THE WHITE WHALE 
407 
serving, sir, before Captain Boomer’s facetious interruption, that spite 
of my best and severest endeavours, the wound kept getting worse and 
worse; the truth was, sir, it was as ugly a gaping wound as surgeon 
ever saw; more than two feet and several inches long. I measured it 
with the lead-line. In short, it grew black; I knew what was threat- 
ened, and off it came. But I had no hand in shipping that ivory arm 
there ; that thing is against all rule” — pointing at it with the marling- 
spike — “that is the captain’s work, not mine ; he ordered the carpenter 
to make it; he had that club-hammer there put to the end, to knock 
some one’s brains out with, I suppose, as he tried mine once. He 
flies into diabolical passions sometimes. Do ye see this dent, sir” — 
removing his hat, and brushing aside his hair, and exposing a bowl- 
like cavity in his skull, but which bore not the slightest scarry trace, 
or any token of ever having been a wound — “well, the captain there 
will tell you how that came here ; he knows.” 
“Ho, I don’t,” said the captain, “but his mother did; he was born 
with it. Oh, you solemn rogue, you — you Bunger! was there ever 
such another Bunger in the watery world? Bunger, when you die, 
you ought to die in pickle, you dog ; you should be preserved to future 
ages, you rascal.” 
“What became of the White Whale ?” now cried Ahab, who thus far 
had been impatiently listening to this by-play between the two Eng- 
lishmen. 
“Oh,” cried the one-armed captain, “oh, yes! Well; after he 
sounded, we didn’t see him again for some time; in fact, as I before 
hinted, I didn’t then know what whale it was that had served me such 
a trick, till some time afterwards, when coming back to the Line, we 
heard about Moby Dick — as some call him — and then I knew it was 
he.” 
“Didst thou cross his wake again?” 
“Twice.” 
“But could not fasten ?” 
“Didn’t want to try to: ain’t one limb enough? What should I do 
without this other arm? And I’m thinking Moby Dick doesn’t bite 
so much as he swallows.” 
“Well, then,” interrupted Bunger, “give him your left arm for bait 
