CHAPTER44TheChart

hadyoufollowedcaptainahabdownintohiscabinafterthesquallthattookplaceonthenighteedingthatwildratificationofhispurposewithhiscrew,youwouldhaveseenhimgotoalockerinthetransom,andbringingoutalargewrinkledrollofyellowishseacharts,spreadthembeforehimonhisscrewed-downtable.thenseatinghimselfbeforeit,youwouldhaveseenhimintentlystudythevariouslinesandshadingswhichtheremethiseye;andwithslowbutsteadypenciltraceadditionalcoursesoverspacesthatbeforewereblank.atintervals,hewouldrefertopilesofoldlog-booksbesidehim,whereinweresetdowntheseasonsandplacesinwhich,onvariousformervoyagesofvariousships,spermwhaleshadbeencapturedorseen.

whilethusemployed,theheavypewterlampsuspendedinchainsoverhishead,continuallyrockedwiththemotionoftheship,andforeverthrewshiftinggleamsandshadowsoflinesuponhiswrinkledbrow,tillitalmostseemedthatwhilehehimselfwasmarkingoutlinesandcoursesonthewrinkledcharts,someinvisiblepencilwasalsotracinglinesandcoursesuponthedeeplymarkedchartofhisforehead.

butitwasnotthisnightinparticularthat,inthesolitudeofhiscabin,ahabthusponderedoverhischarts.almosteverynighttheywerebroughtout;almosteverynightsomepencilmarkswereeffaced,andothersweresubstituted.forwiththechartsofallfouroceansbeforehim,ahabwasthreadingamazeofcurrentsandeddies,withaviewtothemorecertainaccomplishmentofthatmonomaniacthoughtofhissoul.

now,toanyonenotfullyacquaintedwiththewaysoftheleviathans,itmightseemanabsurdlyhopelesstaskthustoseekoutonesolitarycreatureintheunhoopedoceansofthisplanet.butnotsodiditseemtoahab,whoknewthesetsofalltidesandcurrents;andtherebycalculatingthedriftingsofthespermwhale'sfood;and,also,callingtomindtheregular,ascertainedseasonsforhuntinghiminparticularlatitudes;couldarriveatreasonablesurmises,almostapproachingtocertainties,concerningthetimeliestdaytobeuponthisorthatgroundinsearchofhisprey.

soassured,indeed,isthefactconcerningtheperiodicalnessofthespermwhale'sresortingtogivenwaters,thatmanyhuntersbelievethat,couldhebecloselyobservedandstudiedthroughouttheworld;werethelogsforonevoyageoftheentirewhalefleetcarefullycollated,thenthemigrationsofthespermwhalewouldbefoundtocorrespondininvariabilitytothoseoftheherring-shoalsortheflightsofswallows.onthishint,attemptshavebeenmadetoconstructelaboratemigratorychartsofthespermwhale.

besides,whenmakingapassagefromoneroundtoanother,thespermwhales,guidedbysomeinfallibleinstinct—say,rather,secretintelligencefromthedeity—mostlyswiminveins,astheyarecalled;continuingtheirwayalongagivenoceanlinewithsuchundeviatingexactitude,thatnoshipeversailedhercourse,byanychart,withonetitheofsuchmarvellousprecision.though,inthesecases,thedirectiontakenbyanyonewhalebestraightasasurveyor'sparallel,andthoughthelineofadvancebestrictlyconfinedtoitsownunavoidable,straightwake,yetthearbitraryveininwhichatthesetimesheissaidtoswim,generallyembracessomefewmilesinwidth(moreorless,astheveinispresumedtoexpandorcontract);butneverexceedsthevisualsweepfromthewhale-ship'smast-heads,whencircumspectlyglidingalongthismagiczone.thesumis,thatatparticularseasonswithinthatbreadthandalongthatpath,migratingwhalesmaywithgreatconfidencebelookedfor.

