“As fearless fire,” cried Stubb.

“And as mechanical,” muttered Ahab. Then as the men went forward, he muttered on: “The things called omens! And yesterday I talked the same to Starbuck there, concerning my broken boat. Oh! how valiantly I seek to drive out of others’ hearts what’s clinched so fast in mine!⁠—The Parsee⁠—the Parsee!⁠—gone, gone? and he was to go before:⁠—but still was to be seen again ere I could perish⁠—How’s that?⁠—There’s a riddle now might baffle all the lawyers backed by the ghosts of the whole line of judges:⁠—like a hawk’s beak it pecks my brain. I’ll , I’ll solve it, though!”

When dusk descended, the whale was still in sight to leeward.