Chapter 98 93．Natural selection, survival of the fittest

Since the departure of the "Pequode" until now, except for occasional occasions, the whole ship has been shrouded in an atmosphere of merriment.Even if there was a brief moment of tension when chasing the whale, it was replaced by the joy of conquering the whale in a blink of an eye. However, shortly after our encounter with the French "Rose", at last something sad happened. Although this happened to the most inconspicuous and insignificant person on the entire "Pequode", it was undoubtedly a very unpleasant thing for the "Pequode". Because this is the first note of its tragic destiny symphony, although they have been in high spirits, they never expected what their ending would look like.

The unfortunate thing is this: On a whaling ship, the division of labor is very strict. Whoever gets off the boat and whoever looks after the boat cannot surpass each other. We have talked a lot before about the sailors who went down into the small boats to hunt down the big whales. In fact, the role of the people who stayed on the big boats is also very important. Because when other crew members went to hunt down the big whale, they had to drive the big ship, ensure the safety of the big ship, obey the captain's orders, follow or wait for the small boat, and sometimes help out. Generally speaking, the sailors who go down in the boat should be as strong, brave, and able as the sailors who stay in the ship, for the simple reason that nothing can go wrong in either link.

But this time, there was a little guy on board the "Pequode" who was incompatible with all the above-mentioned qualities. The reason why he is called a little guy is not only because of his young age, but also because of his small stature. Can't remember his name, but we all call him Pip anyway. You must remember that merry midnight we used to talk about, when there was Pip, and he beat his tambourine, and his melancholy came out of it. Perhaps, at that time, he had anticipated his tragic ending. Pip is a black man, weak in body, clumsy in hands and feet, and timid, which is both despised and pitiful.However, his heart is very gentle and not stupid, just like the characteristics of his nation, happy and cheerful, which makes people feel a sense of intimacy.

Before being lured aboard the Pequod, Pip lived freely in his hometown, Tolland County, Connecticut.He was carefree and refreshed, and he loved his life, which, though poor, was peaceful and tranquil. Pip's snare drum is his sustenance and expression of his mood. He joins the happy crowd in his hometown with his own snare drum, and has already enjoyed it, expressing his joy to his heart's content. However, for some unknown reason, Pip actually boarded the "Pequode" which was completely different from his own state of mind, and acted as its sailor. Thus, his tragedy began, and he started a trembling life that was completely different from before.

Now I think that poor Pip was probably tricked into boarding the Pequod by his companions. Just as Stubb outmaneuvered the ambergris, one of his rear oarsmen twisted his hand and was momentarily immobilized. So Pip was called to fill in for the back rower for a while. When Pip and Stubb got out of the boat to hunt the whale for the first time, he seemed restless and nervous. Seeing this, Stubb encouraged Pip not to be afraid, but to be brave, only in this way could he be a good sailor. They hadn't had a fight with the whale that time, so Bipp had escaped danger once.But for Pip, who is now a sailor, danger cannot be avoided after all.

When Pip went into the sea for the second time, he encountered the whale. At that moment, the whale let Tustego take the first shot, jumped in a hurry, and jumped beside Pip. Then, the whaling line, which was not yet taut, wrapped around Pip's chest and entangled Pip. Pip was so frightened that he couldn't control himself, jumped out of the boat, and fell into the sea with a "plop". When the whale started to run away, it straightened the whaling line. In this way Pip was firmly entangled in the sea by the whaling line, several times from chest to neck. Pip was so bruised from the strangulation that he couldn't say a word, but just stared at Stubb.

Tustego, furious, but unable to save Pip, drew his dagger, put the blade on the whaling line, and looked back at Stubb: "Cut?" "Cut it! Fuck it! Damn Pip!" Stubb cursed loudly. The tight rope snapped. Poor and hateful Pip was saved. The injured whale ran away. When Pip regained his senses with difficulty, all the sailors cursed him very viciously. Stubb waited until everyone had finished scolding and venting before beginning to formally lecture Pip. Stubb vented his anger by scolding Pip half-sarcastically, and then set about teaching Pip how to avoid danger. Stubb said a lot, but most importantly:

Never leave the boat! "As long as you don't leave the boat, you'll be fine!" Stubb ended his lecture emphatically. "However, if you jump out again, I don't care about you. I can't always let the big whale run away to save you." "Do you know how much a big whale can sell for? Tell you, it's thirty times more than your worth!" Stubb approached and sounded the alarm for Beep. Perhaps it was Pip's fate that when he hit the whale for the second time, Pip jumped out of the boat again. In fact, this time was far less dangerous than the last time, the rope was not entangled with Pip at all.

In this way, although Pip escaped the danger of being strangled to death by the whaling rope, because the small boat was dragged away by the big whale, Pip was left far behind by the small boat. There was no one to pity him this time, because Stubb had said it before, and Pip could not spoil everyone's good chance again. The weather on this day is really wonderful, the sky is blue and magnificent, and the sea is as flat as a layer of satin. But for Beep, it all terrified him. He floated up and down on the surface of the sea, with only his head showing like the top of a lilac tree. In just a moment, Stubb and the others were already far away, and Pip could only vaguely see his strong back.

Throughout Pip's abandonment, Stubb never once looked back. Now, Pip was alone in the sea, struggling desperately like a chicken about to be slaughtered. To be honest, Stubb was not so cruel, insisting on throwing Pip away to fulfill what he said. Annoyed, he thought: "There are two small boats behind, just let them pick up the waste." But by coincidence, neither of the two small boats behind saw Pip, but they were all concentrating on looking for the whales. Since they had spotted the school of whales on their side, they did not follow Stubb's path, and Peep was ignored anyway.

When Pip was about to die, fortunately the big ship came and they found and rescued Pip. From the moment Pip was rescued, his nerves began to go wild, and it continued. Now, we often see Pip walking up and down the deck. The poor little thing's eyes were glazed over, and his mouth was muttering, while his hair was more disheveled. Someone always joked with Beep: "Pip, did the sea drown you?" Another said: "Say I drowned you, your body is back; say I didn't drown you, your soul is gone." Then Beep said: "I don't care about life or death anymore, because I tell you: I have been there." Beep describes: "It's an abyss, so deep, so deep. When you walk in the middle, you can't see the top and the bottom. There are countless monsters in it, which are invisible to people living in the world." Beep also said: "I also saw God, who was spinning the thread, and wondered why he was still doing it." "I also saw another group of friends created by God living in the sea, and I greeted them one by one." Everyone agrees: Beep is crazy! Nobody complained about Stubb, because in a life-threatening business, it wasn't such a big deal. Sooner or later, people will be abandoned, or the soul will go out of the body first, and then the body will slowly rot, or the body will rot first, but the soul is still wandering, homeless, and finally fly to the kingdom of heaven. If you listen, you will know at the end that I too was abandoned by the Pequod.