2 34 The Chase 



astern, while forward the boat seemed striking on a 

 ledge, the sail collapsed and exploded ; a gush of 

 scalding vapour shot up near by ; something rolled 

 and tumbled like an earthquake beneath us. The 

 whole crew were half suffocated as they were 

 tossed helter-skelter into the white curdling cream 

 of the squall. Squall, whale, and harpoon had all 

 blended together ; and the whale, merely grazed 

 by the iron, escaped. 



Though completely swamped, the boat was nearly 

 unharmed. Swimming round it we picked up the 

 floating oars, and lashing them across the gunwale, 

 tumbled back to our places. There we sat up to 

 our knees in the sea, the water covering every rib 

 and plank, so that to our downward-gazing eyes the 

 suspended craft seemed a coral boat grown up to us 

 from the bottom of the ocean. 



The wind increased to a howl ; the waves dashed 

 their bucklers together ; the whole squall roared, 

 forked and crackled around us like a white fire 

 upon the prairie, in which, unconsumed, we were 

 burning — immortal in these jaws of death ! In 

 vain we hailed the other boats ; as well roar to the 

 live coals down the chimney of a flaming furnace 

 as hail those boats in that storm. Meanwhile the 

 driving scud, rack, and mist, grew darker with the 

 shadows of night ; no sign of the ship could be 

 seen. The rising sea forbade all attempts to bale 

 out the boat. The oars were useless as propellers, 

 performing now the oflfice of life-preservers. So, 

 cutting the lashing of the waterproof match keg, 

 after many failures Starbuck contrived to ignite 

 the lamp in the lantern ; then stretching it on 

 a waif-pole, handed it to Queequeg as the standard- 

 bearer of this forlorn hope. Therfe, then, he sat, 

 holding up that imbecile candle in the heart of 



