134 THE AMERICAN WHALEMAN 



moved 3 and these trenchermen fell to with scant regard for 

 ceremony. 



In the course of his chapter on "The Cabin-Table," in 

 "Moby Dick," Herman Melville gave an inimitable descrip- 

 tion of the dining-room etiquette of officers and boatsteerers. 

 The dramatis personam included Ahab, the captain j Mr. Star- 

 buck, the first matej Mr. Stubb, the second matej and Mr. 

 Flask, the third mate. 



It is noon; and Dough-Boy, the steward, thrusting his pale loaf-of- 

 bread face from the cabin-scuttle, announces dinner to his lord and 

 master; who . . . presently, catching hold of the mizzen shrouds, 

 swings himself to the deck, and in an even, unexhilarated voice, saying, 

 "Dinner, Mr. Starbuck," and disappears into the cabin. 



When the last echo of his sultan's step has died away, and Star- 

 buck, the first Emir, has every reason to suppose that he is seated, then 

 Starbuck rouses from his quietude, takes a few turns along the planks, 

 and, after a grave peep into the binnacle, says, with some touch of 

 pleasantness, "Dinner, Mr. Stubb," and descends the scuttle. The 

 second Emir lounges about the rigging awhile, and then slightly shak- 

 ing the main brace, to see whether it be all right with that important 

 rope, he likewise takes up the old burden, and with a rapid "Dinner, 

 Mr. Flask," follows after his predecessors. . . . 



Thus Flask was the last person down at the dinner, and Flask is 

 the first man up. Consider! For hereby Flask's dinner was badly 

 jammed in point of time. Starbuck and Stubb both had the start of 

 him; and yet they also have the privilege of lounging in the rear. 

 If Stubb even, who is but a peg higher than Flask, happens to have but 

 a small appetite, and soon shows symptoms of concluding his repast, 

 then Flask must bestir himself, he will not get more than three mouth- 

 fuls that day; for it is against holy usage for Stubb to precede Flask 

 to the deck. . . . 



Now, Ahab and his three mates formed what may be called the 

 first table in the PequofVs cabin. After their departure, taking place 

 in inverted order to their arrival, the canvas cloth was cleared, or 

 rather was restored to some hurried order by the pallid steward. And 

 then the three harpooners were bidden to the feast, they being its residu- 

 ary legatees. They made a sort of temporary servants' hall in the 

 high and mighty cabin. 



In strange contrast to the hardly tolerable constraint and nameless 

 invisible domineerings of the captain's table, was the entire care-free 

 licence and ease, the almost frantic democracy of those inferior fel- 

 lows the harpooners. While their masters, the mates, seemed afraid 

 of the sound of the hinges of their own jaws, the harpooners chewed 



