{"id":7648,"date":"2017-08-10T01:07:23","date_gmt":"2017-08-10T07:07:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.jerseydevilpress.com\/?page_id=7648"},"modified":"2017-08-10T01:07:23","modified_gmt":"2017-08-10T07:07:23","slug":"call-me-little-woman","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"http:\/\/www.jerseydevilpress.com\/?page_id=7648","title":{"rendered":"Call Me Little Woman"},"content":{"rendered":"

Dan Morey<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m afraid it\u2019s going to be a dreary Christmas,\u201d said Meg.<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, it will be awful!\u201d said Amy. \u201cMarmee has spent all our money on potatoes for that wretched Hummel family. I doubt I\u2019ll even get a lime in my stocking.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou don\u2019t deserve a lime,\u201d said Jo, from her favorite place on the hearthrug. \u201cYou\u2019re too conceited.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd selfish,\u201d added Meg. \u201cDon\u2019t you know the Hummels are starving?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI was hoping for some new music. Or a kitten,\u201d said Beth, with a sigh.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou shall have both,\u201d said Jo. \u201cAunt March paid me a holiday bonus this year. Meg shall have a new scarf, and Marmee a new bonnet, and Amy shall have nothing because she is already spoiled.\u201d<\/p>\n

Amy made a horrid face, and stomped out of the room. \u201cI hate you, Josephine March!\u201d she cried.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy must you tease her so?\u201d said Meg.<\/p>\n

Beth put a log on the fire and said, \u201cWhat about you, Jo? What will you buy for yourself?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy, my harpoon, of course,\u201d said Jo.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

On Christmas morning, Meg answered a knock at the door and found Laurie on the step with a steaming bowl of wassail.<\/p>\n

\u201cAre you ready to go caroling?\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, no,\u201d said Meg. \u201cWe\u2019ve only just opened our presents. You\u2019ll never pull Amy away from her sketchbook. Or Beth from her music. Or Jo from her harpoon.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJo from her what?\u201d said Laurie.<\/p>\n

\u201cHer harpoon. She\u2019s sharpening it now.\u201d<\/p>\n

Laurie went in to have a look at Jo\u2019s harpoon. It had a wooden base and a long iron neck with a frightful barb at the end.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhatever will you do with it?\u201d said Laurie, as Jo worked the blade with a whetstone.<\/p>\n

\u201cI shall kill whales,\u201d she said. \u201cWhat else?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut Jo. You\u2019re a girl. Girls don\u2019t kill whales.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not a girl. I\u2019m a tomboy. And I want to get some blood under my fingernails.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, Jo,\u201d laughed Mrs. March.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

All winter, Jo practiced throwing her harpoon at the old elm tree in the front yard. Soon she could throw it further and more accurately than Laurie, or even Mr. Brooke, Laurie\u2019s tutor.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat girl has a remarkable arm,\u201d Mr. Brooke told Mrs. March. \u201cBut she doesn\u2019t really think she\u2019s going whaling, does she?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, no,\u201d said Mrs. March. \u201cIt\u2019s just a flight of fancy. Jo has a wild imagination.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

When springtime came, Jo took her harpoon, which she had named Undine, to the pond to try her hand at spearfishing. She walked along the bank until she saw a big catfish, then lifted Undine above her head and hurled it at the fish\u2019s broad back. Her heart raced as the harpoon split the water, and she yelped with glee when it hit home. But Jo\u2019s celebration was short-lived. Her harpoon had pinned the fish to the bottom of the pond some ten feet from shore.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow in the world will I retrieve it?\u201d said Jo. \u201cI forgot to attach the rope!\u201d<\/p>\n

She thought about running home to get Laurie or Mr. Brooke, but decided against it.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs soon as I leave, someone will come along and steal my Undine. I shall just have to get wet.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jo kicked off her shoes, pulled up her skirt and bloomers, and waded into the pond. She grabbed hold of the harpoon and yanked upward as hard as she could. When it came loose, Jo fell backward, landing with a splash in the shallow water. Her clothes were soaked, but she felt a powerful sense of accomplishment when she raised the harpoon and saw the bloody fish.<\/p>\n

