"It was a shocking bad wound," began the whale-surgeon; "and, taking my advice, Captain Boomer here, stood our old Sammy-""Samuel Enderby is the name of my ship," interrupted the one-armed captain, addressing Ahab; "go on, boy.""Stood our old Sammy off to the northward, to get out of the blazing hot weather there on the Line. But it was no use- I did all I could;sat up with him nights; was very severe with him in the matter of diet-""Oh, very severe!" chimed in the patient himself; then suddenly altering his voice, "Drinking hot rum toddies with me every night, till he couldn't see to put on the bandages; and sending me to bed, half seas over, about three o'clock in the morning. Oh, ye stars! he sat up with me indeed, and was very severe in my diet. Oh! a great watcher, and very dietetically severe, is Dr. Bunger. (Bunger, you dog, laugh out! why don't ye? You know you're a precious jolly rascal.) But, heave ahead, boy, I'd rather be killed by you than kept alive by any other man.""My captain, you must have ere this perceived, respected sir"-said the imperturbable godly-looking Bunger, slightly bowing to Ahab- "is apt to be facetious at times; he spins us many clever things of that sort. But I may as well say- en passant, as the French remark-that I myself- that is to say, Jack Bunger, late of the reverend clergy- am a strict total abstinence man; I never drink-""Water!" cried the captain; "he never drinks it; it's a sort of fits to him; fresh water throws him into the hydrophobia; but go on- go on with the arm story.""Yes, I may as well," said the surgeon, coolly. "I was about observing, sir, before Captain Boomer's facetious interruption, that spite of my best and severest endeavors, the wound kept getting worse and worse; the truth was, sir, it was as ugly gaping wound as surgeon ever saw; more than two feet and several inches long. Imeasured it with the lead line. In short, it grew black; I knew what was threatened, and off it came. But I had no hand in shipping that ivory arm there; that thing is against all rule"- pointing at it with the marlingspike- "that is the captain's work, not mine; he ordered the carpenter to make it; he had that club-hammer there put to the end, to knock some one's brains out with, I suppose, as he tried mine once. He flies into diabolical passions sometimes. Do ye see this dent, sir"- removing his hat, and brushing aside his hair, and exposing a bowl-like cavity in his skull, but which bore not the slightest scarry trace, or any token of ever having been a wound-"Well, the captain there will tell you how that came there; he knows.""No, I don't," said the captain, "but his mother did; he was born with it. Oh, you solemn rogue, you- you Bunger! was there ever such another Bunger in the watery world? Bunger, when you die, you ought to die in pickle, you dog; you should be preserved to future ages, you rascal.""What became of the White Whale?" now cried Ahab, who thus far had been impatiently listening to this byeplay between the two Englishmen.
"Oh!" cried the one-armed captain, "oh, yes! Well; after he sounded, we didn't see him again for some time; in fact, as I before hinted, I didn't then know what whale it was that had served me such a trick, till some time afterwards, when coming back to the Line, we heard about Moby ****- as some call him- and then I knew it was he.""Did'st thou cross his wake again?"
"Twice."
"But could not fasten?"
"Didn't want to try to; ain't one limb enough? What should I do without this other arm? And I'm thinking Moby **** doesn't bite so much as he swallows.""Well, then," interrupted Bunger, "give him your left arm for bait to get the right. Do you know, gentlemen"- very gravely and mathematically bowing to each Captain in succession- "Do you know, gentlemen, that the digestive organs of the whale are so inscrutably constructed by Divine Providence, that it is quite impossible for him to completely digest even a man's arm? And he knows it too. So that what you take for the White Whale's malice is only his awkwardness. For he never means to swallow a single limb; he only thinks to terrify by feints. But sometimes he is like the old juggling fellow, formerly a patient of mine in Ceylon, that ****** believe swallow jack-knives, once upon a time let one drop into him in good earnest, and there it stayed for a twelvemonth or more; when I gave him an emetic, and he heaved it up in small tacks, d'ye see? No possible way for him to digest that jack-knife, and fully incorporate it into his general bodily system. Yes, Captain Boomer, if you are quick enough about it, and have a mind to pawn one arm for the sake of the privilege of giving decent burial to the other, why, in that case the arm is yours; only let the whale have another chance at you shortly, that's all.""No, thank you, Bunger," said the English Captain, "he's welcome to the arm he has, since I can't help it, and didn't know him then;but not to another one. No more White Whales for me; I've lowered for him once, and that has satisfied me. There would be great glory in killing him, I know that; and there is a ship-load of precious sperm in him, but, hark ye, he's best let alone; don't you think so, Captain?"- glancing at the ivory leg.
"He is. But he will still be hunted, for all that. What is best let alone, that accursed thing is not always what least allures.
He's all a magnet! How long since thou sawist him last? Which way heading?""Bless my soul, and curse the foul fiend's," cried Bunger, stoopingly walking round Ahab, and like a dog, strangely snuffing;"this man's blood- bring the thermometer!- it's at the boiling point!-his pulse makes these planks beat!- sir!"- taking a lancet from his pocket, and drawing near to Ahab's arm.
"Avast!" roared Ahab, dashing him against the bulwarks- "Man the boat! Which way heading?""Good God!" cried the English Captain, to whom the question was put.
"What's the matter? He was heading east, I think.- Is your Captain crazy?" whispering Fedallah.
But Fedallah, putting a finger on his lip, slid over the bulwarks to take the boat's steering oar, and Ahab, swinging the cutting-tackle towards him commanded the ship's sailors to stand by to lower.
In a moment he was standing in the boat's stern, and the Manilla men were springing to their oars. In vain the English Captain hailed him. With back to the stranger ship, and face set like a flint to his own, Ahab stood upright till alongside of the Pequod.
