339 
THE WHITE WHALE 
hostile; that oil is a sliding thing, and that the object in view is to 
make the boat slide bravely. Queequeg believed strongly in anointing 
his boat, and one morning not long after the German ship Jungfrau 
disappeared, took more than customary pains in that occupation ; crawl- 
ing under its bottom, where it hung over the side, and rubbing in the 
unctuousness as though diligently seeking to insure a crop of hair from 
the craft’s bald keel. He seemed to be working in obedience to 
some particular presentiment. Nor did it remain unwarranted by the 
event. 
Towards noon whales were raised ; but so soon as the ship sailed down 
to them, they turned and fled with swift precipitancy; a disordered 
flight, as of Cleopatra’s barges from Actium. 
Nevertheless, the boats pursued, and Stubb’s was foremost. By great 
exertion, Tashtego at last succeeded in planting one iron; but the 
stricken whale, without at all sounding, still continued his horizontal 
flight with added fleetness. Such unintermitted strainings upon the 
planted iron must sooner or later inevitably extract it. It became 
imperative to lance the flying whale, or be content to lose him. But to 
haul the boat up to his flank was impossible, he swam so fast and fu- 
rious. What then remained? 
Of all the wondrous devices and dexterities, the sleights of hand and 
countless subtleties, to which the veteran whaleman is so often forced, 
none exceed that fine manoeuvre with the lance called pitchpoling. 
Small sword, or broad sword, in all its exercises boasts nothing like it. 
It is only indispensable with an inveterate running whale; its grand 
fact and feature is the wonderful distance to which the long lance is ac- 
curately darted from a violently rocking, jerking boat, under extreme 
headway. Steel and wood included, the entire spear is some ten or 
twelve feet in length ; the staff is much slighter than that of the harpoon, 
and also of a lighter material — pine. It is furnished with a small 
rope called a warp, of considerable length, by which it can be hauled 
back to the hand after darting. 
But before going further, it is important to mention here, that though 
the harpoon may be pitchpoled in the same way with the lance, yet it 
is seldom done; and when done, is still less frequently successful, on 
account of the greater weight and inferior length of the harpoon as 