\u201cNow I am a fisherman,\u201d said Jo.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

One afternoon in July, a coach arrived at the March home, and a man with luggage climbed out.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s Father!\u201d cried Amy, from her bedroom window.<\/p>\n

Meg and Beth and Jo flung open the door and ran out to greet him. He dropped his bags and took all three of them in his arms.<\/p>\n

\u201cDid you miss me?\u201d he chuckled.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow long will you stay?\u201d said Jo. \u201cIs the war over?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m afraid it\u2019s only a short leave.\u201d<\/p>\n

Everyone, especially Jo, was happy to have Father home. She showed him her harpoon and told him about her fishing expeditions. When it came time for him to leave, she asked her mother if she could go too. \u201cI\u2019d like to visit New York and stay at the boardinghouse with Mrs. Kirke.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cA very good idea,\u201d said Mrs. March. \u201cI\u2019ll write her you\u2019re coming. And I\u2019m sure Aunt March will lend us the money for an extra train ticket.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe train goes too fast, Marmee. I want to have as much time with Father as possible. Can\u2019t we take a coach?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t see why not, Jo.\u201d<\/p>\n

On the day of departure, Jo made a tearful goodbye to her sisters, and joined her father in the coach.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy is Jo bringing a harpoon to New York?\u201d said Amy.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The coachman drove them into New Bedford the next day, and pulled up outside a dreadful-looking inn.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe aren\u2019t stopping here, are we?\u201d said Mr. March. \u201cThe place is surely condemned.\u201d<\/p>\n

The ramshackle old building shook and rattled in the strong coastal winds. A stale beer scent emanated from within.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s what the little woman told me,\u201d replied the coachman. \u201cSpouter Inn.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhere did you hear of such a hostelry?\u201d said Mr. March to Jo.<\/p>\n

Jo untied her harpoon from the top of the coach. \u201cI\u2019m not going on to New York,\u201d she said. \u201cI\u2019m staying here, until I can find a good whaling ship.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, Jo,\u201d said Mr. March. \u201cI know better than to try and stop you, but please think about what you\u2019re doing. The high seas are no place for a young lady.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m a harpooner,\u201d said Jo. \u201cThe best in New England. And I\u2019m out for blood.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mr. March shook his head mournfully. \u201cI have seen blood, Jo. Enough blood to fill an ocean. There is nothing heroic about blood or killing.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPlease give my apologies to Mrs. Kirke,\u201d said Jo. \u201cGoodbye, Father.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jo turned away brusquely, hiding a tear, and entered the inn without looking back. She heard the horses clatter away and began to cry.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere, there,\u201d said the landlord, coming out from the dismal bar. \u201cWhat\u2019s the matter?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve just said goodbye to my father,\u201d said Jo with a sniffle. \u201cHe\u2019s going back to the war and may never return.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCourse he will. Johnny Reb\u2019s got nothing on our boys.\u201d The landlord laid a comforting hand on Jo\u2019s shoulder and tousled her long, chestnut hair.<\/p>\n

\u201cI need a room,\u201d said Jo, composing herself.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a whaler\u2019s house, girl.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou see my harpoon.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI do. And figured you was delivering it to some cruddy blubber-chaser or other.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI am the cruddy blubber-chaser. Now how about that room?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLive long enough, and you\u2019ll see everything,\u201d said he landlord. He limped over to the desk and studied the book, stroking his gray beard as he did. \u201cNothing,\u201d he said. \u201cUnless you wouldn\u2019t mind sharing with a couple of men. A-heh-heh.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t mind,\u201d said Jo.<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, now look, missus. I have to draw the line somewhere. These men are whalers.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sure they\u2019re perfect gentlemen. Show me the room.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLord, almighty. They\u2019ll put me in jail for this.\u201d<\/p>\n

The landlord led Jo up the creaking stairs, down a hall with a warped floor, to a door, which he kicked open. Inside, two men, one white, the other a tattooed Polynesian, were sprawled out on a prodigious bed, under a patchwork counterpane. The Polynesian\u2019s arm was thrown over the white man\u2019s chest in a parody of marital affection.<\/p>\n

