Bungle away at it then, and bring it to me (turns to go).
Oh, Life. Here I am, proud as Greek god, and yet standing debtor
to this blockhead for a bone to stand on! Cursed be that mortal
inter-indebtedness which will not do away with ledgers.
I would be free as air; and I'm down in the whole world's books.
I am so rich, I could have given bid for bid with the wealthiest
Praetorians at the auction of the Roman empire (which was the world's);
and yet I owe for the flesh in the tongue I brag with. By heavens!
I'll get a crucible, and into it, and dissolve myself down to one small,
compendious vertebra. So.
Carpenter ( resuming his work).
Well, well, well! Stubb knows him best of all, and Stubb always says
he's queer; says nothing but that one sufficient little word queer;
he's queer, says Stubb; he's queer--queer, queer; and keeps dinning it
into Mr. Starbuck all the time--queer--sir--queer, queer, very queer.
And here's his leg. Yes, now that I think of it, here's his bed-fellow!
has a stick of whale's jaw-bone for a wife! And this is his leg;
he'll stand on this. What was that now about one leg standing
in three places, and all three places standing in one hell--
how was that? Oh! I don't wonder he looked so scornful at me!
I'm a sort of strange-thoughted sometimes, they say; but that's
only haphazard-like.
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