Prev | Current Page 842 | Next

Melville, Herman, 1819-1891

"Moby Dick: or, the White Whale"

There is that in thee, poor lad,
which I feel too curing to my malady. Like cures like;
and for this hunt, my malady becomes my most desired health.
Do thou abide below here, where they shall serve thee,
as if thou wert the captain. Aye, lad, thou shalt sit here
in my own screwed chair; another screw to it, thou must be."
"No, no, no! ye have not a whole body, sir; do ye but use poor me
for your one lost leg; only tread upon me, sir; I ask no more,
so I remain a part of ye."
"Oh! spite of million villains, this makes me a bigot in the fadeless
fidelity of man!--and a black! and crazy!--but methinks like-cures-like
applies to him too; he grows so sane again."
"They tell me, sir, that Stubb did once desert poor little Pip,
whose drowned bones now show white, for all the blackness of his
living skin. But I will never desert ye, sir, as Stubb did him.
Sir, I must go with ye."
"If thou speakest thus to me much more, Ahab's purpose keels up in him.
I tell thee no; it cannot be."
"Oh good master, master, master!
"Weep so, and I will murder thee! have a care, for Ahab too is mad.
Listen, and thou wilt often hear my ivory foot upon the deck,
and still know that I am there.


Pages:
830 831 832 833 834 835 836 837 838 839 840 841 842 843 844 845 846 847 848 849 850 851 852 853 854