\u201cGet up, you two! You\u2019ve got a new roommate!\u201d shouted the landlord.<\/p>\n

The Polynesian leaped out of bed and snatched up a harpoon. He made the most hideous face, and grunted like an angry boar.<\/p>\n

Jo smiled enthusiastically and said, \u201cOh, I love your harpoon! And that counterpane is beautiful. It reminds me of the one my sisters and I made for Aunt March!\u201d<\/p>\n

The Polynesian lowered his weapon and cast a puzzled glance at his bedmate. The handsome white man stood, covering himself with the counterpane, and said, \u201cWhere are you manners? Can\u2019t you see there\u2019s a lady present? Please enter, miss. You may call me Ishmael. And this is my friend, Queequeg.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cVery pleased to meet you,\u201d said Jo, shaking their hands. \u201cIt looks as if I\u2019m to sleep here tonight.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd very welcome you\u2019ll be. Right, Queequeg?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cUh.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, I guess you queer fish will get along just fine,\u201d said the landlord.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

That night, Ishmael and Queequeg slept on the floor, atop the soft counterpane, leaving the entire bed for Jo. In the morning, she awoke to find Queequeg at the mirror, shaving with his harpoon.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy goodness!\u201d said Jo. \u201cIt must be sharper than mine!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPlenty. Kill-ee good,\u201d said Queequeg.<\/p>\n

Jo got out of bed and stood next to him, admiring the labyrinthine tattoos on his face and chest. \u201cAre you really a cannibal?\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cEat-ee plenty men,\u201d said Queequeg.<\/p>\n

\u201cWould you like to see my harpoon?\u201d said Jo.<\/p>\n

\u201cUh.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jo took her harpoon out from under the bed. \u201cShe\u2019s called Undine, after the water sprite.\u201d<\/p>\n

Queequeg hefted the harpoon and made a couple throwing motions. He told Jo it was a good harpoon, and that it would kill many whales, after it was sharpened properly. \u201cMe sharp-ee. You see.\u201d He went to work on Undine with his stone, rousing Ishmael, who sat up and yawned.<\/p>\n

\u201cGood morning, Ish!\u201d said Jo. \u201cFair dreams?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe fairest. I was at sea. Far from these overpopulated shores.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI think I shall miss people terribly when I\u2019m away at sea. Don\u2019t you like people, Ish?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSometimes I would enjoy nothing more than to knock the hats from their heads.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMarmee says that all people are good at heart. Even if they don\u2019t always show it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cUh,\u201d said Queequeg.<\/p>\n

Ishmael, who had slept in his clothes, got up and splashed some water on his face. Jo, still in her nightshirt, combed her hair.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you expect us to get you on a whaling ship, that will have to go,\u201d said Ishmael.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat will have to go?\u201d said Jo.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe hair. You\u2019ll have to pass as a man, at least until we\u2019re underway.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut my sister Amy says my hair is my one beauty!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBring me the harpoon, Queequeg.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

And so the trio set out for Nantucket in search of a whaling vessel. Jo, now with considerably less hair, wore Queegueg\u2019s tall beaver hat and a pair of Ishmael\u2019s trousers. Halfway to the island, the ferry hit rough seas. Ishmael and Queequeg stood on deck, passing a pipe, as Jo clung to the rail, sliding back and forth with every swell. \u201cChristopher Columbus!\u201d she cried. \u201cIt must be a hurricane!\u201d<\/p>\n

Ishmael and Queequeg laughed.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy do you laugh? We\u2019re going to die!\u201d said Jo.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019ll get your sea legs soon enough,\u201d said Ishmael. \u201cAt least you don\u2019t get sick.\u201d<\/p>\n

No sooner had he said this than Jo leaned over and vomited into the frothy Atlantic.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Only one whaling ship was preparing to sail from Nantucket. She was a three-master called the Pequod<\/em>, and her captain, Ahab, had a strange reputation. He\u2019d lost a leg to a monstrous whale, and had lately turned moody and reclusive. He was, by all accounts, however, a fine seaman, so, lacking any other options, Ishmael, Jo, and Queequeg boarded the Pequod<\/em> to inquire about shipping on her.<\/p>\n

