NP - No Friend of the Devil

[David Morris]

A Wonderful Passage From Moby Dick Stubb & Flask Discuss the Devil:

"Why, do ye see, the old man is hard bent after that White Whale, and the 
devil there is trying to come round him, and get him to swap away his silver 
watch, or his soul, or something of that sort, and then he'll surrender Moby 
Dick."

"Pooh! Stubb, you are skylarking; how can Fedallah do that?"

"I don't know, Flask, but the devil is a curious chap, and a wicked one, I 
tell ye. Why, they say as how he went a sauntering into the old flag-ship 
once, switching his tail about devilish easy and gentlemanlike, and 
inquiring if the old governor was at home. Well, he was at home, and asked 
the devil what he wanted. The devil, switching his hoofs, up and says, "I 
want John." "What for?" says the old governor, "What business is that of 
yours," says the devil, getting mad, - "I want to use him." "Take him," says 
the governor - and by the Lord, Flask, if the devil didn't give John the 
Asiatic cholera before he got through with him, I'll eat this whale in one 
mouthful. But look sharp - aint you all ready there? Well, then, pull ahead, 
and let's get the whale alongside."

[...]

"How old do you suppose Fedallah is, Stubb?"

"Do you see that mainmast there?" pointing to the ship; "well, that's the 
figure one; now take all the hoops in the Pequod's hold, and string 'em 
along in a row with that mast, for oughts, do you see; well, that wouldn't 
begin to be Fedallah's age. Nor all the coopers in creation couldn't show 
hoops enough to make oughts enough."

"But see here, Stubb, I thought you a little boasted just now, that you 
meant to give Fedallah a sea-toss, if you got a good chance. Now, if he's so 
old as all those hoops of yours come to, and if he is going to live for 
ever, what good will it do to pitch him overboard - tell me that?"

"Give him a good ducking, anyhow."

"But he'd crawl back."

"Duck him again; and keep ducking him."

"Suppose he should take it into his head to duck you, though - yes, and 
drown you - what then?"

"I should like to see him try it; I'd give him such a pair of black eyes 
that he wouldn't dare to show his face in the admiral's cabin again for a 
long while, let alone down in the orlop there, where he lives, and 
hereabouts on the upper decks where he sneaks so much. Damn the devil, 
Flask; do you suppose I'm afraid of the devil? Who's afraid of him, except 
the old governor who daresn't catch him and put him in double-darbies, as he 
deserves, but lets him go about kidnapping people; aye, and signed a bond 
with him, that all the people the devil kidnapped, he'd roast for him? 
There's a governor!"







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