تابوت کوییگ

CHAPTER 8 Queequeg’s Coffin

Some days later we heard shouts from below: “Captain! Captain Ahab!”

It was Starbuck. He ran to Captain Ahab—very fast. Starbuck was a young man. When you saw his black clothes and sad face, you could forget that.

“What is it?” Captain Ahab asked him.

“The barrels, Captain. There’s a problem with some of the barrels. We’re losing oil! We have to stop the ship. The men have to change the bad barrels.”

“I’m not going to lose a day’s sailing because of some barrels. No. We’re not going to stop,” answered Captain Ahab.

“But—Captain! We’re losing a lot of oil!” Starbuck shouted. The men stopped working and watched. “You have to stop! We’ll lose everything!”

“No! Were very near Moby Dick. I can feel it.We have to find him,” answered Captain Ahab.

Starbuck was afraid. We could see this in his face. But he was very angry too. He didn’t leave.

“But the men! Our wives and children! We’re here because we want food for our families. The money from the oil is important to us. We have to live. We want to live! Where are you taking us? What are you doing to us?”

Captain Ahab took out his gun. “Oil is not my Cod! We will not stop!” he shouted. “Do you understand?!”

Not one man spoke. Nobody moved. We stood and watched. Starbuck slowly turned from the gun and started to walk away. “I can’t win this fight,” he said. “You have the gun. “Then he turned around and looked at Captain Ahab. He spoke quietly.

“But be careful, Captain Ahab. Not of me—I’m not the problem. You are.” He turned and walked away. Captain Ahab didn’t speak. He watched Starbuck go. Then he put his gun down and went to his room.

Later that day Captain Ahab shouted for the men to come to him. “Starbuck says we have a problem with some of the barrels.” he said. “We’re going to stop and change them. Take down the sails.”

Starbuck’s face was happy. He didn’t speak, but his eyes said “thank you.”

♦

We worked day and night on the barrels. It was very hot below and oil was everywhere. The barrels were very heavy and only the strongest men could move them. Queequeg had to do a lot of this hard, heavy work. After three days we finished. The men were tired and some were sick from the work. Queequeg slept outside that night. He wanted to get away from the hot rooms below. But it was very cold outside.

The next morning Queequeg was very sick. His body was as cold as ice one minute and then as hot as fire. He couldn’t see. He couldn’t speak.

I stayed with him. “I’m here,” I said. “My dear friend, I won’t leave you. You’ll get better.”

After two days Queequeg called the other men to his bed. “Make me a coffin,” he said. “I am going to die.”

“No! You aren’t eoin» to die! You can’t leave me!” I cried.

“Yes, my friend. I am going to die. Men, please make my coffin. Ho not throw my body into the cold ocean.”

The men made Queequeg his coffin. When they finished it, they brought it to him.

“Bring my harpoon,” he said. “And some food and water.” We put his harpoon next to him and brought him food and water.

“Put them in my coffin,” he said. So we put them in.

‘‘Now put me in the coffin,” he said.

“No!” we shouted.

“I want to try it,” he said. So we put him inside and closed it.

After some minutes he spoke. “It is good. Now I will go to my bed again.”

He looked at the coffin from his bed. Then he closed his eyes and slept.

I sat and cried. I waited. The other men were very sad too. Queequeg was a good man—and the best whaler on the ocean.

Then one morning Queequeg sat up. “I cannot die now,” he said. “I have to do some things first. I will die later. Now I will go to work.”

Nobody could understand! But we put his coffin away— down with the barrels of oil—and went back to our work.