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“ Take another pledge , old man , ” said the Parsee , as his eyes lighted up like fire - flies in the gloom — “ Hemp only can kill thee . ” “ The gallows , ye mean . — I am immortal then , on land and on sea , ” cried Ahab , with a laugh of derision ; — “ Immortal on land and on sea ! ” Both were silent again , as one man . The grey dawn came on , and the slumbering crew arose from the boat’s bottom , and ere noon the dead whale was brought to the ship . CHAPTER 118 . The Quadrant . The season for the Line at length drew near ; and every day when Ahab , coming from his cabin , cast his eyes aloft , the vigilant helmsman would ostentatiously handle his spokes , and the eager mariners quickly run to the braces , and would stand there with all their eyes centrally fixed on the nailed doubloon ; impatient for the order to point the ship’s prow for the equator . In good time the order came . It was hard upon high noon ; and Ahab , seated in the bows of his high - hoisted boat , was about taking his wonted daily observation of the sun to determine his latitude . Now , in that Japanese sea , the days in summer are as freshets of effulgences . That unblinkingly vivid Japanese sun seems the blazing focus of the glassy ocean’s immeasurable burning - glass . The sky looks lacquered ; clouds there are none ; the horizon floats ; and this nakedness of unrelieved radiance is as the insufferable splendors of God’s throne . Well that Ahab’s quadrant was furnished with coloured glasses , through which to take sight of that solar fire . So , swinging his seated form to the roll of the ship , and with his astrological - looking instrument placed to his eye , he remained in that posture for some moments to catch the precise instant when the sun should gain its precise meridian . Meantime while his whole attention was absorbed , the Parsee was kneeling beneath him on the ship’s deck , and with face thrown up like Ahab’s , was eyeing the same sun with him ; only the lids of his eyes half hooded their orbs , and his wild face was subdued to an earthly passionlessness . At length the desired observation was taken ; and with his pencil upon his ivory leg , Ahab soon calculated what his latitude must be at that precise instant . Then falling into a moment’s revery , he again looked up towards the sun and murmured to himself : “ Thou sea - mark ! thou high and mighty Pilot ! thou tellest me truly where I am — but canst thou cast the least hint where I shall be ? Or canst thou tell where some other thing besides me is this moment living ? Where is Moby Dick ? This instant thou must be eyeing him . These eyes of mine look into the very eye that is even now beholding him ; aye , and into the eye that is even now equally beholding the objects on the unknown , thither side of thee , thou sun ! ”
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