CHAPTER130TheHat

andnowthatatthepropertimeandplace,aftersolongandwideapreliminarycruise,ahab,—allotherwhalingwatersswept—seemedtohavechasedhisfoeintoanocean-fold,toslayhimthemoresecurelythere;now,thathefoundhimselfhardbytheverylatitudeandlongitudewherehistormentingwoundhadbeeninflicted;nowthatavesselhadbeenspokenwhichontheverydayprecedinghadactuallyencounteredmobydick;—andnowthatallhisessivemeetingswithvariousshipscontrastinglyconcurredtoshowthedemoniacindifferencewithwhichthewhitewhaletorehishunters,whethersinningorsinnedagainst;nowitwasthattherelurkedasomethingintheoldman'seyes,whichitwashardlysufferableforfeeblesoulstosee.astheunsettingpolarstar,whichthroughthelivelong,arctic,sixmonths'nightsustainsitspiercing,steady,centralgaze;soahab'spurposenowfixedlygleameddownupontheconstantmidnightofthegloomycrew.itdomineeredabovethemso,thatalltheirbodings,doubts,misgivings,fears,werefaintohidebeneaththeirsouls,andnotsproutforthasinglespearorleaf.

inthisforeshadowingintervaltoo,allhumor,forcedornatural,vanished.stubbnomorestrovetoraiseasmile;starbucknomorestrovetocheckone.alike,joyandsorrow,hopeandfear,seemedgroundtofinestdust,andpowdered,forthetime,intheclampedmortarofahab'sironsoul.likemachines,theydumblymovedaboutthedeck,everconsciousthattheoldman'sdespoteyewasonthem.

butdidyoudeeplyscanhiminhismoresecretconfidentialhours;whenhethoughtnoglancebutonewasonhim;thenyouwouldhaveseenthatevenasahab'seyessoawedthecrew's,theinscrutableparsee'sglanceawedhis;orsomehow,atleast,insomewildway,attimesaffectedit.suchanadded,glidingstrangenessbegantoinvestthethinfedallahnow;suchceaselessshudderingsshookhim;thatthemenlookeddubiousathim;halfuncertain,asitseemed,whetherindeedhewereamortalsubstance,orelseatremulousshadowcastuponthedeckbysomeunseenbeing'sbody.andthatshadowwasalwayshoveringthere.fornotbynight,even,hadfedallahevercertainlybeenknowntoslumber,orgobelow.hewouldstandstillforhours:butneversatorleaned;hiswanbutwondrouseyesdidplainlysay—wetwowatchmenneverrest.

nor,atanytime,bynightordaycouldthemarinersnowstepuponthedeck,unlessahabwasbeforethem;eitherstandinginhispivot-hole,orexactlypacingtheplanksbetweentwoundeviatinglimits,—themainmastandthemizen;orelsetheysawhimstandinginthecabin-scuttle,—hislivingfootadvanceduponthedeck,asiftostep;hishatslouchedheavilyoverhiseyes;sothathowevermotionlesshestood,howeverthedaysandnightswereaddedon,thathehadnotswunginhishammock;yethiddenbeneaththatslouchinghat,theycouldnevertellunerringlywhether,forallthis,hiseyeswerereallyclosedattimes;orwhetherhewasstillintentlyscanningthem;nomatter,thoughhestoodsointhescuttleforawholehouronthestretch,andtheunheedednight-dampgatheredinbeadsofdewuponthatstone-carvedcoatandhat.theclothesthatthenighthadwet,thenextday'ssunshinedrieduponhim;andso,dayafterday,andnightafternight;hewentnomorebeneaththeplanks;whateverhewantedfromthecabinthatthinghesentfor.

heateinthesameopenair;thatis,histwoonlymeals,—breakfastanddinner:supperhenevertouched;norreapedhisbeard;whichdarklygrewallgnarled,asunearthedrootsoftreesblownover,whichstillgrowidlyonatnakedbase,thoughperishedintheupperverdure.butthoughhiswholelifewasnowbecomeonewatchondeck;andthoughtheparsee'smysticwatchwaswithoutintermissionashisown;yetthesetwoneverseemedtospeak—onemantotheother—unlessatlongintervalssomepassingunmomentousmattermadeitnecessary.thoughsuchapotentspellseemedsecretlytojointhetwain;openly,andtotheawe-struckcrew,theyseemedpole-likeasunder.ifbydaytheychancedtospeakoneword;bynight,dumbmenwereboth,sofarasconcernedtheslightestverbalinterchange.attimes,forlongesthours,withoutasinglehail,theystoodfarpartedinthestarlight;ahabinhisscuttle,theparseebythemainmast;butstillfixedlygazinguponeachother;asifintheparseeahabsawhisforethrownshadow,inahabtheparseehisabandonedsubstance.

andyet,somehow,didahab—inhisownproperself,asdaily,hourly,andeveryinstant,commandinglyrevealedtohissubordinates,—ahabseemedanindependentlord;theparseebuthisslave.stillagainbothseemedyokedtogether,andanunseentyrantdrivingthem;theleanshadesidingthesolidrib.forbethisparseewhathemay,allribandkeelwassolidahab.

