âThatâs true, thatâs trueâ âyes, both true enough. But you must jump when he gives an order. Step and growl; growl and goâ âthatâs the word with Captain Ahab. But nothing about that thing that happened to him off Cape Horn, long ago, when he lay like dead for three days and nights; nothing about that deadly skrimmage with the Spaniard afore the altar in Santa?â âheard nothing about that, eh? Nothing about the silver calabash he spat into? And nothing about his losing his leg last voyage, according to the prophecy. Didnât ye hear a word about them matters and something more, eh? No, I donât think ye did; how could ye? Who knows it? Not all Nantucket, I guess. But howsâever, mayhap, yeâve heard tell about the leg, and how he lost it; aye, ye have heard of that, I dare say. Oh yes, that everyone knows aâmostâ âI mean they know heâs only one leg; and that a parmacetti took the other off.â
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