81 
THE WHITE WHALE 
vicinity of the flying harpoon, had retreated towards the cabin gang- 
way. “Quick, I say, you Bildad, and get the ship’s papers. We 
must have Hedgehog there, I mean Quohog, in one of our boats. 
Look ye, Quohog, we’ll give ye the ninetieth lay, and that’s more than 
ever was given a harpooneer yet out of Nantucket.” 
So down we went into the cabin, and to my great joy Queequeg 
was soon enrolled among the same ship’s company to which I myself 
belonged. 
When all preliminaries were over and Peleg had got everything 
ready for signing, he turned to me and said, “I guess Quohog there 
don’t know how to write, does he ? I say, Quohog, blast ye ! dost thou 
sign thy name or make thy mark?” 
But at this question, Queequeg, who had twice or thrice before 
taken part in similar ceremonies, looked noways abashed; but taking 
the offered pen, copied upon the paper, in the proper place, an exact 
counterpart of a queer round figure which was tattooed upon his arm; 
so that through Captain Peleg’s obstinate mistake touching his appel- 
lative, it stood something like this — 
Quohog. 
his X mark. 
Meanwhile Captain Bildad sat earnestly and steadfastly eyeing 
Queequeg, and at last rising solemnly and fumbling in the huge 
pockets of his broad-skirted drab coat, took out a bundle of tracts, and 
selecting one entitled “The Latter Day Coming ; or No Time to Lose,” 
placed it in Queequeg’s hands, and then grasping them and the book 
with both his, looked earnestly into his eyes, and said, “Son of dark- 
ness, I must do my duty by thee; I am part owner of this ship, and 
feel concerned for the souls of all its crew ; if thou still clingest to thy 
pagan ways, which I sadly fear, I beseech thee, remain not for aye 
a Belial bondsman. Spurn the idol Bel, and the hideous dragon ; turn 
from the wrath to come ; mind thine eye, I say ; oh ! goodness gracious ! 
steer clear of the fiery pit!” 
Something of the salt sea yet lingered in old Bildad’s language, 
heterogeneously mixed with Scriptural and domestic phrases. 
“Avast there, avast there, Bildad, avast now spoiling our harpoon- 
