THE WHITE WHALE 
263 
a mouthful of Grenadier’s steak. And thus with oars and yells the 
keels cut the sea. Meanwhile, Stubb retaining his place in the van, still 
encouraged his men to the onset, all the while puffing the smoke 
from his mouth. Like desperadoes they tugged and they strained, till 
the welcome cry was heard — “Stand up, Tashtego ! — give it to him !” 
The harpoon was hurled. “Stem all!” The oarsmen backed water; 
the same moment something went hot and hissing along every one 
of their wrists. It was the magical line. An instant before, Stubb 
had swiftly caught two additional turns with it round the loggerhead, 
whence, by reason of its increased rapid circlings, a hempen blue 
smoke now jetted up and mingled with the steady fumes from his 
pipe. As the line passed round and round the loggerhead; so also, 
just before reaching that point, it blisteringly passed through and 
through both of Stubb’s hands, from which the hand-cloths, or squares 
of quilted canvas sometimes worn at these times, had accidentally 
dropped. It was like holding an enemy’s sharp two-edged sword by 
the blade, and that enemy all the time striving to wrest it out of your 
clutch. 
“Wet the line! wet the line!” cried Stuhb to the tub oarsmen 
(him seated by the tub) who, snatching off his hat, dashed the sea- 
water into it . 1 More turns were taken, so that the line began holding 
its place. The boat now flew through the boiling water like a shark 
all fins. Stubb and Tashtego here changed places — stem for stern — • 
a staggering business truly in that rocking commotion. 
From the vibrating line extending the entire length of the upper 
part of the boat, and from its now being more tight than a harpstring, 
you would have thought the craft had two keels — one cleaving the 
water, the other the air — as the boat churned on through both opposing 
elements at once. A continual cascade played at the bows ; a ceaseless 
whirling eddy in her wake; and, at the slightest motion from within, 
even but of a little finger, the vibratiUg, cracking craft canted over 
her spasmodic gunwale into the sea. Thus they rushed: each man 
with might and main clinging to his seat, to prevent being tossed 
1 Partly to show the indispensableness of this act, it may here be stated, that, 
in the old Dutch fishery, a mop was used to dash the running-line with wate^ 
in many other ships, a wooden piggin, or bailer, is set apart for that purpose. 
Your hat, however, is the most convenient. 
