Chapter 86 81． "Virgin" brings bad luck to "Pequode"

In the era when the whaling industry was just beginning to rise, the Dutch and Germans were the pride of the industry. At that time, in all the places in the world where whales saw, the proud figure of the Dutch and Germans could be seen, and of course, their magnificent whaling ships. It is not too much to say that the history of whaling in the world should start with the Dutch and Germans. But history should be written by everyone. Only in this way can it be regarded as fair. Therefore, the Dutch and Germans, who were once brilliant, have quietly given up the stage that they have dominated for many years.

They ceded it to the more adventurous and courageous Americans. And they themselves became more and more silent. Today, the whaling ships of these two countries are rarely seen. Compared with the American flags flying all over the world's oceans, their flags are pitifully few. But on this day, the "Pequode" unexpectedly encountered a German whaling ship. The German ship was called the "Virgin", and it seemed to be very excited to meet the "Pequode". It seemed to be eager to meet the "Pequode", just like a big girl who can't get married meets a man who wants her, afraid of missing the opportunity, and is anxious to get married.

When it was still far away from the "Pequode", the "Virgin" had already stopped. Its captain quickly lowered the skiff. The skiff came straight up. Seen from the "Pequode", the captain of the "Virgin" is holding something like a jug in his hand, which is constantly dangling. "What's that in his hand? A coffee-pot? He's come to bring us coffee, Stubb." Starbuck said happily. "Fuck you, you're so beautiful, are the Germans so hospitable? Didn't you see that there was a big oil barrel beside him? It looks like he must have come to ask us for oil."

"No, I have been at sea for so many years, and I have never encountered a whaler begging for oil from others. Wouldn't that be too embarrassing?" said Starbuck suspiciously. Stubb was right. After Derek, the captain of the "Virgin", boarded the "Pequode", the facts were verified, and the "Virgin" really came to ask for oil. Captain Ahab asked him again as usual if he had seen Moby Dick the white whale, but the captain of the "Virgin" disappointed him. They have been out for a long time, not to mention Moby Dick, they haven't even caught a flying fish, the unlucky "Virgin".

Now they have run out of oil and have to slog through dark night after night. "Then their boat is still blank, and they haven't caught any whales yet. This is really a virgin." Stubb joked. Satisfied with the oil given by the Pequod, Derek disembarked from the ship and boarded his dinghy. Just as Derek sat in his dinghy and sailed back to his Maiden, the lookouts on the mainmastheads of the Pequod and the Maiden cried out in unison. "There's a whale!" As if getting a battle signal, the boats were lowered from the two ships at the same time. Derek was even more anxious, so he simply turned the bow of the boat with the oil he was about to return, and chased in the direction of the big whale spouting water.

For Derek, his mood is understandable. A whaling ship has run out of oil, and the captain's face is not very good-looking. Now to him, the whale is just a huge oil can full of oil. Since the "Virgin" was close to the place where the whale spouted, the boats that were lowered from the "Virgin" were already ahead of Stubb and the others. Derek took the lead. There are a total of eight whales they discovered this time, which can be said to be a very good discovery. It's just that the whales have now discovered the group's attempt, and they speed up, side by side like eight carriages, roaring and rushing forward, leaving wide and thick water marks along the way.

Seven small boats were chasing after him. Gradually, one of the old whales in the group of eight fell behind and was pulled farther and farther away, almost tens of feet away from the group. The old whale was bloated and senile, its back peaked high and its swimming speed was getting slower and slower. Obviously, this old thing's physical strength is almost exhausted. The strange thing is that this old whale has light yellow all over its body, which is very different from other whales, as if it is suffering from some kind of disease. Its water spray is very short and slow, obviously it took a lot of effort.

"Couldn't it be a heavy smoker? It looks like it's addicted to smoking." Stubb said as he swiped. During Stubb's talk, the whale swam less and less well. It went east to west, like a ship without a rudder. "Look, more than half of its right fin has been broken, no wonder it is in such a mess." Someone discovered the secret and pointed it out for everyone to see. "Let me give you a rope, wounded soldier, and hang that half of your arm." Flask teased the whale. "Row quickly, or the Germans will take this guy." cried Starbuck. Now there were seven small boats in total, and they were all trying their best to chase the big whale that was destined to be their bag.

For them, this is an excellent opportunity, because it is really not easy to meet such a big and heavy whale, not to mention that it has gradually deteriorated, and it is very close to them. Gradually, Stubb and the others passed the three boats lowered from the "Virgin" and left them behind. Now there was only one of Derek's boats ahead of them. Derek watched Stubb and the others catch up, and didn't worry too much, because he set off half a day earlier than Stubb and the others, and was already close to the big stupid whale. According to the rules of the whaling industry, when many small boats besiege a whale at the same time, whoever puts his javelin first on the big whale will own the big whale.

Because of this, Derek is more confident, and he will definitely strike first. Thinking of this, Derek couldn't help feeling complacent. He was standing in his boat, looking back, and shaking his oil can behind Stubb and the others. He grimaced, mockingly. Stubb was pissed off by the guy in the back. "This ungrateful white-eyed wolf, damn it, boys, hurry up and get ahead of the German, look how proud the German is, he is laughing at us!" "Come on, why don't you be angry? Are you willing to let that rascal get the whale into his boat? Then our money will fly away."