andhencenotonlyatsubstantiatedtimes,uponwellknownseparatefeeding-grounds,couldahabhopetoencounterhisprey;butincrossingthewidestexpansesofwaterbetweenthosegroundshecould,byhisart,soplaceandtimehimselfonhisway,aseventhennottobewhollywithoutprospectofameeting.

therewasacircumstancewhichatfirstsightseemedtoentanglehisdeliriousbutstillmethodicalscheme.butnotsointhereality,perhaps.thoughthegregariousspermwhaleshavetheirregularseasonsforparticulargrounds,yetingeneralyoucannotconcludethattheherdswhichhauntedsuchandsuchalatitudeorlongitudethisyear,say,willturnouttobeidenticallythesamewiththosethatwerefoundtheretheprecedingseason;thoughtherearepeculiarandunquestionableinstanceswherethecontraryofthishasprovedtrue.ingeneral,thesameremark,onlywithinalesswidelimit,appliestothesolitariesandhermitsamongthematured,agedspermwhales.sothatthoughmobydickhadinaformeryearbeenseen,forexample,onwhatiscalledtheseychellegroundintheindianocean,orvolcanobayonthejapanesecoast;yetitdidnotfollow,thatwerethepequodtovisiteitherofthosespotsatanysubsequentcorrespondingseason,shewouldinfalliblyencounterhimthere.so,too,withsomeotherfeedinggrounds,wherehehadattimesrevealedhimself.butalltheseseemedonlyhiscasualstopping-placesandocean-inns,sotospeak,nothisplacesofprolongedabode.andwhereahab'schancesofaccomplishinghisobjecthavehithertobeenspokenof,allusionhasonlybeenmadetowhateverway-side,antecedent,extraprospectswerehis,ereaparticularsettimeorplacewereattained,whenallpossibilitieswouldbecomeprobabilities,and,asahabfondlythought,everypossibilitythenextthingtoacertainty.thatparticularsettimeandplacewereconjoinedintheonetechnicalphrase—theseason-on-the-line.forthereandthen,forseveralconsecutiveyears,mobydickhadbeenperiodicallydescried,lingeringinthosewatersforawhile,asthesun,initsannualround,loitersforapredictedintervalinanyonesignofthezodiac.thereitwas,too,thatmostofthedeadlyencounterswiththewhitewhalehadtakenplace;therethewaveswerestoriedwithhisdeeds;therealsowasthattragicspotwherethemonomaniacoldmanhadfoundtheawfulmotivetohisvengeance.butinthecautiouscomprehensivenessandunloiteringvigilancewithwhichahabthrewhisbroodingsoulintothisunfalteringhunt,hewouldnotpermithimselftorestallhishopesupontheonecrowningfactabovementioned,howeverflatteringitmightbetothosehopes;norinthesleeplessnessofhisvowcouldhesotranquillizehisunquietheartastopostponeallinterveningquest.

now,thepequodhadsailedfromnantucketattheverybeginningoftheseason-on-the-line.nopossibleendeavorthencouldenablehercommandertomakethegreatpassagesouthwards,doublecapehorn,andthenrunningdownsixtydegreesoflatitudearriveintheequatorialpacificintimetocruisethere.therefore,hemustwaitforthenextensuingseason.yettheprematurehourofthepequod'ssailinghad,perhaps,beencorrectlyselectedbyahab,withaviewtothisverycomplexionofthings.because,anintervalofthreehundredandsixty-fivedaysandnightswasbeforehim;anintervalwhich,insteadofimpatientlyenduringashore,hewouldspendinamiscellaneoushunt;ifbychancethewhitewhale,spendinghisvacationinseasfarremotefromhisperiodicalfeeding-grounds,shouldturnuphiswrinkledbrowoffthepersiangulf,orinthebengalbay,orchinaseas,orinanyotherwatershauntedbyhisrace.sothatmonsoons,pampas,nor'-westers,harmattans,trades;anywindbutthelevanterandsimoon,mightblowmobydickintothedeviouszigzagworld-circleofthepequod'scircumnavigatingwake.

