197 
THE WHITE WHALE 
“Quick, steward !” cried Ahab. “Time ! time !” 
Dough-Boy hurried .below, glanced at the watch, and reported the 
exact minute to Ahab. 
The ship was now kept away from the wind, and she went gently 
rolling before it. Tashtego reporting that the whales had gone down 
heading to leeward, we confidently looked to see them again directly in 
advance of our bows. For that singular craft at times evinced by the 
sperm whale when, sounding with his head in one direction, he never- 
theless, while concealed beneath the surface, mills round, and swiftly 
swims off in the opposite quarter — this deceitfulness of his could not 
now be in action ; for there was no reason to suppose that the fish seen 
Tashtego had been in any way alarmed, or indeed knew at all of our 
vicinity. One of the men selected for shipkeepers — that is, those not 
appointed to the boats, by this time relieved the Indian at the mainmast 
head. The sailors at the fore and mizzen had come down ; the line tubs 
were fixed in their places; the cranes were thrust out; the mainyard 
was backed, and the three boats swung over the sea like three samphire 
baskets over high cliffs. Outside of the bulwarks their eager crews 
with one hand clung to the rail, while one foot was expectantly poised 
on the gunwale. So look the long line of man-of-war’s men about to 
throw themselves on board an enemy’s ship. 
But at this critical instant a sudden exclamation was heard that took 
every eye from the whale. With a start all glared at dark Ahab, who 
was surrounded by five dusky phantoms that seemed fresh formed out 
of air. 
CHAPTER XLYII 
THE FIRST LOWERING 
The phantoms, for so they then seemed, were flitting on the other side of 
the deck, and, with a noiseless celerity, were casting loose the tackles 
and bands of the boat which swung there. This boat had always been 
deemed one of the spare boats, though technically called the captain’s, 
on account of its hanging from the starboard quarter. The figure that 
now stood by its bows was tall and swart, with one white tooth evilly 
protruding from its steel-like lips. A rumpled Chinese jacket of black 
