Having made Captain Peleg’s acquaintance on board the “cannibal of a craft” that was the Pequod, the old Quaker captain began to grill Ishmael about his qualifications. When Ishmael mentions his merchant service the old Quaker rants, “Merchant service be damned, talk not that lingo to me. Dost though see that leg?—I’ll take that leg away from thy stern, if ever thou talkest of the merchant service to me again…”

Captain Peleg then delved into Ishmael’s reason for wanting to be of service on a hunting ship.

“Well, sir, I want to see what whaling is. I want to see the world.”

“Want to see what whaling is, eh? Have ye clapped eye on Captain Ahab?”

“Who is Captain Ahab, sir?”

“Ay, ay, I thought so. Captain Ahab is the captain of this ship.”

“I am mistaken then. I thought I was speaking to the captain himself.”

“Thou art speaking to Captain Peleg—that’s who ye are speaking to, young man. It belongs to me and Captain Bildad to see the Pequod fitted out for the voyage, and supplied with all her needs and crew. We are part owners and agents. But as I was going to say, if thou wantest to know what whaling is, as thou tellest ye do, I can put ye in a way of finding it out before ye bind yourself to it, past backing out. Clap ye an eye on Captain Ahab, young man, and thou wilt find that he has only one leg.”

“What do you mean, sir? Was the other one lost by a whale?”

“Lost by a whale! Young man, come nearer to me: it was devoured, chewed up, crunched by the monstrousest parmacetty that ever chipped a boat! –ah, ah!”

Ishmael, once again repeats that he has had four voyages aboard merchants and is shouted down, and the captain continues, “I have given thee a hint about what whaling is; do ye yet feel inclined for it?”

“I do, sir.”

“Very good. Now art thou a man to pitch a harpoon down a live whale’s throat, and then jump after it? Answer, quick!”

“I am, sir, if it should be positively indispensable to do so; not to be got rid of that is; which I don’t take to be the fact.”

The captain tells Ishmael, with the aid of the ship and harbor as props, that if one wants to go whaling in order to “see the world” that he is mistaken, that he will see little enough of it, Not dissuaded by the captain’s attempts to discourage his signing on, Ishmael accompanies the man below to sign his articles and prepare to ship.