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“ Ginger ? Do I smell ginger ? ” suspiciously asked Stubb , coming near . “ Yes , this must be ginger , ” peering into the as yet untasted cup . Then standing as if incredulous for a while , he calmly walked towards the astonished steward slowly saying , “ Ginger ? ginger ? and will you have the goodness to tell me , Mr . Dough - Boy , where lies the virtue of ginger ? Ginger ! is ginger the sort of fuel you use , Dough - boy , to kindle a fire in this shivering cannibal ? Ginger ! — what the devil is ginger ? Sea - coal ? firewood ? — lucifer matches ? — tinder ? — gunpowder ? — what the devil is ginger , I say , that you offer this cup to our poor Queequeg here . ” “ There is some sneaking Temperance Society movement about this business , ” he suddenly added , now approaching Starbuck , who had just come from forward . “ Will you look at that kannakin , sir : smell of it , if you please . ” Then watching the mate’s countenance , he added , “ The steward , Mr . Starbuck , had the face to offer that calomel and jalap to Queequeg , there , this instant off the whale . Is the steward an apothecary , sir ? and may I ask whether this is the sort of bitters by which he blows back the life into a half - drowned man ? ” “ I trust not , ” said Starbuck , “ it is poor stuff enough . ” “ Aye , aye , steward , ” cried Stubb , “ we’ll teach you to drug a harpooneer ; none of your apothecary’s medicine here ; you want to poison us , do ye ? You have got out insurances on our lives and want to murder us all , and pocket the proceeds , do ye ? ” “ It was not me , ” cried Dough - Boy , “ it was Aunt Charity that brought the ginger on board ; and bade me never give the harpooneers any spirits , but only this ginger - jub — so she called it . ” “ Ginger - jub ! you gingerly rascal ! take that ! and run along with ye to the lockers , and get something better . I hope I do no wrong , Mr . Starbuck . It is the captain’s orders — grog for the harpooneer on a whale . ” “ Enough , ” replied Starbuck , “ only don’t hit him again , but — ” “ Oh , I never hurt when I hit , except when I hit a whale or something of that sort ; and this fellow’s a weazel . What were you about saying , sir ? ” “ Only this : go down with him , and get what thou wantest thyself . ” When Stubb reappeared , he came with a dark flask in one hand , and a sort of tea - caddy in the other . The first contained strong spirits , and was handed to Queequeg ; the second was Aunt Charity’s gift , and that was freely given to the waves . CHAPTER 73 . Stubb and Flask kill a Right Whale ; and Then Have a Talk over Him . It must be borne in mind that all this time we have a Sperm Whale’s prodigious head hanging to the Pequod’s side . But we must let it continue hanging there a while till we can get a chance to attend to it . For the present other matters press , and the best we can do now for the head , is to pray heaven the tackles may hold .
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