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The time seemed long; the guide
ever and anon left them to take an observation on the edge of the wood,
but the guards watched steadily by the glare of the torches, and a dim
light crept through the windows of the pagoda.
They waited till
midnight; but no change took place among the guards, and it became
apparent that their yielding to sleep could not be counted on. The other
plan must be carried out; an opening in the walls of the pagoda must be
made. It remained to ascertain whether the priests were watching by the
side of their victim as assiduously as were the soldiers at the
door.
After a last consultation, the guide announced that he
was ready for the attempt, and advanced, followed by the others. They took
a roundabout way, so as to get at the pagoda on the rear. They reached the
walls about half-past twelve, without having met anyone; here there was no
guard, nor were there either windows or doors.
The night was
dark. The moon, on the wane, scarcely left the horizon, and was covered
with heavy clouds; the height of the trees deepened the darkness. />It was not enough to reach the walls; an opening in them must be
accomplished, and to attain this purpose the party only had their
pocket-knives. Happily the temple walls were built of brick and wood,
which could be penetrated with little difficulty; after one brick had been
taken out, the rest would yield easily.

The time seemed long; the guide ever and anon left them to take an observation on the edge of the wood, but the guards watched steadily by the glare of the torches, and a dim light crept through the windows of the pagoda.
They waited till midnight; but no change took place among the guards, and it became apparent that their yielding to sleep could not be counted on. The other plan must be carried out; an opening in the walls of the pagoda must be made. It remained to ascertain whether the priests were watching by the side of their victim as assiduously as were the soldiers at the door.
After a last consultation, the guide announced that he was ready for the attempt, and advanced, followed by the others. They took a roundabout way, so as to get at the pagoda on the rear. They reached the walls about half-past twelve, without having met anyone; here there was no guard, nor were there either windows or doors.
The night was dark. The moon, on the wane, scarcely left the horizon, and was covered with heavy clouds; the height of the trees deepened the darkness.
It was not enough to reach the walls; an opening in them must be accomplished, and to attain this purpose the party only had their pocket-knives. Happily the temple walls were built of brick and wood, which could be penetrated with little difficulty; after one brick had been taken out, the rest would yield easily.

Here then, from three impartial
witnesses, I had a deliberate statement of the entire case. Considering,
therefore, that squalls and capsizings in the water and consequent
bivouacks on the deep, were matters of common occurrence in this kind of
life; considering that at the superlatively critical instant of going on
to the whale I must resign my life into the hands of him who steered the
boat—oftentimes a fellow who at that very moment is in his impetuousness
upon the point of scuttling the craft with his own frantic stampings;
considering that the particular disaster to our own particular boat was
chiefly to be imputed to Starbuck's driving on to his whale almost in the
teeth of a squall, and considering that Starbuck, notwithstanding, was
famous for his great heedfulness in the fishery; considering that I
belonged to this uncommonly prudent Starbuck's boat; and finally
considering in what a devil's chase I was implicated, touching the White
Whale: taking all things together, I say, I thought I might as well go
below and make a rough draft of my will. "Queequeg," said I, "come along,
you shall be my lawyer, executor, and legatee."
It may seem
strange that of all men sailors should be tinkering at their last wills
and testaments, but there are no people in the world more fond of that
diversion. This was the fourth time in my nautical life that I had done
the same thing. After the ceremony was concluded upon the present
occasion, I felt all the easier; a stone was rolled away from my heart.
Besides, all the days I should now live would be as good as the days that
Lazarus lived after his resurrection; a supplementary clean gain of so
many months or weeks as the case might be. I survived myself; my death and
burial were locked up in my chest. I looked round me tranquilly and
contentedly, like a quiet ghost with a clean conscience sitting inside the
bars of a snug family vault.

Now then, thought I,
unconsciously rolling up the sleeves of my frock, here goes for a cool,
collected dive at death and destruction, and the devil fetch the
hindmost.
"Who would have thought it, Flask!" cried
Stubb; "if I had but one leg you would not catch me in a boat, unless
maybe to stop the plug-hole with my timber toe. Oh! he's a wonderful old
man!"
"I don't think it so strange, after all, on that
account," said Flask. "If his leg were off at the hip, now, it would be a
different thing. That would disable him; but he has one knee, and good
part of the other left, you know."

I don't
know that, my little man; I never yet saw him
kneel.

