186 
MOBY DICK; OR 
end to his peculiarities by killing him, and boiling him down into a 
peculiarly valuable oil. No; the reason was this: that from the fatal 
experiences of the fishery there hung a terrible 'prestige of perilousness 
about such a whale as there did about Rinaldo Rinaldini, insomuch that 
most fishermen were content to recognise him by merely touching their 
tarpaulins when he would be discovered lounging by them on the sea, 
without seeking to cultivate a more intimate acquaintance. Like some 
poor devils ashore that happen to know an irascible great man, they 
make distant unobtrusive salutations to him in the street, lest if they 
pursued the acquaintance further, they might receive a summary thump 
for their presumption. 
But not only did each of these famous whales enjoy great individual 
celebrity — Nay, you may call it an ocean- wide renown; not only was 
he famous in life and now is immortal in forecastle stories after death, 
but he was admitted into all the rights, privileges, and distinctions 
of a name; had as much a name indeed as Cambyses or Caesar. Was 
it not so, O Timor Tom ! thou famed leviathan, scarred like an iceberg, 
who so long didst lurk in the Oriental straits of that name, whose spout 
was oft seen from the palmy beach of Ombay? Was it not so, 0 New 
Zealand J ack ! thou terror of all cruisers that crossed their wakes in the 
vicinity of the Tattoo Land? Was it not so, O Morquan! King of 
Japan, whose lofty jet they say at times assumed the semblances of a 
snow-white cross against the sky? Was it not so, 0 Don Miguel! thou 
Chilian whale, marked like an old tortoise with mystic hieroglyphics 
upon the back ? In plain prose, here are four whales as well known to 
the students of Cetacean History as Marius or Sylla to the classic 
scholar. 
But this is not all. New Zealand Jack and Don Miguel, after at 
various times creating great havoc among the boats of different vessels, 
were finally gone in quest of, systematically hunted out, chased and 
killed by valiant whaling captains, who heaved up their anchors with 
that express object as much in view, as in setting out through the Narra- 
gansett woods, Captain Butler of old had it in his mind to capture that 
notorious murderous savage Annawon, the headmost warrior of the In- 
dian King Philip. 
I do not know where I can find a better place than just here, to make 
mention of one or two other things, which to me seem important, as in 
