1800

Moby Dick Chapter XX - All Astir

SCENE, a Ravine of Icy Rocks.  One sees the ship the Piquod being boarded by the Quakress with a jar of pickles.  She is big boned and directs the merchant marines like a general of the Prusian Army.  The sky is cloudy, and looks like an ominous sign.   Ishmael and Elijah are standing on the dock discussing their fates.   
Time, Night.During the Scene morning slowly breaks. 
 You see four men aboard the ship, three are standing still and are engaged in a converation, the fourth is slouched over in a chair.


Ishmael:
In the shadows Captain Ahab dwells
before the voyage  and ocean swells,
we were asked to stay aboard,
or be left alone in the harbor's cold.

Elijah:
Adventures and a share of fortune ye sought,
Now our firm footing on this earth is gone.
Our lives were not our own but signed and bought.
For A whaling man holds no possession.
The white wale, the cure we sought, our obsession.
Whaling, a rugged journey with no pleasure resorts,
this voyage is not to be a pleasure cruse to Perth.

Ishmael:
At length I heard a ragged noise and mirth.
Captain Pegeg and Bildad scowled and espied,
reporting to the shadow. Our rights had died.

Queequeg:
Here comes the Quakeress!
Bildad's Spanish mistress.