“Then God keep thee, old man⁠—see’st thou that”⁠—pointing to the hammock⁠—“I bury but one of five stout men, who were alive only yesterday; but were dead ere night. Only that one I bury; the rest were buried before they died; you sail upon their tomb.” Then turning to his crew⁠—“Are ye ready there? place the plank then on the rail, and lift the body; so, then⁠—Oh! God”⁠—advancing towards the hammock with uplifted hands⁠—“may the resurrection and the life⁠—”

“Brace forward! Up helm!” cried Ahab like lightning to his men.

But the suddenly started Pequod was not quick enough to escape the sound of the splash that the corpse soon made as it struck the sea; not so quick, indeed, but that some of the flying bubbles might have sprinkled her hull with their ghostly baptism.