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MOBY DICK; OR 
happened in this instance to be right under poor Pip’s seat. The invol- 
untary consternation of the moment caused him to leap, paddle in 
hand, out of the boat; and in such a way, that part of the slack whale 
line coming against his chest, he breasted it overboard with him, so as 
to become entangled in it, when at last plumping into the water, that 
instant the stricken whale started on a fierce run, the line swiftly 
straightened ; and presto ! poor Pip came all foaming up to the chocks of 
the boat, remorselessly dragged there by the line, which had taken 
several turns around his chest and neck. 
Tashtego stood in the bows. He was full of the fire of the hunt. 
He hated Pip for a poltroon. Snatching the boat-knife from his 
sheath, he suspended its sharp edge over the line, and turning towards 
Stubb, exclaimed interrogatively, “Cut?” Meantime Pip’s blue, 
choked face plainly looked, Do, for God’s sake ! All passed in a flash. 
In less than half a minute, this entire thing happened. 
“Damn him, cut!” roared Stubb; and so the whale was lost and Pip 
was saved. 
So soon as he recovered himself, the poor little negro was assailed by 
yells and execrations from the crew. Tranquilly permitting these ir- 
regular cursings to evaporate, Stubb then in a plain, business-like, 
but still half-humorous manner, cursed Pip officially; and that done, 
unofficially gave him much wholesome advice. The substance was, 
Never jump from a boat, Pip, except — but all the rest was indefinite, as 
the soundest advice ever is. Now, in general, Stick to the boat , is your 
true motto in whaling; but cases will sometimes happen when Leap 
from the boat , is still better. Moreover, as if perceiving at last that if 
he should give undiluted conscientious advice to Pip, he would be 
leaving him too wide a margin to jump in for the future, Stubb sud- 
denly dropped all advice, and concluded with a peremptory command, 
“Stick to the boat, Pip, or by the Lord, I won’t pick you up if you 
jump, mind that. We can’t afford to lose whales by the likes of you; 
a whale would sell for thirty times what you would, Pip, in Alabama. 
Bear that in mind, and don’t jump any more.” Hereby perhaps Stubb 
indirectly hinted, that though man loved his fellow, yet man is a money- 
making animal, which propensity too often interferes with his benev- 
olence. 
