But no sooner did his harpooneer stand up for the stroke, than all
three tigers--Queequeg, Tashtego, Daggoo--instinctively sprang
to their feet, and standing in a diagonal row, simultaneously pointed
their barbs; and darted over the head of the German harpooneer,
their three Nantucket irons entered the whale. Blinding vapors
of foam and white-fire! The three boats, in the first fury of the
whale's headlong rush, bumped the German's aside with such force,
that both Derick and his baffled harpooneer were spilled out,
and sailed over by the three flying keels.
"Don't be afraid, my butter-boxes," cried Stubb, casting a passing
glance upon them as he shot by; "ye'll be picked up presently--
all right--I saw some sharks astern--St. Bernard's dogs, you know--
relieve distressed travellers. Hurrah! this is the way to sail now.
Every keel a sunbeam! Hurrah!--Here we go like three tin
kettles at the tail of a mad cougar! This puts me in mind
of fastening to an elephant in a tilbury on a plain--
makes the wheelspokes fly, boys, when you fasten to him that way;
and there's danger of being pitched out too, when you strike a hill.
Hurrah! this is the way a fellow feels when he's going
to Davy Jones--all a rush down an endless inclined plane!
Hurrah! this whale carries the everlasting mail!"
But the monster's run was a brief one.
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