ریچل

CHAPTER 10 The Rachel

Later that day our ship met the Rachel. The Rachel looked as bad as the Pequod after the strong winds. But Captain Ahab didn’t talk to the Rachel’s captain about the weather. He asked the same question: “Did you see the white whale?”

When Captain Gardiner answered, Captain Ahab jumped. “Yes,” our visitor said. “I saw him yesterday”

Captain Gardiner came onto the Pequod with some of his men. Captain Ahab was full of questions.

“You saw Moby Dick yesterday? Where? Did you kill him?

Where is he now?”

Captain Gardiner’s face went white and he began his story.

“I had three boats on the water. Suddenly the white whale came out of the ocean. I sent one of the boats after it. The men harpooned the whale. It swam away and pulled the boat after it. It was too fast! We couldn’t follow the boat and we lost it. We looked last night and this morning. But we couldn’t find it.”

“Something on that boat is important to him,” Queequeg said quietly to me.

“Maybe it’s his best boat,” said Daggoo.

“Or his best harpooner,” said Stubb.

Captain Gardiners face was very sad. He asked Captain Ahab, “Will you help us look for the boat, Captain?”

When Captain Ahab didn’t answer. Captain Gardiner spoke again. “I’ll pay you for your time.”

There was no answer.

“My son was on that boat,” Captain Gardiner said. “I Ic s my only son—twelve years old. You and I can find him, Captain Ahab. I hope you’ll help me.”

We stood and waited for Captain Ahab’s answer.

“We have to help him,” said one whaler loudly. “We’re all whalers and many of us have sons.”

“Can’t we help him?” asked another man.

“No, I can’t do it,” answered Captain Ahab. “We don’t have time.” He turned and spoke to Starbuck. “Get these men off my ship now! We are going to sail in five minutes!” Then he walked away.

Captain Gardiner looked at each whaler’s face with his sad, red eyes. But we could do nothing. We had to go with our crazy captain.

♦

In the days after we met the Rachel, Captain Ahab started to get ready for the fight with Moby Dick. He wanted to look after Pip, so he brought Pip to his room. He spoke to him.

“These next days are going to be very dangerous,” he said. “We’re going to kill the white whale. This is going to be a long, hard fight. I want you to stay here—in my room, Pip. Never leave. You’ll hear many things, but you have to stay here. Do you understand?”

Pip listened carefully to Captain Ahab. He didn’t really understand everything but he always wanted to please his captain. He never left Captain Ahab’s room again.

Captain Ahab always stayed outside after that. He didn’t go to his room. He sat and watched the ocean for Moby Dick— morning and night. He ate outside and slept outside in his dirty clothes.

Fedallah was there too, but the two men never spoke now. They only did one thing. They watched.

♦

One morning a large black bird flew down from the sky. It flew to Captain Ahab’s head! Captain Ahab put his hands up, but the bird flew around and around his head. Fedallah did nothing. Then suddenly, the bird took Captain Ahab’s hat and flew away. Some of the whalers laughed. But some of them were afraid and talked about it later.“What does this mean? Will more bad things happen now?” they asked.