449 
THE WHITE WHALE 
“Well, well; no more. Thy shrunk voice sounds too calmly, sanely 
woeful to me. In no Paradise myself, I am impatient of all misery 
in others that is not mad. Thou shouldst go mad, blacksmith; say, 
why dost thou not go mad? How canst thou endure without being 
mad ? Do the heavens yet hate thee, that thou canst not go mad ? — 
What wert thou making there ?” 
“Welding an old pike-head, sir; there were seams and dents in it.” 
“And canst thou make it all smooth again, blacksmith, after such 
hard usage as it had?” 
“I think so,, sir.” 
“And . I suppose thou canst smooth almost any seams and dents ; 
never mind how hard the metal, blacksmith?” 
“Aye, sir, I think I can; all seams and dents but one.” 
“Look ye here, then,” cried Ahab, passionately advancing, and lean- 
ing with both hands on Perth’s shoulders; “look ye here — here — can 
ye smooth out a seam like this, blacksmith,” sweeping one hand across 
his ribbed brow; “if thou couldst, blacksmith, glad enough would I 
lay my head upon thy anvil, and feel thy heaviest hammer between 
my eyes. Answer ! Canst thou smooth this seam ?” 
“Oh ! that is the one, sir ! Said I not all seams and dents but one ?” 
“Aye, blacksmith, it is the one; aye, man, it is unsmoothable ; for 
though thou only see’st it here in my flesh, it has worked down into 
the bone of my skull — that is all wrinkles! But, away with child’s 
play; no more gaffs and pikes to-day. Look ye here!” jingling the 
leathern bag, as if it were full of gold coins. “I, too, want a harpoon 
made ; one that a thousand yoke of fiends could not part, Perth ; some- 
thing that will s"tick in a whale like his own fin-bone. There’s the 
stuff,” flinging the pouch upon the anvil. “Look ye, blacksmith, these 
are the gathered nail-stubbs of the steel shoes of racing horses.” 
“Horse-shoe stubbs, sir ? Why, Captain Ahab, thou hast here, then, 
the best and stubbomest stuff we blacksmiths ever work.” 
“I know it, old man ; these stubbs will weld together like glue from 
the melted bones of murderers. Quick ! forge me the harpoon. And 
forge hie first, twelve rods for its shank; then wind, and twist, and 
hammer these twelve together like the yarns and strands of a tow-line. 
Quick ! I’ll blow the fire.” 
When at last the twelve rods were made, Ahab tried them, one by 
