Chapter 54 Summary

Ishmael details how he tells this story to a group of Spaniards at a hotel called the Golden Inn. The story was told by the crew of another whaling ship to the crew of the Pequod. According to the story, two members of the Town-Ho's crew are at odds with each other. One day when one named Steelkilt is working the pumps to help keep the boat from sinking, the second man named Radney comes to Steelkilt and orders him to sweep the deck. It's a task usually done at the end of the day and generally done by the youngest men on the ship. Steelkilt refuses to obey the order and a fight follows.

The captain of the boat enters the scene of the fight and thinks the worst. He is unaware Radney had been tormenting Steelkilt and assumes Steelkilt is causing...