Queequeg demonstrated his skill to the ship\u2019s owner by hurling his harpoon from the bow and sticking it in the center of the mainmast. Ishmael had never been whaling (he was a merchantman) and could not throw a harpoon. The owner signed him on as a common sailor, at much less pay. When Jo stepped up to his desk, the salty mariner laughed outright. \u201cAnd what would I want with a scrawny scrap like you? We\u2019ve already got a cabin boy.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m the best harpooner you\u2019re likely to see,\u201d said Jo, lowering her voice to sound mannish.<\/p>\n

The owner told the young man to prove it, provided he could lift a harpoon.<\/p>\n

Jo gripped Undine, turned casually, and whipped her at the mainmast, where Queequeg\u2019s harpoon remained stuck. Undine cut the air like a lightning bolt, struck the wooden butt of the other harpoon, and cleaved it in two.<\/p>\n

\u201cYe Gods!\u201d said the owner. \u201cYou\u2019ll get the same share as the savage, to be sure. Sign here.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jo wrote \u201cJoseph March\u201d in the book, and followed her friends to their sleeping quarters in the forecastle.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Jo\u2019s first weeks at sea were very trying. She became so sick during a squall at the Grand Banks that she had to stay in her hammock for a whole day. The men teased her, but not too badly, for they had all been greenhorns themselves at one time.<\/p>\n

Jo found the food (mostly salt pork and biscuits) tolerable, but the stench of her fellow sailors, who seldom washed, was hard to endure.<\/p>\n

\u201cI cannot even speak to the cook, unless I\u2019m a harpoon\u2019s length away,\u201d she confided to Ishmael.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes,\u201d said Ishmael. \u201cThe cook\u2019s breath is very foul. But the second mate\u2019s is worse. Mind you don\u2019t get chewed out by him.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Captain Ahab was an enigma. He closed himself up in his cabin all day, and walked the deck only after dark. Jo, lying below in her hammock, could hear his whalebone leg thumping slowly from bow to stern.<\/p>\n

One night, she crept up the ladder and peeked toward the aft of the ship. A tall figure, wrapped all in shadow, loomed behind the helmsman, who steered with the utmost attention. A flash of dry lightning illuminated the scene, and Jo beheld the scarred visage of Captain Ahab. It was a frightening face, chapped and wrinkled, with cold, possessed eyes.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou!\u201d thundered Ahab.<\/p>\n

The sky went black again. Jo listened intensely.<\/p>\n

Clunk. Clunk, clunk. \u201cYou there!\u201d<\/p>\n

Ahab was coming toward her, but Jo was too terrified to flee. Just as she was about to scream, someone grabbed her from behind and pulled her down the ladder.<\/p>\n

\u201cGet back in your hammock,\u201d said Ishmael.<\/p>\n

Jo did as she was told, and closed her eyes tightly.<\/p>\n

\u201cWho dares spy on me?\u201d boomed the voice from above.<\/p>\n

\u201cTis I,\u201d said Ishmael, climbing through the hatch. \u201cHere to stand watch.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, be about it, man,\u201d said Ahab. \u201cYou\u2019re late.\u201d<\/p>\n

Try as she might, Jo didn\u2019t sleep a wink that night.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Jo performed her daily duties with good cheer, but was beginning to wonder if she\u2019d ever see a whale. Then, one day off the coast of Iceland, the lookout shouted what she\u2019d been waiting many weeks to hear: \u201cThere she blows!\u201d<\/p>\n

A massive sperm whale breached off the Pequod\u2019s<\/em> bow, launching a spume of water from its blowhole. Jo had never seen anything so magnificent. She stood on the deck in a trance as the men busily gathered their gear.<\/p>\n

\u201cGet your harpoon and get in the boat!\u201d said Starbuck, the first mate.<\/p>\n

Jo fetched Undine and hopped into the whaleboat with Starbuck and the oarsmen. Before she could sit down, the deckhands started lowering. Jo tumbled into her seat, nearly dropping Undine over the side.<\/p>\n

\u201cHold on to that iron,\u201d said Starbuck. \u201cYou\u2019re going to need it.\u201d<\/p>\n