Among whale-wise people it has often been argued
whether, considering the paramount importance of his life to the success
of the voyage, it is right for a whaling captain to jeopardize that life
in the active perils of the chase. So Tamerlane's soldiers often argued
with tears in their eyes, whether that invaluable life of his ought to be
carried into the thickest of the fight.
But with Ahab the
question assumed a modified aspect. Considering that with two legs man is
but a hobbling wight in all times of danger; considering that the pursuit
of whales is always under great and extraordinary difficulties; that every
individual moment, indeed, then comprises a peril; under these
circumstances is it wise for any maimed man to enter a whale-boat in the
hunt? As a general thing, the joint-owners of the Pequod must have plainly
thought not.

Here then, from three impartial witnesses, I had a deliberate statement of the entire case. Considering, therefore, that squalls and capsizings in the water and consequent bivouacks on the deep, were matters of common occurrence in this kind of life; considering that at the superlatively critical instant of going on to the whale I must resign my life into the hands of him who steered the boat—oftentimes a fellow who at that very moment is in his impetuousness upon the point of scuttling the craft with his own frantic stampings; considering that the particular disaster to our own particular boat was chiefly to be imputed to Starbuck's driving on to his whale almost in the teeth of a squall, and considering that Starbuck, notwithstanding, was famous for his great heedfulness in the fishery; considering that I belonged to this uncommonly prudent Starbuck's boat; and finally considering in what a devil's chase I was implicated, touching the White Whale: taking all things together, I say, I thought I might as well go below and make a rough draft of my will. "Queequeg," said I, "come along, you shall be my lawyer, executor, and legatee."
It may seem strange that of all men sailors should be tinkering at their last wills and testaments, but there are no people in the world more fond of that diversion. This was the fourth time in my nautical life that I had done the same thing. After the ceremony was concluded upon the present occasion, I felt all the easier; a stone was rolled away from my heart. Besides, all the days I should now live would be as good as the days that Lazarus lived after his resurrection; a supplementary clean gain of so many months or weeks as the case might be. I survived myself; my death and burial were locked up in my chest. I looked round me tranquilly and contentedly, like a quiet ghost with a clean conscience sitting inside the bars of a snug family vault.

Now then, thought I, unconsciously rolling up the sleeves of my frock, here goes for a cool, collected dive at death and destruction, and the devil fetch the hindmost.
"Who would have thought it, Flask!" cried Stubb; "if I had but one leg you would not catch me in a boat, unless maybe to stop the plug-hole with my timber toe. Oh! he's a wonderful old man!"
"I don't think it so strange, after all, on that account," said Flask. "If his leg were off at the hip, now, it would be a different thing. That would disable him; but he has one knee, and good part of the other left, you know."

I don't know that, my little man; I never yet saw him kneel.

Among whale-wise people it has often been argued whether, considering the paramount importance of his life to the success of the voyage, it is right for a whaling captain to jeopardize that life in the active perils of the chase. So Tamerlane's soldiers often argued with tears in their eyes, whether that invaluable life of his ought to be carried into the thickest of the fight.
But with Ahab the question assumed a modified aspect. Considering that with two legs man is but a hobbling wight in all times of danger; considering that the pursuit of whales is always under great and extraordinary difficulties; that every individual moment, indeed, then comprises a peril; under these circumstances is it wise for any maimed man to enter a whale-boat in the hunt? As a general thing, the joint-owners of the Pequod must have plainly thought not.

Flutter, flutter, went the flag, first to the right,
then to the left. It was too far for me to recognise anyone there, but
afterwards I learned that Ogilvy, Stent, and Henderson were with others in
this attempt at communication. This little group had in its advance
dragged inward, so to speak, the circumference of the now almost complete
circle of people, and a number of dim black figures followed it at
discreet distances.
Suddenly there was a flash of light, and a
quantity of luminous greenish smoke came out of the pit in three distinct
puffs, which drove up, one after the other, straight into the still
air.
This smoke (or flame, perhaps, would be the better word
for it) was so bright that the deep blue sky overhead and the hazy
stretches of brown common towards Chertsey, set with black pine trees,
seemed to darken abruptly as these puffs arose, and to remain the darker
after their dispersal. At the same time a faint hissing sound became
audible.

