Don’t be afraid he said Queequeg here wouldn’t hurt you Look at him I shouted He threatened me with that tomahawk What if he made those shrunken heads and wanted mine next This brought a roar of laughter from the landlord That’s a pipe he said Queequeg likes a bit of a smoke before bed is all He turned to Queequeg He’s rented half the bed you understand You came in too late for me to warn you I understand Queequeg said I straightened Well tell him to stash his tomahawk or pipe or whatever I don’t want a man smoking in bed with me Queequeg agreed I bade the landlord good night climbed in bed and tumbled into a restful sleep 10
chapter 2 Breakfast When I awoke the next morning I found Queequeg had rolled over in the night and lay with his long arm across me I tried to push his arm away but he hugged me tighter in his sleep I called out Queequeg He answered with a snore That was really quite enough I thrashed about His grip tightened around my neck Queequeg I squeaked drumming my heels against the bed Finally he drew back and sat suddenly upright shaking himself awake He stared at me rubbed his eyes and looked again Then he jumped out of bed Speaking in short sentences he let me know that he would dress quickly and leave me to do the same 11
He put on his tall top hat then grabbed his boots and crawled under the bed He had such a struggle wrestling into his boots in the tight space The bed rose into the air several times and then thumped down again Finally he crawled out pulled on the rest of his clothes and shaved with the sharp edge of his harpoon He grabbed his jacket and left the room carrying his harpoon before him I dressed quickly and hurried down to breakfast The common room was full of shaggy men with the look of the sea about them Grub ho the landlord cried as he flung open a door and led us to breakfast I expected to hear endless whaling stories over each meal but the men ate as quietly as their collected manners allowed After breakfast I decided to go to church even though the weather was ghastly So I wrapped up in my shaggy jacket and fought my way through the storm to Whaleman’s Chapel 12
The chapel was unique Like many the pulpit sat high above the congregation but no stairs led up to it Instead a slide ladder and a pair of red manropes hung down to climb Along the wall on either side of the pulpit were marble tablets with black borders Each tablet was a memorial to a man lost at sea I looked around the congregation It was during this look about that I noticed Queequeg sitting quite near me Shortly thereafter Father Mapple seemed to blow in with the storm He threw off his wet outer garments and climbed the ropes to the pulpit Once in the pulpit he drew up the ropes behind him Then he began a lively story about Jonah and his encounter with the whale After the tale we were released again into the storm Back at the public house I found Queequeg studying a book with great concentration As I looked at him I was struck by what a peaceful man he seemed 13