The boat landed on the calm sea, and the oarsmen threw off the ropes. \u201cStroke!\u201d said Starbuck \u201cBreak your backs, men!\u201d<\/p>\n

Three other boats were converging on the whale, each with a harpooner in the bow. Queequeg waved at Jo. The whale, rolling languidly in the sun, took no notice of the commotion.<\/p>\n

\u201cGet that line attached,\u201d said Starbuck.<\/p>\n

Jo secured a rope to Undine, but when she looked up, the whale was gone. She saw nothing but miles and miles of empty ocean.<\/p>\n

\u201cHold, now,\u201d said Starbuck in a whisper. \u201cHe\u2019ll be back.\u201d<\/p>\n

Minutes elapsed without a sign of their quarry. Then Queequeg grunted and pointed his harpoon at a disturbance on the water. Little bubbles were rising up from the depths and bursting on the surface.<\/p>\n

\u201cPull back!\u201d said Starbuck.<\/p>\n

As the oarsmen frantically tried to reverse the boats, the ocean erupted, and a mountain of gray-blue flesh vaulted into the air. The whale thrashed its mighty flukes and crashed down lengthwise, releasing an enormous wave that capsized Queequeg\u2019s boat. Jo let out a high-pitched squeal as the ridge of water surged beneath her. The boat stayed afloat, but Starbuck shot her a suspicious look.<\/p>\n

The whale, furious, turned and swam directly at them. It opened its cavernous mouth, and Jo wondered if the story of Jonah were true, if she could really live in the belly of a whale.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat are you waiting for?\u201d said Starbuck. \u201cLet fly!\u201d<\/p>\n

Jo raised her harpoon and threw it with all the strength she had. The iron struck true, and blood erupted from her enemy\u2019s brow. The whale aborted its attack and dove straight down. Jo watched the rope uncoiling rapidly from the tub at her feet, and feared they would be dragged to the bottom. Fortunately, the whale halted its dive and began to swim in a westerly direction, pulling the little boat with it.<\/p>\n

\u201cNantucket sleigh ride!\u201d said Starbuck.<\/p>\n

The whale swam and swam, taking them far away from the Pequod<\/em> and the other pursuit boats. Jo had never felt such exhilaration. The wind rushed over her face, blowing off her hat. When the whale finally stopped and surfaced, she was ready with another harpoon.<\/p>\n

\u201cLet him have it!\u201d said Starbuck.<\/p>\n

Jo drove the dart into the whale\u2019s side, and Starbuck chucked another, connecting just below the blowhole. The whale bled profusely. Jo never imagined that a single creature could hold so much blood. They rowed closer and Starbuck stabbed it repeatedly with his lance. As the leviathan wallowed in its gore, the crew celebrated with shouts of joy.<\/p>\n

\u201cA fine payday, my little woman,\u201d said Starbuck, grinning at Jo.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Back on the Pequod<\/em>, Jo sat nervously in her hammock.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy are you hiding down here?\u201d said Ishmael. \u201cYou\u2019re the hero of the day.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cStarbuck knows,\u201d said Jo.<\/p>\n

\u201cKnows what?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe knows<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh. Well, I wouldn\u2019t worry about that. He isn\u2019t likely to throw his star harpooner overboard for being a girl. You\u2019ve just earned this ship a great deal of money. Now come with me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ishmael led Jo topside, where the crew were cutting up the whale and boiling its blubber to make oil.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt smells worse than the cook!\u201d said Jo. \u201cAnd the smoke! My goodness!\u201d<\/p>\n

As she bent to study the workings of the furnace, a gang of men grabbed her from behind and lifted her onto their shoulders.<\/p>\n

\u201cHere she is, boys!\u201d the ringleader cried. \u201cThree cheers for our little woman!\u201d<\/p>\n

All the sailors looked up from their chores and shouted, \u201cHurrah! Hurrah! Hurrah!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, dear,\u201d said Jo to Ishmael, as the men carried her off. \u201cStarbuck\u2019s told them all!\u201d<\/p>\n

And so he had, even Captain Ahab, who stood on the quarterdeck, observing the proceedings with a gloomy eye.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor she\u2019s a jolly good fellow!\u201d sang the crew.<\/p>\n

