CHAPTER53TheGam

theostensiblereasonwhyahabdidnotgoonboardofthewhalerwehadspokenwasthis:thewindandseabetokenedstorms.butevenhadthisnotbeenthecase,hewouldnotafterall,perhaps,haveboardedher—judgingbyhissubsequentconductonsimilaroccasions—ifsoithadbeenthat,bytheprocessofhailing,hehadobtainedanegativeanswertothequestionheput.for,asiteventuallyturnedout,hecarednottoconsort,evenforfiveminutes,withanystrangercaptain,excepthecouldcontributesomeofthatinformationhesoabsorbinglysought.butallthismightremaininadequatelyestimated,werenotsomethingsaidhereofthepeculiarusagesofwhalingvesselswhenmeetingeachotherinforeignseas,andespeciallyonacommoncruising-ground.

iftwostrangerscrossingthepinebarrensinnewyorkstate,ortheequallydesolatesalisburyplaininengland;ifcasuallyencounteringeachotherinsuchinhospitablewilds,thesetwain,forthelifeofthem,cannotwellavoidamutualsalutation;andstoppingforamomenttointerchangethenews;and,perhaps,sittingdownforawhileandrestinginconcert:then,howmuchmorenaturalthatupontheillimitablepinebarrensandsalisburyplainsofthesea,twowhalingvesselsdescryingeachotherattheendsoftheearth—offlonefanning'sisland,orthefarawayking'smills;howmuchmorenatural,isay,thatundersuchcircumstancestheseshipsshouldnotonlyinterchangehails,butcomeintostillcloser,morefriendlyandsociablecontact.andespeciallywouldthisseemtobeamatterofcourse,inthecaseofvesselsownedinoneseaport,andwhosecaptains,officers,andnotafewofthemenarepersonallyknowntoeachother;andconsequently,haveallsortsofdeardomesticthingstotalkabout.

forthelongabsentship,theoutward-bounder,perhaps,haslettersonboard;atanyrate,shewillbesuretoletherhavesomepapersofadateayearortwolaterthanthelastoneonherblurredandthumb-wornfiles.andinreturnforthatcourtesy,theoutward-boundshipwouldreceivethelatestwhalingintelligencefromthecruising-groundtowhichshemaybedestined,athingoftheutmostimportancetoher.andindegree,allthiswillholdtrueconcerningwhalingvesselscrossingeachother'strackonthecruising-grounditself,eventhoughtheyareequallylongabsentfromhome.foroneofthemmayhavereceivedatransferoflettersfromsomethird,andnowfarremotevessel;andsomeofthoselettersmaybeforthepeopleoftheshipshenowmeets.besides,theywouldexchangethewhalingnews,andhaveanagreeablechat.fornotonlywouldtheymeetwithallthesympathiesofsailors,butlikewisewithallthepeculiarcongenialitiesarisingfromacommonpursuitandmutuallysharedprivationsandperils.

norwoulddifferenceofcountrymakeanyveryessentialdifference;thatis,solongasbothpartiesspeakonelanguage,asisthecasewithamericansandenglish.though,tobesure,fromthesmallnumberofenglishwhalers,suchmeetingsdonotveryoftenoccur,andwhentheydooccurthereistooapttobeasortofshynessbetweenthem;foryourenglishmanisratherreserved,andyouryankee,hedoesnotfancythatsortofthinginanybodybuthimself.besides,theenglishwhalerssometimesaffectakindofmetropolitansuperiorityovertheamericanwhalers;regardingthelong,leannantucketer,withhisnondescriptprovincialisms,asasortofsea-peasant.butwherethissuperiorityintheenglishwhalemendoesreallyconsist,itwouldbehardtosay,seeingthattheyankeesinoneday,collectively,killmorewhalesthanalltheenglish,collectively,intenyears.butthisisaharmlesslittlefoibleintheenglishwhale-hunters,whichthenantucketerdoesnottakemuchtoheart;probably,becauseheknowsthathehasafewfoibleshimself.

so,then,weseethatofallshipsseparatelysailingthesea,thewhalershavemostreasontobesociable—andtheyareso.whereas,somemerchantshipscrossingeachother'swakeinthemid-atlantic,willoftentimespassonwithoutsomuchasasinglewordofrecognition,mutuallycuttingeachotheronthehighseas,likeabraceofdandiesinbroadway;andallthetimeindulging,perhaps,infinicalcriticismuponeachother'srig.asformen-of-war,whentheychancetomeetatsea,theyfirstgothroughsuchastringofsillybowingsandscrapings,suchaduckingofensigns,thattheredoesnotseemtobemuchright-downheartygood-willandbrotherlyloveaboutitatall.astouchingslave-shipsmeeting,why,theyareinsuchaprodigioushurry,theyrunawayfromeachotherassoonaspossible.andasforpirates,whentheychancetocrosseachother'scross-bones,thefirsthailis—"howmanyskulls?"—thesamewaythatwhalershail—"howmanybarrels?"andthatquestiononceanswered,piratesstraightwaysteerapart,fortheyareinfernalvillainsonbothsides,anddon'tliketoseeovermuchofeachother'svillanouslikenesses.

