While the two crews were yet circling in the waters, reaching out after the revolving line-tubs, oars, and other floating furniture, while aslope little Flask bobbed up and down like an empty vial, twitching his legs upwards to escape the dreaded jaws of sharks; and Stubb was lustily singing out for someone to ladle him up; and while the old man’s line⁠—now parting⁠—admitted of his pulling into the creamy pool to rescue whom he could;⁠—in that wild simultaneousness of a thousand concreted perils⁠—Ahab’s yet unstricken boat seemed drawn up towards Heaven by invisible wires⁠—as, arrow-like, shooting perpendicularly from the sea, the White Whale dashed his broad forehead against its bottom, and sent it, turning over and over, into the air; till it fell again⁠—gunwale downwards⁠—and Ahab and his men struggled out from under it, like seals from a seaside cave.