Jo\u2019s bearers stood her atop a barrel, and she took a delighted bow. It reminded her of the theatricals she used to put on with her sisters, except now she was a real-life Roderigo!<\/p>\n

\u201cCome here, Starbuck,\u201d growled Ahab.<\/p>\n

Starbuck\u2019s smile faded when he saw the captain\u2019s stormy countenance.<\/p>\n

\u201cMuster the crew,\u201d was his command.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut sir\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNow!\u201d<\/p>\n

Starbuck relayed the order, and the men quickly ceased singing. Ishmael helped Jo down from the barrel, and they joined their shipmates at the mainmast, where Ahab was holding aloft a gold doubloon.<\/p>\n

\u201cI seek a white whale,\u201d said Ahab. \u201cAnd whoever raises him will have this ounce of Spanish gold. The whale has a creased forehead, a bent jaw, and three rusty harpoons in his side. You cannot mistake him.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWould that be Moby Dick?\u201d said Starbuck. \u201cThe whale that took your leg?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe very same. When you see the devil, sing out, and the gold will be yours!\u201d<\/p>\n

Everyone cheered, except the cook. \u201cWhat about this little woman?\u201d he said, pointing at Jo. \u201cGirls on ships are bad luck, as well you know, Captain.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBad luck?\u201d said Ahab. \u201cThere\u2019s your bad luck, bubbling away in the try-pots. If she\u2019s bad luck, I\u2019ll take a hundred of her.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI suppose we\u2019ll be expected to wash now,\u201d said the cook. \u201cWhat with a lady on board.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBack to your galley, lout! The rest of you, find me a white whale.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Three days later, the Pequod<\/em> came upon a pod of five blue whales. They were gigantic, some of the largest the men had ever seen. Jo headed for her boat, but Captain Ahab said, \u201cSail on.\u201d<\/p>\n

Starbuck was incredulous. \u201cYou\u2019re letting a fortune swim away, sir!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s the white whale I\u2019m after,\u201d said Ahab.<\/p>\n

As the months wore on, the captain grew more distant, and the crew more restless. Jo and Queequeg passed the time by carving intricate designs on their harpoons. Ishmael isolated himself in the crow\u2019s nest, where he pondered life\u2019s mysteries. Starbuck\u2014his round, mutton-chopped face growing increasingly red\u2014seemed on the verge of mutiny.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe captain\u2019s gone mad,\u201d he told Jo. \u201cHe thinks of nothing but Moby Dick. And meanwhile, we make no money.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThis endless searching for a single whale is wasteful,\u201d said Jo. \u201cWe must take time by the forelock, or fetlock<\/em>, as my silly sister Amy says, and start filling our pots. I shall have a word with Mr. Ahab myself.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d reconsider that if I were you, missy. Yesterday the captain knocked a man down and nearly kicked him to death with that whalebone leg of his.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy would he do such a thing?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe fellow had the audacity to complement the captain\u2019s pea coat, and ask him where he might acquire a similar one.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOutrageous!\u201d said Jo.<\/p>\n

She marched straight to Ahab\u2019s cabin and pounded on the door.<\/p>\n

\u201cWho dares disturb me?\u201d thundered the voice within.<\/p>\n

\u201cJo March. Of Orchard House, Concord.\u201d<\/p>\n

The door swung open, and Ahab stood there scowling.<\/p>\n

\u201cGood day,\u201d said Jo, brushing past him into the room. \u201cOh, what a mess your cabin is! There are plates and mugs everywhere, and it smells like a kennel!\u201d<\/p>\n

Ahab swung around on his peg-leg and watched as Jo tidied up his quarters.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen was the last time you changed these sheets? Marmee would take away your singing privileges for a week if she saw this!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI hate singing,\u201d said Ahab.<\/p>\n

\u201cNonsense,\u201d said Jo, fluffing a pillow. \u201cEveryone likes singing. Would you like to sing with me? The cook taught me a funny little tune called \u201cThe Female Cabin Boy.\u201d I don\u2019t think Marmee would approve of all the lyrics, but we can skip the naughty parts if you like.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ahab distended his nostrils and snarled, \u201cGet out of here before I have you keelhauled!\u201d<\/p>\n

