78 
MOBY DICK; OR 
began to grow vexed with him; it seemed so downright senseless and 
insane to be sitting there all day and half the night on his hams in 
a cold room, holding a piece of wood on his head. 
“For heaven’s sake, Queequeg, get up and shake yourself; get up 
and have some supper. You’ll starve; you’ll kill yourself, Queequeg.” 
But not a word did he reply. 
Despairing of him, therefore, I determined to go to bed and to 
sleep; and no doubt, before a great while, he would follow me. But 
previous to turning in, I took my heavy bearskin jacket, and threw 
it over him, as it promised to be a very cold night; and he had noth- 
ing but his ordinary round jacket on. For some time, do all I 
would, I could not get into the faintest doze. I had blown out the 
candle; and the mere thought of Queequeg — not four feet off — sitting 
there in that uneasy position, stark alone in the cold and dark; this 
made me really wretched. Think of it ; sleeping all night in the same 
room with a wideawake pagan on his hams in this dreary, unaccount- 
able Bamadan ! 
But somehow I dropped off at last, and knew nothing more till 
break of day ; when, looking over the bedside, there squatted Queequeg, 
as if he had been screwed down to the floor. But as soon as the 
first glimpse of sun entered the window, up he got, with stiff and 
grating joints, but with a cheerful look; limped towards me where 
I lay ; pressed his forehead again against mine ; and said his Bamadan 
was over. 
Now, as I before hinted, I have no objection to any person’s re- 
ligion, be it what it may, so long as that person does not kill or insult 
any other person, because that other person doesn’t believe it also. But 
when a man’s religion becomes really frantic ; when it is a positive tor- 
ment to him; and, in fine, makes this earth of ours an uncomfortable 
inn to lodge in ; then I think it high time to take that individual aside 
and argue the point with him. 
And just so I now did with Queequeg. “Queequeg,” said I, “get 
into bed now, and lie and listen to me.” I then went on, beginning 
with the rise and progress of the primitive religions, and coming down 
to the various religions of the present time, during which time I 
laboured to show Queequeg that all fasts, voluntary or otherwise, were 
excessively bad for the digestion. 
