"A wooden rose-bud, eh?" he cried with his hand to his nose,
"that will do very well; but how like all creation it smells!"
Now in order to hold direct communication with the people on deck,
he had to pull round the bows to the starboard side, and thus come
close to the blasted whale; and so talk over it.
Arrived then at this spot, with one hand still to his nose,
he bawled--"Bouton-de-Rose, ahoy! are there any of you
Bouton-de-Roses that speak English?"
"Yes," rejoined a Guernsey-man from the bulwarks, who turned
out to be the chief-mate.
"Well, then, my Bouton-de-Rose-bud, have you seen the White Whale?"
"What whale?"
"The White Whale--a Sperm Whale--Moby Dick, have ye seen him?
"Never heard of such a whale. Cachalot Blanche! White Whale--no."
"Very good, then; good bye now, and I'll call again in a minute."
Then rapidly pulling back towards the Pequod, and seeing Ahab leaning
over the quarter-deck rail awaiting his report, he moulded his two hands
into a trumpet and shouted--"No, Sir! No!" Upon which Ahab retired,
and Stubb returned to the Frenchman.
He now perceived that the Guernsey-man, who had just got into the chains,
and was using a cutting-spade, had slung his nose in a sort of bag.
Pages:
638
639
640
641
642
643
644
645
646
647
648
649
650
651
652
653
654
655
656
657
658
659
660
661
662