atthefirstfaintestglimmeringofthedawn,hisironvoicewasheardfromaft,—"manthemast-heads!"—andallthroughtheday,tillaftersunsetandaftertwilight,thesamevoiceeveryhour,atthestrikingofthehelmsman'sbell,washeard—"whatd'yesee?—sharp!sharp!"

butwhenthreeorfourdayshadslidedby,aftermeetingthechildren-seekingrachel;andnospouthadyetbeenseen;themonomaniacoldmanseemeddistrustfulofhiscrew'sfidelity;atleast,ofnearlyallexceptthepaganharpooneers;heseemedtodoubt,even,whetherstubbandflaskmightnotwillinglyoverlookthesighthesought.butifthesesuspicionswerereallyhis,hesagaciouslyrefrainedfromverballyexpressingthem,howeverhisactionsmightseemtohintthem.

"iwillhavethefirstsightofthewhalemyself,"—hesaid."aye!ahabmusthavethedoubloon!"andwithhisownhandsheedanestofbasketedbowlines;andsendingahandaloft,withasinglesheavedblock,tosecuretothemain-masthead,hereceivedthetwoendsofthedownward-reevedrope;andattachingonetohisbasketpreparedapinfortheotherend,inordertofastenitattherail.thisdone,withthatendyetinhishandandstandingbesidethepin,helookedrounduponhiscrew,sweepingfromonetotheother;pausinghisglancelonguponoo,queequeg,tashtego;butshunningfedallah;andthensettlinghisfirmrelyingeyeuponthechiefmate,said,—"taketherope,sir—igiveitintothyhands,starbuck."thenarranginghispersoninthebasket,hegavethewordforthemtohoisthimtohisperch,starbuckbeingtheonewhosecuredtheropeatlast;andafterwardsstoodnearit.andthus,withonehandclingingroundtheroyalmast,ahabgazedabroadupontheseaformilesandmiles,—ahead,astern,thisside,andthat,—withinthewideexpandedcirclecommandedatsogreataheight.

wheninworkingwithhishandsatsomeloftyalmostisolatedplaceintheing,whichchancestoaffordnofoothold,thesailoratseaishoisteduptothatspot,andsustainedtherebytherope;underthesecircumstances,itsfastenedendondeckisalwaysgiveninstrictchargetosomeonemanwhohasthespecialwatchofit.becauseinsuchawildernessofrunninging,whosevariousdifferentrelationsaloftcannotalwaysbeinfalliblydiscernedbywhatisseenofthematthedeck;andwhenthedeck-endsoftheseropesarebeingeveryfewminutescastdownfromthefastenings,itwouldbebutanaturalfatality,if,unprovidedwithaconstantwatchman,thehoistedsailorshouldbysomecarelessnessofthecrewbecastadriftandfallallswoopingtothesea.soahab'sproceedingsinthismatterwerenotunusual;theonlystrangethingaboutthemseemedtobe,thatstarbuck,almosttheoneonlymanwhohadeverventuredtoopposehimwithanythingintheslightestdegreeapproachingtodecision—oneofthosetoo,whosefaithfulnessonthelook-outhehadseemedtodoubtsomewhat;—itwasstrange,thatthiswastheverymanheshouldselectforhiswatchman;freelygivinghiswholelifeintosuchanotherwisedistrustedperson'shands.

now,thefirsttimeahabwasperchedaloft;erehehadbeentheretenminutes;oneofthosered-billedsavagesea-hawkswhichsooftenflyincommodiouslycloseroundthemannedmast-headsofwhalemenintheselatitudes;oneofthesebirdscamewheelingandscreamingroundhisheadinamazeofuntrackablyswiftcirclings.thenitdartedathousandfeetstraightupintotheair;thenspiralizeddownwards,andwenteddyingagainroundhishead.

butwithhisgazefixeduponthedimanddistanthorizon,ahabseemednottomarkthiswildbird;nor,indeed,wouldanyoneelsehavemarkeditmuch,itbeingnouncommoncircumstance;onlynowalmosttheleastheedfuleyeseemedtoseesomesortofcunningmeaninginalmosteverysight.

"yourhat,yourhat,sir!"suddenlycriedthesicilianseaman,whobeingpostedatthemizen-mast-head,stooddirectlybehindahab,thoughsomewhatlowerthanhislevel,andwithadeepgulfofairdividingthem.

butalreadythesablewingwasbeforetheoldman'seyes;thelonghookedbillathishead:withascream,theblackhawkdartedawaywithhisprize.

aneagleflewthriceroundtarquin'shead,removinghiscaptoreplaceit,andthereupontanaquil,hiswife,declaredthattarquinwouldbekingofrome.butonlybythereplacingofthecapwasthatomenaccountedgood.ahab'shatwasneverrestored;thewildhawkflewonandonwithit;farinadvanceoftheprow:andatlastdisappeared;whilefromthepointofthatdisappearance,aminuteblackspotwasdimlydiscerned,fallingfromthatvastheightintothesea.