THE WHITE WHALE 287 
murderers still sailed on unharmed — while swift lightnings shivered 
the neighbouring ship that would have borne a righteous husband to 
outstretched, longing arms. 
“Sail ho !” cried a triumphant* voice from the mainmast head. 
“Aye? Well, now, that’s cheering,” cried Ahab, suddenly erecting 
himself, while whole thunderclouds swept aside from his brow. “That 
lively cry upon this deadly calm might almost convert a better man — 
Where away ?” 
“Three points on the starboard bow, sir, and bringing down her 
breeze to us!” 
“Better and better, man. Would now St. Paul would come along 
that way, and to my breezelessness bring his breeze! O Nature, and 
O soul of man ! how far beyond all utterance are your linked analogies ! 
not the smallest atom stirs or lives on matter, hut has its cunning 
duplicate in mind.” 
CHAPTER LXX 
the jeroboam’s story 
Hahd in hand, ship and breeze blew on; hut the breeze came faster 
than the ship, and soon the Pequod began to rock. 
By and by, through the glass the stranger’s boats and manned mast- 
heads proved her a whale ship. But as she was so far to windward, 
and shooting by, apparently making a passage to some other ground, 
the Pequod could not hope to reach her. So the signal was set to 
see what response would he made. 
Here he it said, that like the vessels of military marines, the ships 
of the American Whale Fleet have such a private signal; all which 
signals being collected in a book with the names of the respective 
vessels attached, every captain is provided with it. Thereby, the 
whale commanders are enabled to recognise each other upon the ocean, 
even at considerable distances and with no small facility. 
The Pequod' s signal was at last responded to by the strangers 
setting her own; which proved the ship to be the Jeroboam* of Nan- 
tucket. Squaring her yards, she bore down, ranged abeam under 
the Pequod' s lee, and lowered a boat ; it soon drew nigh ; hut, as the side- 
