Marchant service indeed! I suppose now ye feel considerable
proud of having served in those marchant ships. But flukes! man,
what makes thee want to go a whaling, eh?--it looks a little
suspicious, don't it, eh?--Hast not been a pirate, hast thou?--
Didst not rob thy last Captain, didst thou?--Dost not think
of murdering the officers when thou gettest to sea?"
I protested my innocence of these things. I saw that under
the mask of these half humorous innuendoes, this old seaman,
as an insulated Quakerish Nantucketer, was full of his
insular prejudices, and rather distrustful of all aliens,
unless they hailed from Cape Cod or the Vineyard.
"But what takes thee a-whaling? I want to know that before I
think of shipping ye."
"Well, sir, I want to see what whaling is. I want to see the world."
"Want to see what whaling is, eh? Have ye clapped eye on Captain Ahab?"
"Who is Captain Ahab, sir?"
"Aye, aye, I thought so. Captain Ahab is the Captain of this ship."
"I am mistaken then. I thought I was speaking to the Captain himself."
"Thou art speaking to Captain Peleg--that's who ye are speaking to,
young man. It belongs to me and Captain Bildad to see the Pequod fitted
out for the voyage, and supplied with all her needs, including crew.
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