188 
MOBY DICK; OR 
ciously malicious, as with direct aforethought to stave in, utterly de- 
stroy, and sink a large ship; and what is more, the Sperm Whale has 
done it. 
First: In the year 1820 the ship Essex , Captain Pollard, of Nan- 
tucket, was cruising in the Pacific Ocean. One day she saw spouts, 
lowered her boats, and gave chase to a shoal of sperm whales. Ere long, 
several of the whales were wounded ; when, suddenly, a very large whale 
escaping from the boats, issued from the shoal, and bore directly down 
upon the ship. Dashing his forehead against her hull, he so stove hei 
in, that in less than “ten minutes” she settled down and fell over. Not 
a surviving plank of her has been seen since. After the severest ex- 
posure, part of the crew reached the land in their boats. Being re- 
turned home at last, Captain Pollard once more sailed for the Pacific 
in command of another ship, but the gods shipwrecked him again upon 
unknown rocks and breakers ; for the second time his ship was utterly 
lost, and forthwith forswearing the sea, he has never tempted it since. 
At this day Captain Pollard is a resident of Nantucket. I have seen 
Owen Chace, who was chief mate of the Essex at the time of the 
tragedy; I have read his plain and faithful narrative; I have conversed 
with his son ; and all this within a few miles of the scene of the catas- 
trophe. 1 
1 The following are extracts from Chace’s narrative : “Every fact seemed 
to warrant me in concluding that it was anything but chance which directed 
his operations ; he made two several attacks upon the ship, at a short interval 
between them, both of which, according to their direction, were calculated 
to do us the most injury, by being made ahead, and thereby combining the 
speed of the two objects for the shock; to effect which the exact manoeuvres 
which he made were necessary. His aspect was most horrible, and such as 
indicated resentment and fury. He came directly from the shoal which we 
had just before entered, and in which we had struck three of his companions, 
as if fired with revenge for their sufferings.” Again: “At all events, the 
whole circumstances taken together, all happening before my own eyes, and 
producing, at the time, impressions in my mind of decided, calculating 
mischief, on the part of the whale (many of which impressions I cannot now 
recall), induce me to be satisfied that I am correct in my opinion.” 
Here are his reflections some time after quitting the ship, during a black 
night in an open boat, w r hen almost despairing of reaching any hospitable 
shore. “The dark ocean and swelling waters were nothing; the fears of being 
swallowed up by some dreadful tempest, or dashed upon hidden rocks, with 
all the other ordinary subjects of fearful contemplation, seemed scarcely en- 
titled to a moment’s thought; the dismal-looking wreck, and the horrid aspect 
and revenge of the whale , wholly engrossed my reflections, until day again 