butgrantingallthis;yet,regardeddiscreetlyandcoolly,seemsitnotbutamadidea,this;thatinthebroadboundlessocean,onesolitarywhale,evenifencountered,shouldbethoughtcapableofindividualrecognitionfromhishunter,evenasawhite-beardedmuftiinthethrongedthoroughfaresofconstantinople?yes.forthepeculiarsnow-whitebrowofmobydick,andhissnow-whitehump,couldnotbutbeunmistakable.andhaveinottalliedthewhale,ahabwouldmuttertohimself,asafterporingoverhischartstilllongaftermidnighthewouldthrowhimselfbackinreveries—talliedhim,andshallheescape?hisbroadfinsarebored,andscallopedoutlikealostsheep'sear!andhere,hismadmindwouldrunoninabreathlessrace;tillawearinessandfaintnessofponderingcameoverhim;andintheopenairofthedeckhewouldseektorecoverhisstrength.ah,god!whattrancesoftormentsdoesthatmanendurewhoisconsumedwithoneunachievedrevengefuldesire.hesleepswithclenchedhands;andwakeswithhisownbloodynailsinhispalms.

often,whenforcedfromhishammockbyexhaustingandintolerablyvividdreamsofthenight,which,resuminghisownintensethoughtsthroughtheday,carriedthemonamidaclashingofphrensies,andwhirledthemroundandroundandroundinhisblazingbrain,tilltheverythrobbingofhislife-spotbecameinsufferableanguish;andwhen,aswassometimesthecase,thesespiritualthroesinhimheavedhisbeingupfromitsbase,andachasmseemedopeninginhim,fromwhichforkedflamesandlightningsshotup,andaccursedfiendsbeckonedhimtoleapdownamongthem;whenthishellinhimselfyawnedbeneathhim,awildcrywouldbeheardthroughtheship;andwithglaringeyesahabwouldburstfromhisstateroom,asthoughescapingfromabedthatwasonfire.yetthese,perhaps,insteadofbeingtheunsuppressablesymptomsofsomelatentweakness,orfrightathisownresolve,werebuttheplainesttokensofitsintensity.for,atsuchtimes,crazyahab,thescheming,unappeasedlysteadfasthunterofthewhitewhale;thisahabthathadgonetohishammock,wasnottheagentthatsocausedhimtoburstfromitinhorroragain.thelatterwastheeternal,livingprincipleorsoulinhim;andinsleep,beingforthetimedissociatedfromthecharacterizingmind,whichatothertimesemployeditforitsoutervehicleoragent,itspontaneouslysoughtescapefromthescorchingcontiguityofthefranticthing,ofwhich,forthetime,itwasnolongeranintegral.butastheminddoesnotexistunlessleaguedwiththesoul,thereforeitmusthavebeenthat,inahab'scase,yieldingupallhisthoughtsandfanciestohisonesupremepurpose;thatpurpose,byitsownsheerinveteracyofwill,forceditselfagainstgodsanddevilsintoakindofself-assumed,independentbeingofitsown.nay,couldgrimlyliveandburn,whilethecommonvitalitytowhichitwasconjoined,fledhorror-strickenfromtheunbiddenandunfatheredbirth.therefore,thetormentedspiritthatglaredoutofbodilyeyes,whenwhatseemedahabrushedfromhisroom,wasforthetimebutavacatedthing,aformlesssomnambulisticbeing,arayoflivinglight,tobesure,butwithoutanobjecttocolour,andthereforeablanknessinitself.godhelpthee,oldman,thythoughtshavecreatedacreatureinthee;andhewhoseintensethinkingthusmakeshimaprometheus;avulturefeedsuponthatheartforever;thatvulturetheverycreaturehecreates.