MDMD Prophets

[Terrance]

"Why, the Collier Sailors believe 'tis bad luck...? It being the day of
Christ's execution." M&D.26

And What about sailing on on Christ's Nativity? 

Ishmael, Queequeg & the Dogged Eijah's Koan 


M-D, Chapter 19, "The Prophet"

With finger pointed and eye levelled at the Pequod, the
beggar-like stranger stood a moment, as if in a troubled reverie; then
starting a little, turned and said:- "Ye've shipped, have ye? Names
down on the papers? Well, well, what's signed, is signed; and what's
to be, will be; and then again, perhaps it won't be, after all. Any
how, it's all fixed and arranged already; and some sailors or other
must go with him, I suppose; as well these as any other men, God
pity 'em! Morning to ye, shipmates, morning; the ineffable heavens
bless ye; I'm sorry I stopped ye."
  "Look here, friend," said I, "if you have anything important to tell
us, out with it; but if you are only trying to bamboozle us, you are
mistaken in your game; that's all I have to say."
  "And it's said very well, and I like to hear a chap talk up that
way; you are just the man for him- the likes of ye. Morning to ye,
shipmates, morning! Oh! when ye get there, tell 'em I've concluded not
to make one of 'em."
  "Ah, my dear fellow, you can't fool us that way- you can't fool
us. It is the easiest thing in the world for a man to look as if he
had a great secret in him."
  "Morning to ye, shipmates, morning."
  "Morning it is," said I. "Come along, Queequeg, let's leave this
crazy man. But stop, tell me your name, will you?"
  "Elijah."
  Elijah! thought I, and we walked away, both commenting, after each
other's fashion, upon this ragged old sailor; and agreed that he was
nothing but a humbug, trying to be a bugbear. But we had not gone
perhaps above a hundred yards, when chancing to turn a corner, and
looking back as I did so, who should be seen but Elijah following
us, though at a distance. Somehow, the sight of him struck me so, that
I said nothing to Queequeg of his being behind, but passed on with
my comrade, anxious to see whether the stranger would turn the same
corner that we did. He did; and then it seemed to me that he was
dogging us, but with what intent I could not for the life of me
imagine. This circumstance, coupled with his ambiguous,
half-hinting, half-revealing, shrouded sort of talk, now begat in me
all kinds of vague wonderments and half-apprehensions, and all
connected with the Pequod; and Captain Ahab; and the leg he had
lost; and the Cape Horn fit; and the silver calabash; and what Captain
Peleg had said of him, when I left the ship the day previous; and
the prediction of the squaw Tistig; and the voyage we had bound
ourselves to sail; and a hundred other shadowy things.
  I was resolved to satisfy myself whether this ragged Elijah was
really dogging us or not, and with that intent crossed the way with
Queequeg, and on that side of it retraced our steps. But Elijah passed
on, without seeming to notice us. This relieved me; and once more, and
finally as it seemed to me, I pronounced him in my heart, a humbug.


M-D, Chapter 21, "Going Aboard" 

"Holloa!" cried stationary Elijah, hailing us when we had removed
a few paces.
  "Never mind him," said I, "Queequeg, come on."
  But he stole up to us again, and suddenly clapping his hand on my
shoulder, said- "Did ye see anything looking like men going towards
that ship a while ago?"
  Struck by this plain matter-of-fact question, I answered, saying,
"Yes, I thought I did see four or five men; but it was too dim to be
sure."
  "Very dim, very dim," said Elijah. "Morning to ye."
  Once more we quitted him; but once more he came softly after us; and
touching my shoulder again, said, "See if you can find 'em now, will
ye?
  "Find who?"
  "Morning to ye! morning to ye!" he rejoined, again moving off.
"Oh! I was going to warn ye against- but never mind, never mind-
it's all one, all in the family too;- sharp frost this morning,
ain't it? Good-bye to ye. Shan't see ye again very soon, I guess;
unless it's before the Grand Jury." And with these cracked words he
finally departed, leaving me, for the moment, in no small wonderment
at his frantic impudence.
  At last, stepping on board the Pequod, we found everything in
profound quiet, not a soul moving. The cabin entrance was locked
within; the hatches were all on, and lumbered with coils of rigging.
Going forward to the forecastle, we found the slide of the scuttle
open. Seeing a light, we went down, and found only an old rigger
there, wrapped in a tattered pea-jacket. He was thrown at whole length
upon two chests, his face downwards and inclosed in his folded arms.
The profoundest slumber slept upon him.
  "Those sailors we saw, Queequeg, where can they have gone to?"
said I, looking dubiously at the sleeper. But it seemed that, when
on the wharf, Queequeg had not at all noticed what I now alluded to;
hence I would have thought myself to have been optically deceived in
that matter, were it not for Elijah's otherwise inexplicable question.