Chapter 131 126．first sailor farewell to us

At this moment, the "Pequode" was sailing from northwest to southeast in the hinterland of the Pacific Ocean. It won't be long before we reach the equator. That's where Captain Ahab met Moby Dick last time. Captain Ahab had adjusted the compass himself and designed the odometer himself, so that mistakes like getting the wrong direction could not happen. Since then, the "Pequode" has never had any problems with its course and speed, and it can be said that everything is going smoothly. But what is the practical significance of this smooth sailing?Maybe it can only be said that it is getting closer to the disaster that everyone expected.

The Pequod sailed alone, and they had not encountered a ship for a long time. They were terribly lonely, and they felt that there were very few ships on such a tedious and long voyage as they did. They are now just like ascetic monks in the East, tormenting themselves for some purpose. Even the wind was blowing unremarkably, even less interesting than when it was hit by a storm. The "Pequode" sailed smoothly on the regular and honest waves, as if at leisure. Everything was strangely still and unbearable. But if you really listen to it quietly, the silence around you will make you feel uneasy, and your blood will stir unconsciously.

Because there is clearly something hidden in this uneasiness, what? Always followed the danger of the Pequod. The quieter it is, the more it means that the danger is getting closer, like a leopard tiptoing towards you, you know it is coming, with danger, but you can't hear its sound. There is also an old saying that says: The calmest is before the storm. Finally, the "Pequode" approached the equatorial fishing ground. The tropical ocean scenery unfolded before them. Before the last dawn into the equatorial fishing grounds, the sea was dark and the atmosphere was tense. The Pequod was now passing a group of dark islands.

Those islands are dark and mysterious, and no one knows if there is anything hidden inside. Flask was the foreman at the time. Suddenly, he heard a cry. This cry was mournful and sad, and a little crazy, which made people feel horrified, and their whole body involuntarily tightened up. Flask looked around and saw that the sound came from the dark islands. He tensed up. Many people on the boat were awakened by the cry. They woke up from their dreams and were stunned as if they had been in a nightmare. They looked at me and I looked at you, as if they were overwhelmed by a nightmare, and they were at a loss for a while.

The cry became more and more frenzied and kept ringing. Some sailors began to tremble all over. This voice made them who were already worried about their future feel a kind of boundless fear. After a while, everyone began to recover, so they all guessed what it was. Christians and civilized sailors said it was a mermaid, but the old man from Long Island insisted that someone had fallen overboard. Both sides insist on their own opinions, and neither can convince the other. But the pagans didn't care. They watched the people scrambling without any fear.They argued like this until the sky began to light up.

Captain Ahab came on deck in the dawn. Flask hastened to report the incident to him. Captain Ahab has been lying asleep in his gondola, and has not heard any sound all night. After listening to Flask's narration, Captain Ahab couldn't help laughing seeing Flask's frightened look. Captain Ahab told them that it was not a mermaid, nor was it someone who fell into the water, nor was it a ghost. The voice came from the seal. For many years, these dark islands have been a habitat for seals. Anyone who has been here knows the grief that mother seals experience when they lose their cubs.

At this time, they often followed the passing ships, appearing and disappearing around the ships, and at the same time they let out mournful cries, each of which became more miserable. This crying always greatly affects the mood of the crew members, so many crew members have some superstitions about seals, thinking that this thing is unlucky, and they will not have good luck when encountering it. In fact, not only the cry of the seal, but also its appearance, round head, and humanoid facial features, so it looks like a drowning person, which makes people feel surprised. At sea, seals are often mistaken for people.

The well-informed Captain Ahab's explanation made everyone dispel their worries immediately. Although Captain Ahab solved the mystery, it was still an ominous omen for many sailors. This ominous omen has always been entangled with the sailors consciously or unconsciously. Finally, one morning not long after, the omen was confirmed. The first disaster of the Pequod occurred. That was when the sun was just coming out. A sailor on the Pequod got up from his berth and went on deck to his watch. The sailor came under the mast in a daze and began to climb up the mast. Not long after, a shout and "crash clatter" were heard from the mast.

When everyone looked up, the sailor had fallen from a high altitude and fell directly into the sea. In an instant, there was only a small pinch of white foam left on the sea. They quickly untied the buoy—a long, thin wooden barrel—from the stern and threw it over him. But after a while, he was not seen floating up to grab the big wooden barrel. After a while, he still didn't come up. Now, everyone was really scared. Besides, the barrel has not been used for a long time, it is a bit bad, and it has been wrinkled by the sun. Now let the sea water soak, the dry wood will start to absorb water, and when it has absorbed to a certain extent, the iron hoop The barrel, like the sailor, gradually sank to the bottom of the water.

Now there is nothing on the sea. Only then did everyone realize that the sailor would never come up again. The barrel seemed to be a pillow thrown to him by his companions, although it was indeed a little hard. All day an ominous air hung over the Pequod. Originally, the sailor went to look out for the white whale, but the white whale didn't see it, and he himself was swallowed by the sea. Then the ominous omen became clear again in people's minds, and Captain Ahab's words were also met with doubt. This incident seems to have fulfilled the omen, but everyone is not surprised, because they are no longer worried and sad about whether there is an omen. The problem now is: those omens that have appeared long ago are being implemented step by step.

Perhaps, the cry last night was just a signal. Now, there is no life buoy on board, and another one needs to be made in case of emergency. Starbucks gave the task to the carpenter. But the carpenter kept complaining that there was no lighter wood on this boat, so he simply stopped doing it. "It wouldn't exist without a lifebuoy." The carpenter said indifferently. Starbuck understood everyone's psychology. At this time, no one was too lazy to work anymore. Except for the arrival of the last moment, everything else was of no great interest. But the life buoy must be done. Queequeg said, half earnestly, half jokingly, that his coffin should have served as a life-buoy. "Using a coffin as a lifebuoy, my God, that's the wrong thing to do." Starbuck said. "It's a bit weird, but it can also be considered." Stubb said. "Would it make a nice buoy? Besides, there's nothing else but that." Flask is supportive. "That's the only way, but after all, it's a bit nondescript." Starbuck had called the carpenter, and told him to fit the life-buoy out of Queequeg's coffin. "Do you want to nail the lid on?" Asked the carpenter, he felt that this matter is not necessary. "Can." Starbuck said. "Do you want to mend all the seams?" The carpenter asked again, which he always asked before doing anything. "Ok." Starbucks agreed. "Would you like to asphalt it again?" The carpenter is still asking endlessly. "Are you done yet?" This time, Starbuck was on fire. "I just want a life buoy, I want to be quick, and you can do the rest by yourself, don't ask me everything." He was gloomy and out of breath. Starbuck went with Stubb and Flask. The old carpenter began to use coffins to make lifebuoys. While doing it, he chattered. "I think I should make 30 lifelines. If we really encounter a white whale, I'm afraid this lifebuoy will not be enough. There are 30 people in the whole ship. We can't let these 30 people come to snatch the coffin. "