Beyond the pit stood
the little wedge of people with the white flag at its apex, arrested by
these phenomena, a little knot of small vertical black shapes upon the
black ground. As the green smoke arose, their faces flashed out pallid
green, and faded again as it vanished. Then slowly the hissing passed into
a humming, into a long, loud, droning noise. Slowly a humped shape rose
out of the pit, and the ghost of a beam of light seemed to flicker out
from it.
Forthwith flashes of actual flame, a bright glare
leaping from one to another, sprang from the scattered group of men. It
was as if some invisible jet impinged upon them and flashed into white
flame. It was as if each man were suddenly and momentarily turned to
fire.
Then, by the light of their own destruction, I saw them
staggering and falling, and their supporters turning to run.
I
stood staring, not as yet realising that this was death leaping from man
to man in that little distant crowd. All I felt was that it was something
very strange. An almost noiseless and blinding flash of light, and a man
fell headlong and lay still; and as the unseen shaft of heat passed over
them, pine trees burst into fire, and every dry furze bush became with one
dull thud a mass of flames. And far away towards Knaphill I saw the
flashes of trees and hedges and wooden buildings suddenly set
alight.

Flutter, flutter, went the flag, first to the right, then to the left. It was too far for me to recognise anyone there, but afterwards I learned that Ogilvy, Stent, and Henderson were with others in this attempt at communication. This little group had in its advance dragged inward, so to speak, the circumference of the now almost complete circle of people, and a number of dim black figures followed it at discreet distances.
Suddenly there was a flash of light, and a quantity of luminous greenish smoke came out of the pit in three distinct puffs, which drove up, one after the other, straight into the still air.
This smoke (or flame, perhaps, would be the better word for it) was so bright that the deep blue sky overhead and the hazy stretches of brown common towards Chertsey, set with black pine trees, seemed to darken abruptly as these puffs arose, and to remain the darker after their dispersal. At the same time a faint hissing sound became audible.

Beyond the pit stood the little wedge of people with the white flag at its apex, arrested by these phenomena, a little knot of small vertical black shapes upon the black ground. As the green smoke arose, their faces flashed out pallid green, and faded again as it vanished. Then slowly the hissing passed into a humming, into a long, loud, droning noise. Slowly a humped shape rose out of the pit, and the ghost of a beam of light seemed to flicker out from it.
Forthwith flashes of actual flame, a bright glare leaping from one to another, sprang from the scattered group of men. It was as if some invisible jet impinged upon them and flashed into white flame. It was as if each man were suddenly and momentarily turned to fire.
Then, by the light of their own destruction, I saw them staggering and falling, and their supporters turning to run.
I stood staring, not as yet realising that this was death leaping from man to man in that little distant crowd. All I felt was that it was something very strange. An almost noiseless and blinding flash of light, and a man fell headlong and lay still; and as the unseen shaft of heat passed over them, pine trees burst into fire, and every dry furze bush became with one dull thud a mass of flames. And far away towards Knaphill I saw the flashes of trees and hedges and wooden buildings suddenly set alight.

It was a long climb up the face of the building, and one fraught with much danger, but there was no other way, and so I essayed the task. The fact that Barsoomian architecture is extremely ornate made the feat much simpler than I had anticipated, since I found ornamental ledges and projections which fairly formed a perfect ladder for me all the way to the eaves of the building. Here I met my first real obstacle. The eaves projected nearly twenty feet from the wall to which I clung, and though I encircled the great building I could find no opening through them.
The top floor was alight, and filled with soldiers engaged in the pastimes of their kind; I could not, therefore, reach the roof through the building.
There was one slight, desperate chance, and that I decided I must take—it was for Dejah Thoris, and no man has lived who would not risk a thousand deaths for such as she.
Clinging to the wall with my feet and one hand, I unloosened one of the long leather straps of my trappings at the end of which dangled a great hook by which air sailors are hung to the sides and bottoms of their craft for various purposes of repair, and by means of which landing parties are lowered to the ground from the battleships.
I swung this hook cautiously to the roof several times before it finally found lodgment; gently I pulled on it to strengthen its hold, but whether it would bear the weight of my body I did not know. It might be barely caught upon the very outer verge of the roof, so that as my body swung out at the end of the strap it would slip off and launch me to the pavement a thousand feet below.
An instant I hesitated, and then, releasing my grasp upon the supporting ornament, I swung out into space at the end of the strap. Far below me lay the brilliantly lighted streets, the hard pavements, and death. There was a little jerk at the top of the supporting eaves, and a nasty slipping, grating sound which turned me cold with apprehension; then the hook caught and I was safe.