CHAPTER 21

  Going Aboard

  It was nearly six o'clock, but only grey imperfect misty dawn,

when we drew nigh the wharf.

  "There are some sailors running ahead there, if I see right," said I

to Queequeg, "it can't be shadow; she's off by sunrise, I guess;

come on!"

  "Avast!" cried a voice, whose owner at the same time coming close

behind us, laid a hand upon both our shoulders, and then insinuating

himself between us, stood stooping forward a little, in the

uncertain twilight, strangely peering from Queequeg to me. It was

Elijah.

  "Going aboard?"

  "Hands off, will you," said I.

  "Lookee here," said Queequeg, shaking himself, "go 'way!"

  "Aint going aboard, then?"

  "Yes, we are," said I, "but what business is that of yours? Do you

know, Mr. Elijah, that I consider you a little impertinent?"

  "No, no, no; I wasn't aware of that," said Elijah, slowly and

wonderingly looking from me to Queequeg, with the most unaccountable

glances.

  "Elijah," said I, "you will oblige my friend and me by

withdrawing. We are going to the Indian and Pacific Oceans, and

would prefer not to be detained."

  "Ye be, be ye? Coming back afore breakfast?"

  "He's cracked, Queequeg," said I, "come on."

  "Holloa!" cried stationary Elijah, hailing us when we had removed

a few paces.

  "Never mind him," said I, "Queequeg, come on."

  But he stole up to us again, and suddenly clapping his hand on my

shoulder, said- "Did ye see anything looking like men going towards

that ship a while ago?"

  Struck by this plain matter-of-fact question, I answered, saying,

"Yes, I thought I did see four or five men; but it was too dim to be

sure."

  "Very dim, very dim," said Elijah. "Morning to ye."

  Once more we quitted him; but once more he came softly after us; and

touching my shoulder again, said, "See if you can find 'em now, will

ye?

  "Find who?"

  "Morning to ye! morning to ye!" he rejoined, again moving off.

"Oh! I was going to warn ye against- but never mind, never mind-

it's all one, all in the family too;- sharp frost this morning,

ain't it? Good-bye to ye. Shan't see ye again very soon, I guess;

unless it's before the Grand Jury." And with these cracked words he

finally departed, leaving me, for the moment, in no small wonderment

at his frantic impudence.

  At last, stepping on board the Pequod, we found everything in

profound quiet, not a soul moving. The cabin entrance was locked

within; the hatches were all on, and lumbered with coils of rigging.

Going forward to the forecastle, we found the slide of the scuttle

open. Seeing a light, we went down, and found only an old rigger

there, wrapped in a tattered pea-jacket. He was thrown at whole length

upon two chests, his face downwards and inclosed in his folded arms.

The profoundest slumber slept upon him.

  "Those sailors we saw, Queequeg, where can they have gone to?"

said I, looking dubiously at the sleeper. But it seemed that, when

on the wharf, Queequeg had not at all noticed what I now alluded to;

hence I would have thought myself to have been optically deceived in

that matter, were it not for Elijah's otherwise inexplicable question.

But I beat the thing down; and again marking the sleeper, jocularly

hinted to Queequeg that perhaps we had best sit up with the body;

telling him to establish himself accordingly. He put his hand upon the

sleeper's rear, as though feeling if it was soft enough; and then,

without more ado, sat quietly down there.

  "Gracious! Queequeg, don't sit there," said I.

  "Oh; perry dood seat," said Queequeg, "my country way; won't hurt

him face."

  "Face!" said I, "call that his face? very benevolent countenance

then; but how hard he breathes, he's heaving himself; get off,

Queequeg, you are heavy, it's grinding the face of the poor. Get

off, Queequeg! Look, he'll twitch you off soon. I wonder he don't

wake."

  Queequeg removed himself to just beyond the head of the sleeper, and

lighted his tomahawk pipe. I sat at the feet. We kept the pipe passing

over the sleeper, from one to the other. Meanwhile, upon questioning

him in his broken fashion, Queequeg gave me to understand that, in his

land, owing to the absence of settees and sofas of all sorts, the

king, chiefs, and great people generally, were in the custom of

fattening some of the lower orders for ottomans; and to furnish a

house comfortably in that respect, you had only to buy up eight or ten

lazy fellows, and lay them around in the piers and alcoves. Besides,

it was very convenient on an excursion; much better than those

garden-chairs which are convertible into walking sticks; upon

occasion, a chief calling his attendant, and desiring him to make a

settee of himself under a spreading tree, perhaps in some damp

marshy place.

  While narrating these things, every time Queequeg received the

tomahawk from me, he flourished the hatchet-side of it over the

sleeper's head.

  "What's that for, Queequeg?"

  "Perry easy, kill-e; oh! perry easy!

  He was going on with some wild reminiscences about his tomahawk-pipe

which, it seemed, had in its two uses both brained his foes and

soothed his soul, when we were directly attracted to the sleeping

rigger. The strong vapor now completely filling the contracted hole,

it began to tell upon him. He breathed with a sort of muffledness;

then seemed troubled in the nose; then revolved over once or twice;

then sat up and rubbed his eyes.

  "Holloa!" he breathed at last, "who be ye smokers?"

  "Shipped men," answered I, "when does she sail?"

  "Aye, aye, ye are going in her, be ye? She sails to-day. The Captain

came aboard last night."

  "What Captain?- Ahab?"

  "Who but him indeed?"

  I was going to ask him some further questions concerning Ahab,

when we heard a noise on deck.

  "Holloa! Starbuck's astir," said the rigger. "He's a lively chief

mate that; good man, and a pious; but all alive now, I must turn

to." And so saying he went on deck, and we followed.

  It was now clear sunrise. Soon the crew came on board in twos and

threes; the riggers bestirred themselves; the mates were actively

engaged; and several of the shore people were busy in bringing various

last things on board. Meanwhile Captain Ahab remained invisibly

enshrined within his cabin.