A king, yes, “I said, “but a very vile one. When that king was slain, the dogs came and drank his blood.”
“Don’t ever say that on board of the ship.” ordered Peleg. “That name was a mistake. Ahab, despite his name, is a good man. I know he has changed since that whale took off his leg on the last voyage. But Ahab has a wife and a child. Ahab has his humanities!”
As I walked away from the ship and the two owners of the Pequod, I thought about this Captain Ahab. I felt sympathy and sorrow for him.
On Christmas Day, Queequeg and I went down to the Pequod which was about to sail All the provisions were packed, and the crew was on board. As we approached the boat we saw a group of mysterious men board the boat; these men were not part of the regular crew. The ship sailed out into the Atlantic and then south towards warmer climates. For a long time we all went about our duties on board, but we did not see Captain Ahab.
