I threw a harpoon at the white whale and then a second one. The white whale continued to fight, and I was about to go under water, so I took hold of the harpoon stuck it in his side. Then the white whale raced forward and the sharp end of the harpoon, cut my arm.”
“What happened to the White Whale?” cried Ahab.
“Oh, he escaped,” explained the English captain, “and we didn’t see him again for some time; In fact, I didn’t know what whale it was that had cut off my arm till some time later. When we came back to the Line, we heard about Moby Dick – as some people call him – and I knew it was he.”
“Did you see him again?” asked Ahab.
“Twice.” replied the Englishman.
