Chapter 113 - 115
Chapter 113 - 115
The Forge/The Gilder/The Pequod Meets the Bachelor
Ahab approaches the blacksmith at night while he's working. He asks Perth if he can fix any seam or dent; when Perth says he can, Ahab shows him his brow:
"'If thou could'st, blacksmith, glad enough would I lay my head upon thy anvil, and feel thy heaviest hammer between my eyes. Answer! Can'st not smoothe this seam?'" Chapter 113, pg. 408
Ahab has brought out a bag of hard iron, the strongest available, and with Perth's help, he fashions it into a harpoon. He has Queequeg, Tashtego, and Daggoo come over, and with their agreement, uses their blood to baptize the blade. A pole is found and a rope attached, and Ahab strides the deck with his new weapon.
Topic Tracking: Vengeance 14
The Pequod goes further into Japanese cruising grounds, and the men are often after whales, with little success. When they are out on the water, the heaves of the waves have a calming affect, as if the sea was a rolling prairie.
A few weeks after Ahab made his weapon, the Pequod passes the Bachelor. The ship is full, and heading back home to Nantucket; the men aboard are joyous and dance over the deck. Ahab asks the captain if they've seen Moby-Dick; the captain says no, and invites Ahab aboard to enjoy the party. Ahab refuses.
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