He did; and then it seemed to me that he was dogging us,
but with what intent I could not for the life of me imagine.
This circumstance, coupled with his ambiguous, half-hinting,
half-revealing, shrouded sort of talk, now begat in me all
kinds of vague wonderments and half-apprehensions, and all
connected with the Pequod; and Captain Ahab; and the leg
he had lost; and the Cape Horn fit; and the silver calabash;
and what Captain Peleg had said of him, when I left the ship
the day previous; and the prediction of the squaw Tistig;
and the voyage we had bound ourselves to sail; and a hundred
other shadowy things.
I was resolved to satisfy myself whether this ragged Elijah was
really dogging us or not, and with that intent crossed the way
with Queequeg, and on that side of it retraced our steps.
But Elijah passed on, without seeming to notice us.
This relieved me; and once more, and finally as it seemed to me,
I pronounced him in my heart, a humbug.
CHAPTER 20
All Astir
A day or two passed, and there was great activity aboard
the Pequod. Not only were the old sails being mended, but new sails
were coming on board, and bolts of canvas, and coils of rigging;
in short, everything betokened that the ship's preparations were
hurrying to a close.
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