Chapters 119-126 Summary

The Pequod gets caught in a typhoon in which the masts of the ship somehow catch on fire. Members of the crew interpret the flames differently with some of the crew believing the flames are a good luck symbol. Ahab, however, believes the flames lead him to the White Whale. As the crew mulls the scene, Starbuck hollers for Ahab to look at his boat. There, the harpoon Ahab fashioned specifically for Moby Dick is burning. Starbuck takes this as a sign that God is against Ahab.

The following chapters detail the feelings of the men as they work the ship during the storm. Soon the storm abates and Starbuck goes below to tell the captain of the damage to the ship. He finds the captain asleep in his hammock and for several minutes ponders to opportunity to murder the captain...