andhandlestoriding-whips.
Withalong,wearyhoistthejawisdraggedonboard,asifitwereananchor;andwhenthepropertimecomes-somefewdaysaftertheotherwork-Queequeg,Daggoo,andTashtego,beingallaccomplisheddentists,aresettodrawingteeth.
Withakeencutting-spade,Queequeglancesthegums;thenthejawislasheddowntoringbolts,andatacklebeingriggedfromaloft,theydragouttheseteeth,asMichiganoxendragstumpsofoldoaksoutofwildwoodlands.
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