Chapter 36 Summary

Captain Ahab paces the deck; a deck which Ishmael indicates already bears many dents left by the tip of Ahab's ivory leg. It seems to Ishmael the Captain's forehead is also dented and wrinkled with the heaviness of the thoughts within him as well as the agony of not sleeping. Near the end of the day, Ahab stops his pacing, steadies himself in an auger hole and orders Starbuck to call the entire crew to the deck where he stands. As all the men are gathered, Ahab resumes his pacing and questions the men about what they are to do when they see a whale. Ahab shows excited approval when they answer each question to his liking.

Next, Ahab shows the men a Spanish ounce of gold, which he nails to the main mast. This ounce, he says will be a prize to...