The First Lowering
The phantoms, for so they then seemed, were flitting
on the other side of the deck, and, with a noiseless
celerity, were casting loose the tackles and bands
of the boat which swung there. This boat had
always been deemed one of the spare boats, though technically
called the captain’s, on account of its hanging
from the starboard quarter. The figure that now
stood by its bows was tall and swart, with one white
tooth evilly protruding from its steel-like lips.
A rumpled Chinese jacket of black cotton funereally
invested him, with wide black trowsers of the same
dark stuff. But strangely crowning this ebonness
was a glistening white plaited turban, the living
hair braided and coiled round and round upon his head.
Less swart in aspect, the companions of this figure
were of that vivid, tiger-yellow complexion peculiar
to some of the aboriginal natives of the Manillas;—a
race notorious for a certain diabolism of subtilty,
and by some honest white mariners supposed to be the
paid spies and secret confidential agents on the water
of the devil, their lord, whose counting-room they
suppose to be elsewhere.
While yet the wondering ship’s company were
gazing upon these strangers, Ahab cried out to the
white-turbaned old man at their head, “All ready
there, Fedallah?”
“Ready,” was the half-hissed reply.
“Lower away then; d’ye hear?” shouting
across the deck.
“Lower away there, I say.”
Such was the thunder of his voice, that spite of their
amazement the men sprang over the rail; the sheaves
whirled round in the blocks; with a wallow, the three
boats dropped into the sea; while, with a dexterous,
off-handed daring, unknown in any other vocation,
the sailors, goat-like, leaped down the rolling ship’s
side into the tossed boats below.
Hardly had they pulled out from under the ship’s
lee, when a fourth keel, coming from the windward
side, pulled round under the stern, and showed the
five strangers rowing Ahab, who, standing erect in
the stern, loudly hailed Starbuck, Stubb, and Flask,
to spread themselves widely, so as to cover a large
expanse of water. But with all their eyes again
riveted upon the swart Fedallah and his crew, the
inmates of the other boats obeyed not the command.
“Captain Ahab?-” said Starbuck.
“Spread yourselves,” cried Ahab; “give
way, all four boats. Thou, Flask, pull out more
to leeward!”
“Aye, aye, sir,” cheerily cried little
King-Post, sweeping round his great steering oar.
“Lay back!” addressing his crew.
“There!—there!— there
again! There she blows right ahead, boys!—lay
back!
“Never heed yonder yellow boys, Archy.”
“Oh, I don’t mind’em, sir,”
said Archy; “I knew it all before now.
Didn’t I hear ’em in the hold? And
didn’t I tell Cabaco here of it? What say
ye, Cabaco? They are stowaways, Mr. Flask.”