"Why can't you row? Are you full? Well, let's fight again. In the evening, we will fry pancakes, eat cockles, baked clams, and muffins. Does anyone want to drink brandy? I promise he can drink it That's enough, if we can catch up with the German." While Stubb was yelling at his mates, his own boat was gaining on him. Derek started to get a little anxious. He took the oil can and made a gesture of throwing the oil can at Stubb and the others. Stubb and the others were even more pissed off. "Tastie, are you just being bullied by this German boat? You know, you were not so useless before, don't be a hero like you from now on!" The three boats of the "Pequode" rushed forward like arrows, and were already close to the Germans. The second and third mates stood up at the same time, cheering up their oarsmen. Derek was cursing his rowers viciously. Finally, Stubb and the others rowed desperately, almost on par with Derek's boat. Four small boats raced forward among the waves plowed by the whale. What an exciting scene. The big whale had already poked its head not far ahead, spouting water continuously, and at the same time flapping its disabled fins in fright, swimming sideways all the way, like a big bird shot by a gun, flying in the sky. Struggling in the middle, there is a possibility of being unable to support and falling down at any time. We can't help feeling sorry for this big whale, maybe, no, it should be destined to be undoubtedly, it will soon become the ghost under our guns. But we dare not relax a bit, we must know that this guy's last show of power before his death is enough to kill us. Derek couldn't help mumbling now, he knew that if the current situation continued, he would be left behind in a short while. At that time, let alone a greedy whale, I am afraid that even a small barrel of whale oil will not be available. Is it just watching the big whale being plundered in vain?Derek was dissatisfied. Just take a risk, strike first, take a long shot, and take the big whale. Maybe, this is my last chance. Just when Derek made up his mind and hinted at his javeliners to throw their guns, the three javeliners of the "Pequord" stood up in unison, looking very majestic. They took the javelins from the prongs at their side, and threw them with great force, almost in unison, over the head of Derek's javeliner a little ahead. The three javelins flew out together with the cold wind. All I saw were three arcs in the air, and the three javelins of the three javeliners pierced the back of the whale at the same time. The big whale that was pinned suddenly lost its temper and rushed forward. So the whale galloped forward with the three skiffs, leaving Derek behind at once. That's not counting, just as Stubb and their boat rushed forward, they took Derek's boat. Derek's boat shook, and Derek and his spearmen, who had not yet thrown their guns, fell into the sea. "Hold on to your oil cans!" Stubb hadn't forgotten to laugh at the guy. "We're going to pack money, haha!" The big whale that got stuck led Stubb and the others to run wildly for a while, then stopped suddenly. It took a long breath and dived into the sea. The whaling lines on the three boats were quickly dragged down by the whale, and they were dragged out in a short time. You know, they were twelve hundred feet long! The whaling line was drawn, and the whale stopped. Because the whaling line had already been pulled hard at this time, the gunwale of the bow was almost level with the water surface, and the bow of the boat was now raised high, like a person lying on the water with his buttocks up. Now the Whale and Stubb and their three boats competed, and both were in peril, but neither would yield. At this time, the big whale is potentially below 1,200 feet of sea level. You must know that the total force-bearing area of ​​the big whale is about 2,000 square feet. What's more, the sea pressure at this depth is equivalent to 50 times that of sea level. From this, it can be imagined that How much pressure does the big whale have to bear? Someone has calculated that the pressure on the whale at this time is the weight of twenty warships; moreover, these twenty warships are not empty, but are fully loaded with guns, supplies and soldiers. The danger and pain of the big whale at this time is not only the sea pressure, but also the barbs of the three javelins hooked on its back. These three barbs can be said to have made it suffer, not only from its body, but also from the fact that after it emerged from the water due to the unbearable pain, what waited for it A long time came from another meal of javelins in three small boats. While the big whale was being tortured, Stubb and the others were also being tested on the water. If the whale still had enough strength and was incomparably strong, it was entirely possible for it to drag the three small boats into the Dragon Palace together. There had been such a precedent before, and it was extremely frightening. Now, as Stubb and his boat swung in the seemingly calm waters, their eyes were fixed on the whaling lines at the bow. Its length above the water is only eight inches, and now that the three whaling lines are so slender, you can hardly believe that these three thin lines are the ones that are hanging and tossing a whale weighing dozens of tons below. Now the sea is extremely quiet, and the sailors are taking the time to take a short rest, although their eyes are still on the whaling line. It was almost dusk, and the setting sun made the shadows of the three small boats long, wandering like three ghosts on the sea, refusing to leave, which made the big whale below look even more terrified. "Come on, guys, it's coming up." Starbuck cried. The three ropes began to tremble, and everyone felt it. After a while, the downward pull of the three ropes became less powerful, which indicated that the whale began to move upward. "Pull the string, pull the string, and it came up." Starbuck cried again. The ropes were being reeled in continuously, and the skiff was full of wet whaling lines. Finally, like a spring bubbling upwards, the surface of the water stirred