Page 394 - moby-dick

ever small chance of pardon such conduct might merit. But
when Steelkilt made known his determination still to lead
them to the last, they in some way, by some subtle chemis-
try of villany, mixed their before secret treacheries together;
and when their leader fell into a doze, verbally opened their
souls to each other in three sentences; and bound the sleep-
er with cords, and gagged him with cords; and shrieked out
for the Captain at midnight.
‘Thinking murder at hand, and smelling in the dark for
the blood, he and all his armed mates and harpooneers
rushed for the forecastle. In a few minutes the scuttle was
opened, and, bound hand and foot, the still struggling ring-
leader was shoved up into the air by his perfidious allies,
who at once claimed the honour of securing a man who had
been fully ripe for murder. But all these were collared, and
dragged along the deck like dead cattle; and, side by side,
were seized up into the mizzen rigging, like three quarters
of meat, and there they hung till morning. ‘Damn ye,’ cried
the Captain, pacing to and fro before them, ‘the vultures
would not touch ye, ye villains!’
‘At sunrise he summoned all hands; and separating
those who had rebelled from those who had taken no part
in the mutiny, he told the former that he had a good mind
to flog them all round—thought, upon the whole, he would
do so—he ought to—justice demanded it; but for the pres-
ent, considering their timely surrender, he would let them
go with a reprimand, which he accordingly administered in
the vernacular.
‘‘But as for you, ye carrion rogues,’ turning to the three