Immediately, the ship’s carpenter came and measured Queequeg for his coffin. When the carpenter had finished his work, Queequeg asked to be lowered into the coffin to see how it was. He also asked for his harpoon, some food and some water for the long voyage after his death.
But Queequeg was not going to die and, a few days after the coffin-canoe had been built, Queequeg’s health improved steadily. We asked him what had happened. Queequeg told us that he had forgotten that he had something to do on shore and could not die just then.
According to Queequeg, if a man is not killed by a storm or a whale or some other natural power, he can decide himself when he is going to die.
Once Queequeg was completely better, he put all of his possessions into the coffin and used it for a chest.
