But in either case,
the needle never again, of itself, recovers the original virtue
thus marred or lost; and if the binnacle compasses be affected,
the same fate reaches all the others that may be in the ship;
even were the lowermost one inserted into the kelson.
Deliberately standing before the binnacle, and eyeing
the transpointed compasses, the old man, with the sharp
of his extended hand, now took the precise bearing of the sun,
and satisfied that the needles were exactly inverted, shouted out
his orders for the ship's course to be changed accordingly.
The yards were hard up; and once more the Pequod thrust her
undaunted bows into the opposing wind, for the supposed fair
one had only been juggling her.
Meanwhile, whatever were his own secret thoughts, Starbuck
said nothing, but quietly he issued all requisite orders;
while Stubb and Flask--who in some small degree seemed then
to be sharing his feelings--likewise unmurmuringly acquiesced.
As for the men, though some of them lowly rumbled, their fear
of Ahab was greater than their fear of Fate. But as ever before,
the pagan harpooneers remained almost wholly unimpressed;
or if impressed, it was only with a certain magnetism shot
into their congenial hearts from inflexible Ahab's.
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