Chapter 41 36．oath

One morning, just after breakfast, Captain Ahab, following his old custom, came out through the hatch of the captain's cabin and onto the deck. It was his old habit, and it was the habit of many captains in whaling ships, as a country gentleman is bound to take a walk around his estate after his meal. He walked back and forth on the deck, pacing in circles, stepping on the deck with his teeth and legs, and there was a solid "dong dong" sound. If you pay attention to the circle in which Captain Ahab used to pace, you will see that there is a ring of dents in the deck, which are the work of his teeth.

Please look again at the forehead of Captain Ahab, and you will find that there is also a strange mark on his forehead. What is that? Let me tell you, those were the footprints of his mind. Captain Ahab's footsteps resounded regularly on the deck, and all the crew members were familiar with it. When Captain Ahab had a difficult question, the sound of the footsteps seemed to be much louder, and the marks on the deck became deeper. When Captain Ahab walked on the deck, he was always full of thoughts. Every time he moved forward and turned, he seemed to make a great decision. It could be seen that his mind was engaged in a fierce struggle.

His every movement is a reflection of his heart. The crew had noticed this long ago, and they knew that something in Captain Ahab's heart was about to be revealed. "Have you noticed that the little chick in Captain Ahab's heart has almost pecked through the eggshell and is about to come out soon." Stubb whispered to Flask. As Stubb and Flask whisper, the battle of Captain Ahab's mind intensifies. He walked on the deck for a while, got into the captain's cabin for a while, and got out again for a while. His face became firm and stern. In this way, Captain Ahab walked around almost the whole day, until the sun was about to set.

At this time, he stood on the edge of the bulwark, motionless. He put his fangs in the turnholes and stood, holding on to the shrouds with one hand. "Mr. Starbuck, please call everyone here." Captain Ahab gave the order. "Sir, this is..." Starbuck was a little surprised that he didn't know what emergency was happening. "Call everyone aft." Captain Ahab repeated again. Then he raised his head and shouted to the men on the masthead: "Come down, masthead man, and come to me." All the people gathered together and stood before Captain Ahab.

All looked at Captain Ahab with a mixture of surprise and concern. Captain Ahab's face was stern, as if a storm was coming. Captain Ahab shot them all with piercing eyes. After reading it once, Captain Ahab started to walk again, but the steps were much heavier. The crowd started chattering. Stubb was biting at Flask again. "Is he asking us to admire his square steps?" After a short while, Captain Ahab stopped suddenly. Facing them all, he cried out: "What do you do when you see a big whale?" "Call out loud." Everyone answered together. "very good."

Captain Ahab did not expect his question to be answered so enthusiastically, and he couldn't help but shouted his approval. "So what's next?" he asked again. "Let the boat go after it." Everyone still answers together. "What do you think?" Captain Ahab asked the third question. "With it without me! With me without it!" Everyone's spirits rose. Captain Ahab was obviously very satisfied with everyone's answers, and his expression became strange and joyful. Everyone didn't quite understand why Captain Ahab was so excited about this question, which is usually like an endorsement.

Captain Ahab's feet burrowed in the turnhole, and his hands clung to the shrouds. He took out a gold coin, a gold coin shining with golden light. He held up the gold coin in the air. "Did you see this Spanish gold piece? It's worth sixteen dollars, and it's going to belong to one of you, you know." The crowd surged. "Mr. Starbuck, please fetch a sledgehammer," said Captain Ahab to the mate. When the first mate went to get the hammer, Captain Ahab slowly wiped the gold coin with the corner of his clothes, muttering something. The sledgehammer was brought, and delivered to Captain Ahab.

Captain Ahab walked up to the mainmast with a sledgehammer and gold coins. "It doesn't matter who among you, as long as he finds a white whale, a white whale with a wrinkled forehead and a hooked mouth, and three muzzles on the right tail, then whoever this gold coin belongs to." Captain Ahab finished speaking in one breath, and was decisive. "Long live! Long live!" The crowd cheered. Captain Ahab nailed the coin to the mainmast in full view. "Remember, whenever you see that guy, you must yell loudly, and you must keep an eye on it!" The crowd became excited, like a pot of boiling water.

