Not P but Moby-Dick (12)

[Ian Livingston]

I think you are correct to regard it as solemn commitment among the crew, in this symbolic use. When lines, e.g., ropes, for instance, are skillfully spliced, the splice may stronger than the individual cords. I’ve partaken in the process of splicing long, load-bearing 2.5 inch diameter cables in industrial use. The splicing itself requires the cooperation of all the hands (i.e., workers) of the crew. The work I was involved in at the time was logging timber in mountainous terrain, which may be seen as a descendant of the shipwright’s skill set. 

So I suggest interpreting Ahab’s call to “splice hands” as a call to commit to a sustained cooperative effort. In other words, yeah, a strong oath. 

Sent from my iPhone

> On Sep 23, 2023, at 8:38 AM, Mike Jing <gravitys.rainbow.cn at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> The following excerpt is from Chapter 36:
> 
> Then tossing both arms, with measureless imprecations he shouted out: “Aye,
> aye! and I’ll chase him round Good Hope, and round the Horn, and round the
> Norway Maelstrom, and round perdition’s flames before I give him up. And
> this is what ye have shipped for, men! to chase that white whale on both
> sides of land, and over all sides of earth, till he spouts black blood and
> rolls fin out. What say ye, men, will ye splice hands on it, now? I think
> ye do look brave.”
> 
> What exactly does "splice hands" entail here? Does it involve an oath of
> some kind, or is it less than that?
> --
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