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Inthefirstplace,Iwishtolaybeforeyouaparticular,plainstatement,touchingthelivingbulkofthisleviathan,whoseskeletonwearebrieflytoexhibit.Suchastatementmayproveusefulhere.
AccordingtoacarefulcalculationIhavemade,andwhichIpartlybaseuponCaptainScoresby’sestimate,ofseventytonsforthelargestsizedGreenlandwhaleofsixtyfeetinlength;accordingtomycarefulcalculation,Isay,aSpermWhaleofthelargestmagnitude,betweeneighty-fiveandninetyfeetinlength,andsomethinglessthanfortyfeetinitsfullestcircumference,suchawhalewillweighatleastninetytons;sothat,reckoningthirteenmentoaton,hewouldconsiderablyoutweighthecombinedpopulationofawholevillageofonethousandonehundredinhabitants.
Thinkyounotthenthatbrains,likeyokedcattle,shouldbeputtothisleviathan,tomakehimatallbudgetoanylandsman’simagination?
Havingalreadyinvariouswaysputbeforeyouhisskull,spout-hole,jaw,teeth,tail,forehead,fins,anddiversotherparts,Ishallnowsimplypointoutwhatismostinterestinginthegeneralbulkofhisunobstructedbones.
Butasthecolossalskullembracessoverylargeaproportionoftheentireextentoftheskeleton;asitisbyfarthemostcomplicatedpart;andasnothingistoberepeatedconcerningitinthischapter,youmustnotfailtocarryitinyourmind,orunderyourarm,asweproceed,otherwiseyouwillnotgainacompletenotionofthegeneralstructureweareabouttoview.
Inlength,theSpermWhale’sskeletonatTranquemeasuredseventy-twofeet:sothatwhenfullyinvestedandextendedinlife,hemusthavebeenninetyfeetlong;forinthewhale,theskeletonlosesaboutonefifthinlengthcomparedwiththelivingbody.
Ofthisseventy-twofeet,hisskullandjawcomprisedsometwentyfeet,leavingsomefiftyfeetofplainbackbone.
Attachedtothisback-bone,forsomethinglessthanathirdofitslength,wasthemightycircularbasketofribswhichonceenclosedhisvitals.
Tomethisvastivory-ribbedchest,withthelong,unrelievedspine,extendingfarawayfromitinastraightline,notalittleresembledthehullofagreatshipnew-laiduponthestocks,whenonlysometwentyofhernakedbow-ribsareinserted,andthekeelisotherwise,forthetime,butalong,disconnectedtimber.
Theribsweretenonaside.Thefirst,tobeginfromtheneck,wasnearlysixfeetlong;thesecond,third,andfourthwereeachsuccessivelylonger,tillyoucametotheclimaxofthefifth,oroneofthemiddleribs,whichmeasuredeightfeetandsomeinches.
Fromthatpart,theremainingribsdiminished,tillthetenthandlastonlyspannedfivefeetandsomeinches.
Ingeneralthickness,theyallboreaseemlycorrespondencetotheirlength.Themiddleribswerethemostarched.
InsomeoftheArsacidestheyareusedforbeamswhereontolayfootpathbridgesoversmallstreams.
Inconsideringtheseribs,Icouldnotbutbestruckanewwiththecircumstance,sovariouslyrepeatedinthisbook,thattheskeletonofthewhaleisbynomeansthemouldofhisinvestedform.
ThelargestoftheTranqueribs,oneofthemiddleones,occupiedthatpartofthefishwhich,inlife,isgreatestindepth.
Now,thegreatestdepthoftheinvestedbodyofthisparticularwhalemusthavebeenatleastsixteenfeet;whereas,thecorrespondingribmeasuredbutlittlemorethaneightfeet.
Sothatthisribonlyconveyedhalfofthetruenotionofthelivingmagnitudeofthatpart.
Besides,forsomeway,whereInowsawbutanakedspine,allthathadbeenoncewrappedroundwithtonsofaddedbulkinflesh,muscle,blood,andbowels.
Stillmore,fortheamplefins,Iheresawbutafewdisorderedjoints;andinplaceoftheweightyandmajestic,butbonelessflukes,anutterblank!
Howvainandfoolish,then,thoughtI,fortimiduntravelledmantotrytocomprehendarightthiswondrouswhale,bymerelypouringoverhisdeadattenuatedskeleton,stretchedinthispeacefulwood.No.
Onlyintheheartofquickestperils;onlywhenwithintheeddyingsofhisangryflukes;onlyontheprofoundunboundedsea,canthefullyinvestedwhalebetrulyandlivinglyfoundout.
Butthespine.Forthat,thebestwaywecanconsideritis,withacrane,topileitsboneshighuponend.Nospeedyenterprise.Butnowit’sdone,itlooksmuchlikePompey’sPillar.
Therearefortyandoddvertebraeinall,whichintheskeletonarenotlockedtogether.
TheymostlylielikethegreatknobbedblocksonaGothicspire,formingsolidcoursesofheavymasonry.
Thelargest,amiddleone,isinwidthsomethinglessthanthreefeet,andindepthmorethanfour.
Thesmallest,wherethespinetapersawayintothetail,isonlytwoinchesinwidth,andlookssomethinglikeawhitebilliard-ball.
Iwastoldthattherewerestillsmallerones,buttheyhadbeenlostbysomelittlecannibalurchins,thepriest’schildren,whohadstolenthemtoplaymarbleswith.
Thusweseehowthatthespineofeventhehugestoflivingthingstapersoffatlastintosimplechild’splay.
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