CHAPTER 5

  Breakfast

  I quickley followed suit, and descending into the bar-room

accosted the grinning landlord very pleasantly. I cherished no

malice towards him, though he had been skylarking with me not a little

in the matter of my bedfellow.

  However, a good laugh is a mighty good thing, and rather too

scarce a good thing; the more's the pity. So, if any one man, in his

own proper person, afford stuff for a good joke to anybody, let him

not be backward, but let him cheerfully allow himself to spend and

to be spent in that way. And the man that has anything bountifully

laughable about him, be sure there is more in that man than you

perhaps think for.

  The bar-room was now full of the boarders who had been dropping in

the night previous, and whom I had not as yet had a good look at. They

were nearly all whalemen; chief mates, and second mates, and third

mates, and sea carpenters, and sea coopers, and sea blacksmiths, and

harpooneers, and ship keepers; a brown and brawny company, with

bosky beards; an unshorn, shaggy set, all wearing monkey jackets for

morning gowns.

  You could pretty plainly tell how long each one had been ashore.

This young fellow's healthy cheek is like a sun-toasted pear in hue,

and would seem to smell almost as musky; he cannot have been three

days landed from his Indian voyage. That man next him looks a few

shades lighter; you might say a touch of satin wood is in him. In

the complexion of a third still lingers a tropic tawn, but slightly

bleached withal; he doubtless has tarried whole weeks ashore. But

who could show a cheek like Queequeg? which, barred with various

tints, seemed like the Andes' western slope, to show forth in one

array, contrasting climates, zone by zone.

  "Grub, ho!" now cried the landlord, flinging open a door, and in

we went to breakfast.

  They say that men who have seen the world, thereby become quite at

ease in manner, quite self-possessed in company. Not always, though:

Ledyard, the great New England traveller, and Mungo Park, the Scotch

one; of all men, they possessed the least assurance in the parlor. But

perhaps the mere crossing of Siberia in a sledge drawn by dogs as

Ledyard did, or the taking a long solitary walk on an empty stomach,

in the negro heart of Africa, which was the sum of poor Mungo's

performances- this kind of travel, I say, may not be the very best

mode of attaining a high social polish. Still, for the most part, that

sort of thing is to be had anywhere.

  These reflections just here are occasioned by the circumstance

that after we were all seated at the table, and I was preparing to

hear some good stories about whaling; to my no small surprise nearly

every man maintained a profound silence. And not only that, but they

looked embarrassed. Yes, here were a set of sea-dogs, many of whom

without the slightest bashfulness had boarded great whales on the high

seas- entire strangers to them- and duelled them dead without winking;

and yet, here they sat at a social breakfast table- all of the same

calling, all of kindred tastes- looking round as sheepishly at each

other as though they had never been out of sight of some sheepfold

among the Green Mountains. A curious sight; these bashful bears, these

timid warrior whalemen!

  But as for Queequeg- why, Queequeg sat there among them- at the head

of the table, too, it so chanced; as cool as an icicle. To be sure I

cannot say much for his breeding. His greatest admirer could not

have cordially justified his bringing his harpoon into breakfast

with him, and using it there without ceremony; reaching over the table

with it, to the imminent jeopardy of many heads, and grappling the

beefsteaks towards him. But that was certainly very coolly done by

him, and every one knows that in most people's estimation, to do

anything coolly is to do it genteelly.

  We will not speak of all Queequeg's peculiarities here; how he

eschewed coffee and hot rolls, and applied his undivided attention

to beefsteaks, done rare. Enough, that when breakfast was over he

withdrew like the rest into the public room, lighted his

tomahawk-pipe, and was sitting there quietly digesting and smoking

with his inseparable hat on, when I sallied out for a stroll.