butlookatthegodly,honest,unostentatious,hospitable,sociable,free-and-easywhaler!whatdoesthewhalerdowhenshemeetsanotherwhalerinanysortofdecentweather?shehasa"gam,"athingsoutterlyunknowntoallothershipsthattheyneverheardofthenameeven;andifbychancetheyshouldhearofit,theyonlygrinatit,andrepeatgamesomestuffabout"spouters"and"blubber-boilers,"andsuchlikeprettyexclamations.whyitisthatallmerchantseamen,andalsoallpiratesandman-of-war'smen,andslave-shipsailors,cherishsuchascornfulfeelingtowardswhale-ships;thisisaquestionitwouldbehardtoanswer.because,inthecaseofpirates,say,ishouldliketoknowwhetherthatprofessionoftheirshasanypeculiargloryaboutit.itsometimesendsinuncommonelevation,indeed;butonlyatthegallows.andbesides,whenamaniselevatedinthatoddfashion,hehasnoproperfoundationforhissuperioraltitude.hence,iconclude,thatinboastinghimselftobehighliftedaboveawhaleman,inthatassertionthepiratehasnosolidbasistostandon.

butwhatisagam?youmightwearoutyourindex-fingerrunningupanddownthecolumnsofdictionaries,andneverfindtheword.dr.johnsonneverattainedtothaterudition;noahwebster'sarkdoesnotholdit.nevertheless,thissameexpressivewordhasnowformanyyearsbeeninconstantuseamongsomefifteenthousandtruebornyankees.certainly,itneedsadefinition,andshouldbeincorporatedintothelexicon.withthatview,letmelearnedlydefineit.

gam.noun—asocialmeetingoftwo(ormore)whaleships,generallyonacruising-ground;when,afterexchanginghails,theyexchangevisitsbyboats'crews:thetwocaptainsremaining,forthetime,onboardofoneship,andthetwochiefmatesontheother.

thereisanotherlittleitemaboutgammingwhichmustnotbeforgottenhere.allprofessionshavetheirownlittlepeculiaritiesofdetail;sohasthewhalefishery.inapirate,man-of-war,orslaveship,whenthecaptainisrowedanywhereinhisboat,healwayssitsinthesternsheetsonacomfortable,sometimescushionedseatthere,andoftensteershimselfwithaprettylittlemilliner'stillerdecoratedwithgaycordsandribbons.butthewhale-boathasnoseatastern,nosofaofthatsortwhatever,andnotilleratall.hightimesindeed,ifwhalingcaptainswerewheeledaboutthewateroncastorslikegoutyoldaldermeninpatentchairs.andasforatiller,thewhale-boatneveradmitsofanysucheffeminacy;andthereforeasingammingacompleteboat'screwmustleavetheship,andhenceastheboatsteererorharpooneerisofthenumber,thatsubordinateisthesteersmanupontheoccasion,andthecaptain,havingnoplacetositin,ispulledofftohisvisitallstandinglikeapinetree.andoftenyouwillnoticethatbeingconsciousoftheeyesofthewholevisibleworldrestingonhimfromthesidesofthetwoships,thisstandingcaptainisallalivetotheimportanceofsustaininghisdignitybymaintaininghislegs.noristhisanyveryeasymatter;forinhisrearistheimmenseprojectingsteeringoarhittinghimnowandtheninthesmallofhisback,theafteroarreciprocatingbyrappinghiskneesinfront.heisthuscompletelywedgedbeforeandbehind,andcanonlyexpandhimselfsidewaysbysettlingdownonhisstretchedlegs;butasudden,violentpitchoftheboatwilloftengofartotopplehim,becauselengthoffoundationisnothingwithoutcorrespondingbreadth.merelymakeaspreadangleoftwopoles,andyoucannotstandthemup.then,again,itwouldneverdoinplainsightoftheworld'srivetedeyes,itwouldneverdo,isay,forthisstraddlingcaptaintobeseensteadyinghimselftheslightestparticlebycatchingholdofanythingwithhishands;indeed,astokenofhisentire,buoyantself-command,hegenerallycarrieshishandsinhistrowsers'pockets;butperhapsbeinggenerallyverylarge,heavyhands,hecarriesthemthereforballast.neverthelesstherehaveoccurredinstances,wellauthenticatedonestoo,wherethecaptainhasbeenknownforanuncommonlycriticalmomentortwo,inasuddensquallsay—toseizeholdofthenearestoarsman'shair,andholdontherelikegrimdeath.