406 
MOBY DICK; OR 
all the time standing near them, with nothing specific visible, to denote 
his gentlemanly rank on board. His face was an exceedingly round 
but sober one; he was dressed in a faded blue woollen frock or shirt, 
and patched trousers; and had thus far been dividing his attention 
between a marling-spike he held in one hand, and a pill-box held in the 
other, occasionally casting a critical glance at the ivory limbs of the 
two crippled captains. But, at the superior’s introduction of him to 
Ahab, he politely bowed and straightway went on to do his captain’s 
bidding. 
“It was a shocking bad wound,” began the whale surgeon; “and, 
taking my advice, Captain Boomer here, stood our old Sammy ” 
“Samuel Enderby is the name of my ship,” interrupted the one- 
armed captain, addressing Ahab; “go on, boy.” 
“Stood our old Sammy off to the northward, to get out of the blazing 
hot weather there on the Line. But it was no use — I did all I could ; 
sat up with him nights; was very severe with him in the matter of 
diet ” 
“Oh, very severe!” chimed in the patient himself; then suddenly 
altering his voice, “drinking hot rum toddies with me every night, till 
he couldn’t see to put on the bandages; and sending me to bed, half 
seas over, about three o’clock in the morning. Oh, ye stars! he sat 
up with me indeed, and was very severe in my diet. Oh! a great 
watcher, and very dietetically severe, is Dr. Bunger. (Bunger, you 
dog, laugh out! why don’t ye? You know you’re a precious jolly 
rascal.) But, heave ahead, boy, I’d rather be killed by you than kept 
alive by any other man.” 
“My captain, you must have ere this perceived, respected sir” — 
said the imperturbable godly-looking Bunger, slightly bowing to Ahab — 
“is apt to be facetious at times ; he spins us many clever things of that 
sort. But I may as well say — en passant , as the French remark — 
that I myself — that is to say, Jack Bunger, late of the reverend 
clergy — am a strict total abstinence man ; I never drink ” 
“Water!” cried the captain; “he never drinks it; it’s a sort of fits 
to him; fresh water throws him into the hydrophobia; but go on — go 
on with the arm story.” 
“Yes, I may as well,” said the surgeon coolly. “I was about ob- 
