Chapter 7 Captain Ahab After that evening, I saw Ahab every day.
He continued his silence but came out to inspect the ship and watched the water daily.
As time went on and the weather improved, so did Captain Ahab's spirits.
When warm winds arrived in April and May, Ahab began to act more like the rest of the crew.
He even seemed to enjoy our company.
There were times when he had a faint blossom of a look that on any other man might have flowered into a smile.
As we traveled south on our trip around the world, the weather grew warmer.
It was pleasant to be on deck, enjoying the sun.
Even Ahab preferred the open air to his cabin.
He seemed to be regaining his strength and his spirit.
Going down to my dark cabin feels like going into my own tomb, he said once.
The captain was not a young man.
Perhaps it was hard for him to go up and down the ladder, especially with his ivory leg.
If so, he would not admit it.
We could only hear it in his breath as he occasionally struggled during the climb.
The captain spent a good deal of his time pacing back and forth across the deck.
He walked from one side to the other, scanning the sea.
Everyone below could hear the tap, tap, tap of his ivory leg on the wooden deck.
It was a near-constant rhythm, and it seemed to help him keep his routine.
He was looking for something out in the waters.
I imagined that it was something more than just a whale.
"'You might think that life on the Pequod was unruly.
Sailors, especially men who work on whaling ships, can be rough and tough, but we must follow rules like everyone else.
In fact, life on a whaling ship is well ordered.
We all have our place.
The captain, of course, is in charge.
Everyone on board must do as he says.
If not, we will be punished.'
We might be forced to do extra chores, or we might lose our chance to go ashore or have time off.
The captain has ultimate power on a ship.
We must all obey his command.
After the captain, the mates are in control.
Starbuck, then Stubbs, and then Flask.
These were the officers of the Pequod.
And as with officers on all ships, they ate and slept separate.
From the Crew On a whaling ship, there is a slight difference in the treatment of the crew.
The harpooners are treated like officers.
Harpooners have one of the most important jobs on a whaling ship.
They are the ones who actually capture the whales with their spears.
Therefore, they receive special treatment.
Even though Ahab was a moody man, he was not rude.
He treated everyone with the same amount of respect and always demanded respect from his crew.
He was simply odd in his habits.
We followed the same routine with each meal.
At Ahab's request, the steward would call Captain Ahab to the table.
At first, the captain would not respond, as if he did not hear.
Then he would swing around and say, Mr. Starbuck, dinner.
The captain then went below deck to the dining area.
Starbuck would wait a few moments until he was certain that the captain was sitting down.
He would then make a slow tour across the deck and say, Mr. Stubbs, dinner.
Stubbs, the second mate, would then do the same.
Walking past the third mate, he would say, Mr. Flask, dinner.
Stubbs then went below.
Flask, having no one left to call, always seemed much less stern as he went to his meal.
In fact, he seemed almost happy.
But as soon as he got to the door, he put on a more serious face.
The moody captain would never appreciate so much cheer.
Ahab ruled over his dinners like a silent but wild sea lion.
He paid very little attention to the other men at his table.
They all watched him with much interest, but he only focused on eating.
He cut his meat with a large knife and ate in silence.
When the officers finished, the table was cleared.
Then the harpooners were brought into the cabin for their meal.
This was remarkable because all the harpooners were natives.
In most other places, certainly any place on land.
A non-white man would never be allowed to eat and sleep where a white man does.
But life at sea is different from life on land.