for a while. The big whale floated up from not far ahead. It didn't think of running for its life at first, but gasped desperately. Obviously, it was exhausted. Its blood is almost bleeding, and once it reaches this point, it will have to be slaughtered. Now all three boats rowed to the side of the whale waiting to be killed, and Stubb and the others saw the face of the whale clearly. As expected, it was already very old and disabled, which made people feel pity for it. Its upper body was already exposed above the water, and its injured fins were beating feebly, which could no longer play much role. Its eyes couldn't see the outline clearly, it was just a big bubble-like thing, and it turned out to be a blind man. Originally, if it didn't meet Stubb and Derek, it could spend its last years in the sea without a sound, and then be buried by the waves. But now it is impossible, it was given a new mission by the whalers, that is to dedicate its own oil to illuminate human weddings and other happy scenes, and dedicate its own meat to the greedy people, although it is already close to light The remaining oil was exhausted, but it did not escape. One gun after another was thrust into its body one after another, and each time it twitched in pain. At this moment, Flask found a big lump-like thing protruding from its lower abdomen. It looked very special, and it was about 30 to 40 kilograms in size. "Give it here for a while." While talking, Flask had already stabbed him with a gun. The kind-hearted Starbuck didn't stop him. The big pimple was poked by Flask. Blood spurted out from the big lump, and sprayed all over the head and body of the people on the boat.The great whale, struggling to the extreme, even capsized Flask's boat. Probably this is the only revenge it can do. Finally, the big whale sprayed water for the last time, turned over, the mysterious white belly turned upwards, and died. It was much easier to hunt down this sperm whale than the first, and the sailors were not so exhausted as before. The sailors were sitting in their own small boats, resting and talking while waiting for the big ship to come. Suddenly, Stubb noticed that the whale, which had just been killed, seemed to be sinking in the sea. He was taken aback, and quickly called everyone to stop. Everyone hurriedly found the rope and tied the big whale firmly. In this way, the big whale and the three small boats became one body, and the three small boats were equivalent to the three life buoys of the big whale. Even if it wanted to commit suicide, it would have no way to sink. The big ship is coming. Everyone was in a hurry again, and they got the big whale to the side of the boat, and tied it tightly with cat's claws. "Don't worry now, I see you are still running." said Stubb bitterly. The sailors poked and cut the ground on the big whale, and Flask was even more interested in the big pimple just now. He used a whale spatula to open the large lump completely. After a few shovels, a whole rotting javelin head was found in the flesh under the big lump. "Hey, the old fellow has had a lot of trouble! Judging by the shape and decay of this javelin leader, it has been a long time ago." "No, when this guy was shot, I might not have been there!" Surprising things are still happening. Just beside where the spearhead was found on the whale another stone was found. "What is this?" People gathered around to watch. "Does a whale grow stones in its flesh?" "It's the end of a stone spear!" "How could it be? Who still uses this thing to stab a big whale?" "Yes, no one uses it now, but the original Indians used it to hunt whales!" "Then the Indians did it." "No way, it's been hundreds of years from now." "Then who is it? Anyway, no one has used this thing since the time of my grandfather's grandfather." "According to this, this guy has lived for hundreds of years, my God! It's not too early to become a big monster." "Why don't you just let it go, it's bad luck to catch this kind of spirit." "You just let it go because you were afraid of bad luck? You didn't see how big this guy is, how fat it is, and how much oil it can produce!" "Ghost knows what weird things can be found on it." Just when everyone was talking about the head of the stone gun and felt the mystery of the big whale because of the appearance of the head of the stone gun, a new inevitable danger appeared again. "My God, it's sinking again!" "Grab it!" Starbuck yelled. But this time, no matter how hard they tried, they still couldn't stop the whale from sinking, unless they made up their minds to let the "Pequord" and the whale stand the test together. In that case, the "Pequode" might have to accompany the whale to meet God. As a last resort, Starbuck ordered the whale to be abandoned. "damn it!" he said angrily. But it was too late when he gave the order. The whale had already pulled all the cat's claws and ropes so tightly that it was impossible to untie them. The boat was pulled so heavily on one side that it would not be long before the whale towed the boat over. "Hold on, guys." Stubb yelled. "Get an ax quickly, and break these chains." "Get another Bible and pray to God, don't make things difficult for us." I don't know where Queequeg found a big ax and sharpened it. He bent over and leaned out of the porthole, and hacked at the cat's claws, only to see sparks flying. Immediately afterwards, the tightly held rope fell apart. . The ship swayed and regained its balance. The big whale sank to the bottom of the sea like a ghost. People turned back from panic. At the critical moment, it was Queequeg who made great contributions again. A big whale that was already in our hands is now lost. Everyone is very depressed and strange at the same time. No one can explain why, but they just vaguely feel that there is a force, an unstoppable force, attached to the big whale, making him powerless, if he really insists on fighting to the end, Perhaps the "Pequode" will become the funeral object of this great whale. This kind of situation had never happened before, which made everyone on the "Pequord" think that they had encountered a monster.