Not P but Moby-Dick (66)

[Ian Livingston]

Stubb is taking his aim. He holds the lance at his waist level so that, as
he looks along the lance the tip is in line with his stance. He would stand
with his (presumably, unless he is left handed which I do not recollect
being specified) left shoulder to the fore of the boat, using his right
hand to power the throw while the left keeps the lance steady in his aim.
>From his perspective the lance is level over the length of the whale as he
aims so that his throw will hit the whale's heart at the completion of the
arc he thus calculates.

On Mon, Feb 5, 2024 at 1:03 AM Mike Jing <gravitys.rainbow.cn at gmail.com>
wrote:

> From Chapter 84:
>
> Handling the long lance lightly, glancing twice or thrice along its length
> to see if it be exactly straight, Stubb whistlingly gathers up the coil of
> the warp in one hand, so as to secure its free end in his grasp, leaving
> the rest unobstructed. Then holding the lance full before his waistband’s
> middle, he levels it at the whale; when, covering him with it, he steadily
> depresses the butt-end in his hand, thereby elevating the point till the
> weapon stands fairly balanced upon his palm, fifteen feet in the air. He
> minds you somewhat of a juggler, balancing a long staff on his chin.
>
> What does "holding the lance full before his waistband’s middle" mean
> exactly?
>
> And what is "covering him with it"?
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