THE WHITE WHALE «i 
made in the heathen flesh, and the White Whale’s barbs were then 
tempered. 
“Ego non baptizo te in nomine patris, sed in nomine diaholi !” deliri- 
ously howled Ahab, as the malignant iron scorchingly devoured the 
baptismal blood. 
Now, mustering the spare poles from below, and selecting one of 
hickory, with the bark still investing it, Ahab fitted the end to the 
socket of the iron. A coil of new tow-line was then unwound, and some 
fathoms of it taken to the windlass, and stretched to a great tension. 
Pressing his foot upon it, till the rope hummed like a harpstring, then 
eagerly bending over it, and seeing no strandings, Ahab exclaimed 
“Good! and now for the seizings.” 
At one extremity the rope was unstranded, and the separate spread 
yarns were all braided and woven round the socket of the harpoon ; the 
pole was then driven hard up into the socket ; from the lower end the 
rope was traced half-way along the pole’s length, and firmly secured so, 
with intertwistings of twine. This done, pole, iron, and rope — like the 
Three Fates — remained inseparable, and Ahab moodily stalked away 
with the weapon ; the sound of his ivory leg and the sound of the hick- 
ory pole, both hollowly ringing along every plank. But ere he entered 
his cabin, a light unnatural, half-bantering, yet most piteous sound was 
heard. Oh, Pip ! thy wretched laugh, thy idle, unresting eye ; all thy 
strange mummeries not unmeaningly blended with the black tragedy of 
the melancholy ship, and mocked it! 
CHAPTER CXIII 
THE GILDER 
Penetrating furthur and further into the heart of the J apanese cruis- 
ing ground, the Pequod was soon all astir in the fishery. Often, in 
mild, pleasant weather, for twelve, fifteen, eighteen, and twenty hours 
on the stretch, they were engaged in the boats, steadily pulling, or 
sailing, or paddling after the whales, or for an interlude of sixty or. 
seventy minutes calmly awaiting their uprising ; though with but small 
success for their pains. 
