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CHAPTER 128 . The Pequod Meets The Rachel . Next day , a large ship , the Rachel , was descried , bearing directly down upon the Pequod , all her spars thickly clustering with men . At the time the Pequod was making good speed through the water ; but as the broad - winged windward stranger shot nigh to her , the boastful sails all fell together as blank bladders that are burst , and all life fled from the smitten hull . “ Bad news ; she brings bad news , ” muttered the old Manxman . But ere her commander , who , with trumpet to mouth , stood up in his boat ; ere he could hopefully hail , Ahab’s voice was heard . “ Hast seen the White Whale ? ” “ Aye , yesterday . Have ye seen a whale - boat adrift ? ” Throttling his joy , Ahab negatively answered this unexpected question ; and would then have fain boarded the stranger , when the stranger captain himself , having stopped his vessel’s way , was seen descending her side . A few keen pulls , and his boat - hook soon clinched the Pequod’s main - chains , and he sprang to the deck . Immediately he was recognised by Ahab for a Nantucketer he knew . But no formal salutation was exchanged . “ Where was he ? — not killed ! — not killed ! ” cried Ahab , closely advancing . “ How was it ? ” It seemed that somewhat late on the afternoon of the day previous , while three of the stranger’s boats were engaged with a shoal of whales , which had led them some four or five miles from the ship ; and while they were yet in swift chase to windward , the white hump and head of Moby Dick had suddenly loomed up out of the water , not very far to leeward ; whereupon , the fourth rigged boat — a reserved one — had been instantly lowered in chase . After a keen sail before the wind , this fourth boat — the swiftest keeled of all — seemed to have succeeded in fastening — at least , as well as the man at the mast - head could tell anything about it . In the distance he saw the diminished dotted boat ; and then a swift gleam of bubbling white water ; and after that nothing more ; whence it was concluded that the stricken whale must have indefinitely run away with his pursuers , as often happens . There was some apprehension , but no positive alarm , as yet . The recall signals were placed in the rigging ; darkness came on ; and forced to pick up her three far to windward boats — ere going in quest of the fourth one in the precisely opposite direction — the ship had not only been necessitated to leave that boat to its fate till near midnight , but , for the time , to increase her distance from it .
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