We then turned over the book together, and I endeavored to explain to him the purpose of the printing, and the meaning of the few pictures that were in it.  Thus I soon engaged his interest; and from that we went to jabbering the best we could about the various outer sights to be seen in this famous town.  Soon I proposed a social smoke; and, producing his pouch and tomahawk, he quietly offered me a puff.  And then we sat exchanging puffs from that wild pipe of his, and keeping it regularly passing between us.

If there yet lurked any ice of indifference towards me in the Pagan’s breast, this pleasant, genial smoke we had, soon thawed it out, and left us cronies.  He seemed to take to me quite as naturally and unbiddenly as I to him; and when our smoke was over, he pressed his forehead against mine, clasped me round the waist, and said that henceforth we were married; meaning, in his country’s phrase, that we were bosom friends; he would gladly die for me, if need should be.  In a countryman, this sudden flame of friendship would have seemed far too premature, a thing to be much distrusted; but in this simple savage those old rules would not apply.

After supper, and another social chat and smoke, we went to our room together.  He made me a present of his embalmed head; took out his enormous tobacco wallet, and groping under the tobacco, drew out some thirty dollars in silver; then spreading them on the table, and mechanically dividing them into two equal portions, pushed one of them towards me, and said it was mine.  I was going to remonstrate; but he silenced me by pouring them into my trowsers’ pockets.  I let them stay.  He then went about his evening prayers, took out his idol, and removed the paper firebrand.  By certain signs and symptoms, I thought he seemed anxious for me to join him; but well knowing what was to follow, I deliberated a moment whether, in case he invited me, I would comply or otherwise.

I was a good Christian; born and bred in the bosom of the infallible Presbyterian Church.  How then could I unite with this wild idolator in worshipping his piece of wood?  But what is worship? thought I. Do you suppose now, Ishmael, that the magnanimous God of heaven and earth—­pagans and all included—­can possibly be jealous of an insignificant bit of black wood?  Impossible!  But what is worship?—­ to do the will of God? that is worship.  And what is the will of God?—­ to do to my fellow man what I would have my fellow man to do to me—­ that is the will of God.  Now, Queequeg is my fellow man.  And what do I wish that this Queequeg would do to me?  Why, unite with me in my particular Presbyterian form of worship.  Consequently, I must then unite with him in his; ergo, I must turn idolator.  So I kindled the shavings; helped prop up the innocent little idol; offered him burnt biscuit with Queequeg; salamed before him twice or thrice; kissed his nose; and that done, we undressed and went to bed, at peace with our own consciences and all the world.  But we did not go to sleep without some little chat.