"Whew!" he whistled at last--"the squall's gone off to leeward,
I think. Bildad, thou used to be good at sharpening a lance,
mend that pen, will ye. My jack-knife here needs the grindstone.
That's he; thank ye, Bildad. Now then, my young man,
Ishmael's thy name, didn't ye say? Well then, down ye
go here, Ishmael, for the three hundredth lay."
"Captain Peleg," said I, "I have a friend with me who wants to ship too--
shall I bring him down to-morrow?"
"To be sure," said Peleg. "Fetch him along, and we'll look at him."
"What lay does he want?" groaned Bildad, glancing up from the Book
in which he had again been burying himself.
"Oh! never thee mind about that, Bildad," said Peleg. "Has he ever
whaled it any?" turning to me.
"Killed more whales than I can count, Captain Peleg."
"Well, bring him along then."
And, after signing the papers, off I went; nothing doubting but that I
had done a good morning's work, and that the Pequod was the identical
ship that Yojo had provided to carry Queequeg and me round the Cape.
But I had not proceeded far, when I began to bethink me
that the Captain with whom I was to sail yet remained unseen
by me; though, indeed, in many cases, a whale-ship will be
completely fitted out, and receive all her crew on board,
ere the captain makes himself visible by arriving to take command;
for sometimes these voyages are so prolonged, and the shore
intervals at home so exceedingly brief, that if the captain
have a family, or any absorbing concernment of that sort,
he does not trouble himself much about his ship in port,
but leaves her to the owners till all is ready for sea.
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