236 
MOBY DICK; OR 
sort of passiveness in their conduct, he kept his own counsel (at least 
till all was over) concerning his own proper and private revenge upon 
the man who had stung him in the ventricles of his heart. He was 
in Radney the chief mate’s watch ; and as if the infatuated man sought 
to run more than half-way to meet his doom, after the scene at the 
rigging, he insisted, against the express counsel of the Captain, upon 
resuming the head of his watch at night. Upon this, and one or two 
other circumstances, Steelkilt systematically built the plan of his re- 
venge. 
“During the night, Radney had an unseamanlike way of sitting on 
the bulwarks of the quarter-deck, and leaning his arm upon the gun- 
wale of the boat which was hoisted up there, a little above the ship’s 
side. In this attitude, it was well known he sometimes dozed. There 
was a considerable vacancy between the boat and the ship, and down 
between this was the sea. Steelkilt calculated his time, and found 
that his next trick at the helm would come round at two o’clock, in 
the morning of the third day from that in which he had been betrayed. 
At his leisure, he employed the interval in braiding something very 
carefully in his watches below. 
“ ‘What are you making there ?” said a shipmate. 
“ ‘What do you think ? what does it look like V 
“ ‘Like a lanyard for your hag ; but it’s an odd one, seems to me.’ 
“ ‘Yes, rather oddish,’ said the Lakeman, holding it at arm’s 
length before him; ‘but I think it will answer. Shipmate, I haven’t 
enough twine, — have you any V 
“But there was none in the forecastle. 
“ ‘Then I must get some from old Rad’ ; and he rose to go aft. 
“ ‘You don’t mean to go a begging to him!’ said a sailor. 
“ ‘Why not ? Do you think he won’t do me a turn, when it’s to 
help himself in the end, shipmate V and going to the mate, he looked 
at him quietly, and asked him for some twine to mend his hammock. 
It was given him — neither twine nor lanyard were seen again; but 
the next night an iron ball, closely netted, partly rolled from the 
pocket of the Lakeman’s monkey jacket, as he was tucking the coat 
into his hammock for a pillow. Twenty-four hours after, his trick 
at the silent helm — nigh to the man who was apt to doze over the grave 