Tustego, Big Man, and Queequeg were more interested than the rest. When Captain Ahab mentioned the white whale, the three couldn't help jumping, as if some memory in their hearts had been touched. "Captain Ahab, I suppose the white whale must be what they call Moby Dick?" Tustego said loudly. Captain Ahab was startled when he heard this, and then he yelled loudly. "Why, do you know that guy?" "He always flaps his tail before going into the water." Tustego was talking about Moby Dick's traits. "It also sprays strange water, it's very thick, and it swims amazingly fast."

the big man added. "He's got a lot of spearguns on him, all tangled up like..." Queequeg added hastily, and stammered. "Like a corkscrew, isn't it, Queequeg?" Captain Ahab took up the conversation. "Yes, its spray is as big as a heap of wheat; its spray is as white as our sheared wool; Corner frame. Listen, friends, this is what I call Moby Dick." There was praise in Captain Ahab's words. Starbuck had been staring silently at Captain Ahab, and now he spoke. "Captain Ahab, did it make your leg?" "Who said this?" Captain Ahab cried out loudly, but then stopped.

He paused and admitted. "Yeah, you're right, that guy took my leg off, and now I'm just standing here in this broken bone." Captain Ahab whimpered bestially like an elk shot through the heart. "Yes, that fellow made me like this, and made me a poor one-legged sailor forever, and I'll go all over the world and chase him into the fiery pits of hell, and I'll catch him, or I'll never let go of." "Friends, I invite you here to help me catch that guy. We will definitely prick it until it is covered in black blood, and we must shovel its black fins. What do you think?" "Yep!" Sailors and javeliners echoed in unison. Captain Ahab was very excited. "You are brave sailors, and God bless you, waiter, get some wine, and let us have a drink!" Captain Ahab turned his head and saw Starbuck who was silent on the side. "Why, Starbucks, why are you holding back? Aren't you happy to catch that white whale?" "I'd be happy to kill that guy, to vent your anger on you, if we could meet him. But we can't just do it for it, we're here to hunt whales, not revenge, just rely on the white whale Barrels of oil don’t make much money.” Starbuck said quietly. "Why do you only think of your money, Starbucks, and what is money compared to my hatred?" Captain Ahab became a little impatient. "He's beating his chest. It looks like he's about to lose his mind." Stubb whispered. "Why do you have to go crazy to compete with a beast without spirituality, to fight for life and death?" Starbucks still wouldn't budge. "Listen, Starbucks, the split you're expecting is really nothing, and it's a small one. It's something anyone can have, and it's just something outside of him!" "Throw away these extraneous things, if you follow me to catch and kill the white whale, you will feel that the value you get is much more than money!" "Being oppressed by the white whale like this, don't you feel that you can't breathe? I'm like a prison. I can't bear this kind of abuse from evil and brutality. I want to go out and break through the prison. wall." "No matter what oppresses and insults me, I can't bear it. I will smash them. The same is true for the sun, if it also insults me." "The world is fair, I'm just maintaining this fairness, I don't accept anyone's rule, I only believe in the existence of truth." "Don't stare at me so blankly, Starbucks, it's better to stare at me viciously, look at your flushed face, it's clear that you have been infected by my anger, that's right, I really hope you can I hate the great white whale as much as I do, and I don't care what you say to me. " "Look at us sailors again. Although they can't say more, their blood is boiling. They all support me, including Stubb. You can see how happy he is smiling." "Well, don't think of anything else, come on, Starbucks, nothing will make you more famous than killing Moby Dick." "Why don't you talk anymore? I can see that you have cheered up. Well, now that we are in agreement, you are also with me. I believe you will not betray me." Captain Ahab said a lot in one breath. "May God bless me and bless us all." Starbucks muttered helplessly. Captain Ahab was delighted to see Starbuck no longer openly against him. "Get the cup!" He shouted orders cheerfully. The glass was filled with wine and passed into Captain Ahab's hand. He ordered the harpooneers to stand in a row before him with their spears, and the mates to stand beside him with their spears, and the rest to form a wide circle around them. Captain Ahab, after scanning it once, handed the heavy bottle to a sailor: "Drink it, pass it on, and drink it one by one!" The sailors drank one by one as ordered. After drinking the bottle, Captain Ahab called again: "The waiter, bring more wine!" The wine was served again. Captain Ahab filled the wine and held it up high: "Come on, let's swear!" Captain Ahab looked at the three first officers with burning eyes. The three first mates cringed under Captain Ahab's gaze. "You can't stop me, I will lead everyone including you to attack the white whale!" thought Captain Ahab proudly. "Come, let us drink to our heart's content, three mates, and fill our three brave harpooneers." "Come, drink, swear, well, we have sworn, and the sun has consented, and it will testify against us in the morning." "Let's hunt down Moby Dick and send him to hell, we must, because we've sworn it, or God will punish us." The three javeliners swore along with Captain Ahab, and drank from their cups. Starbuck was pale, trembling, and swaying. All the sailors drank again.