Surmises
Though, consumed with the hot fire of his purpose, Ahab in all histhoughts and actions ever had in view the ultimate capture of MobyDick; though he seemed ready to sacrifice all mortal interests to thatone passion; nevertheless it may have been that he was by nature andlong habituation far too wedded to a fiery whaleman's ways, altogetherto abandon the collateral prosecution of the voyage. Or at least ifthis were otherwise, there were not wanting other motives much moreinfluential with him. It would be refining too much, perhaps, evenconsidering his monomania, to hint that his vindictiveness towards theWhite Whale might have possibly extended itself in some degree toall sperm whales, and that the more monsters he slew by so much themore he multiplied the chances that each subsequently encounteredwhale would prove to be the hated one he hunted. But if such anhypothesis be indeed exceptionable, there were still additionalconsiderations which, though not so strictly according with thewildness of his ruling passion, yet were by no means incapable ofswaying him.
To accomplish his object Ahab must use tools; and of all toolsused in the shadow of the moon, men are most apt to get out oforder. He knew, for example, that however magnetic his ascendency insome respects was over Starbuck, yet that ascendency did not cover thecomplete spiritual man any more than mere corporeal superiorityinvolves intellectual mastership; for to the purely spiritual, theintellectual but stand in sort of corporeal relation. Starbuck'sbody and Starbuck's coerced will were Ahab's, so long as Ahab kept hismagnet at Starbuck's brain; still he knew that for all this thechief mate, in his soul, abhorred his captain's quest, and could he,would joyfully disintegrate himself from it, or even frustrate it.
It might be that a long interval would elapse ere the White Whalewas seen. During that long interval Starbuck would ever be apt to fallinto open relapses of rebellion against his captain's leadership,unless some ordinary, prudential, circumstantial influences werebrought to bear upon him. Not only that, but the subtle insanity ofAhab respecting Moby Dick was noways more significantly manifestedthan in his superlative sense and shrewdness in foreseeing that, forthe present, the hunt should in some way be stripped of that strangeimaginative impiousness which naturally invested it; that the fullterror of the voyage must be kept withdrawn into the obscurebackground (for few men's courage is proof against protractedmeditation unrelieved by action); that when they stood their longnight watches, his officers and men must have some nearer things tothink of than Moby Dick. For however eagerly and impetuously thesavage crew had hailed the announcement of his quest; yet allsailors of all sorts are more or less capricious and unreliable-they live in the varying outer weather, and they inhale itsfickleness- and when retained for any object remote and blank in thepursuit, however promissory of life and passion in the end, it isabove all things requisite that temporary interests and employmentsshould intervene and hold them healthily suspended for the final dash.
Nor was Ahab unmindful of another thing. In times of strongemotion mankind disdain all base considerations; but such times areevanescent. The permanent constitutional condition of the manufacturedman, thought Ahab, is sordidness. Granting that the White Whalefully incites the hearts of this my savage crew, and playing roundtheir savageness even breeds a certain generous knight-errantism inthem, still, while for the love of it they give chase to Moby Dick,they must also have food for their more common, daily appetites. Foreven the high lifted and chivalric Crusaders of old times were notcontent to traverse two thousand miles of land to fight for their holysepulchre, without committing burglaries, picking pockets, and gainingother pious perquisites by the way. Had they been strictly held totheir one final and romantic object- that final and romantic object,too many would have turned from in disgust. I will not strip thesemen, thought Ahab, of all hopes of cash- aye, cash. They may scorncash now; but let some months go by, and no perspective promise ofit to them, and then this same quiescent cash all at once mutinying inthem, this same cash would soon cashier Ahab.
Nor was there wanting still another precautionary motive morerelated to Ahab personally. Having impulsively, it is probable, andperhaps somewhat prematurely revealed the prime but private purpose ofthe Pequod's voyage, Ahab was now entirely conscious that, in sodoing, he had indirectly laid himself open to the unanswerablecharge of usurpation; and with perfect impunity, both moral and legal,his crew if so disposed, and to that end competent, could refuse allfurther obedience to him, and even violently wrest from him thecommand. From even the barely hinted imputation of usurpation, and thepossible consequences of such a suppressed impression gainingground, Ahab must of course have been most anxious to protect himself.
That protection could only consist in his own predominating brainand heart and hand, backed by a heedful, closely calculating attentionto every minute atmospheric influence which it was possible for hiscrew to be subjected to.
For all these reasons then, and others perhaps too analytic to beverbally developed here, Ahab plainly saw that he must still in a gooddegree continue true to the natural, nominal purpose of the Pequod'svoyage; observe all customary usages; and not only that, but forcehimself to evince all his well known passionate interest in thegeneral pursuit of his profession.
Be all this as it may, his voice was now often heard hailing thethree mastheads and admonishing them to keep a bright look-out, andnot omit reporting even a porpoise. This vigilance was not longwithout reward.