Jo smiled brightly. \u201cWhen my sister Amy is in a foul mood, we give her a lime, and it always cheers her up. Would you like a lime, Captain Ahab?\u201d She took the fruit from her pocket and offered it to him. For a moment it looked as if Ahab would slap it out of her hand, but then his face softened and he grinned a little.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy wife likes limes,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd so do I. Keeps the scurvy away. I believe I will have one, little woman.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGood. Now that you\u2019re in a better mood, maybe we can get back to killing cetaceans.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll tell you what, Jo,\u201d said Ahab, peeling the lime. \u201cThe next whale we see, we\u2019re going to kill, be it white, blue, or phosphorescent. How does that sound?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCapital,\u201d said Jo. \u201cI\u2019ll tell the crew!\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Though Ahab remained in good spirits, no whales could be found. When the Pequod<\/em> finally crossed the equator into the southern whaling grounds, it was Christmastime. Jo decorated as best she could, painting the capstan green and calling it her little Christmas tree.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m awfully homesick,\u201d she said to Ishmael, as they trimmed the tree with bits of net and sail. \u201cRight now Marmee is hanging holly and Beth is playing carols on the piano and Meg and Amy are singing along. On Christmas Day Laurie and his grandfather will visit, and everyone will open presents and have the most wonderful time.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSounds like a perfect nightmare,\u201d said Ishmael.<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, Ish. Don\u2019t you even like Christmas? I suppose you\u2019d be running around knocking people\u2019s hats into the punchbowl. You really should try to be more sociable.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHumbug.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jo put an angel she\u2019d made from seagull feathers in the center of the capstan-head and stepped back to admire her work. As she did, she noticed something most unusual. The fat cook and three of his sailor friends were coming toward them, wearing banana-leaf skirts.<\/p>\n

\u201cMercy me!\u201d said Jo. \u201cIs this how they celebrate Christmas at sea?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s nothing to do with Christmas,\u201d said Ishmael. \u201cWe\u2019ve just passed the equator.\u201d<\/p>\n

The cook grabbed Jo by the arm, and said, \u201cCome along, pollywog, King Neptune is expecting you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWho\u2019s King Neptune?\u201d said Jo.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is your first line-crossing,\u201d said Ishmael. \u201cYou must undergo an initiation into Neptune\u2019s Kingdom. Then you won\u2019t be a pollywog anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat will<\/em> I be?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cA shellback, of course!\u201d<\/p>\n

The cook and his goons took Jo to the quarterdeck, where Starbuck, in a false beard, was seated on a throne constructed of old salt pork barrels. The second mate sat beside him, dressed as an elegant queen with long seaweed hair. His dress was a tightly-wrapped sheet, and his crown a shiny sawblade, fashioned ingeniously into a round hat.<\/p>\n

Soon the deck was filled with drunken sailors costumed as mermaids, nymphs and bathing beauties.<\/p>\n

\u201cEverything\u2019s topsy-turvy!\u201d said Jo.<\/p>\n

\u201cSilence!\u201d said Starbuck, raising his trident. \u201cYou have been summoned to the Court of Neptune for being a slimy pollywog. How do you plead?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGuilty!\u201d shouted the crew. \u201cGuilty!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIf guilty means I haven\u2019t crossed the equator before, then I admit it,\u201d said Jo. \u201cWhy, this voyage is the first time I\u2019ve been south of Walden Pond!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou speak too much, wog,\u201d said Neptune. \u201cDavy Jones! Bring the fish!\u201d<\/p>\n

The crew chanted \u201cThe fish! The fish!\u201d and Queequeg appeared with an old sea chest chained round his neck.<\/p>\n

\u201cRemove the fish, my queen,\u201d said Neptune.<\/p>\n

The second mate stepped forward, walking awkwardly in his constricting dress, and opened Queequeg\u2019s locker. Inside was a smelly grouper, which he held up for the crew\u2019s approval.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe fish!\u201d they cried. \u201cGive her the fish!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCommence!\u201d ordered King Neptune.<\/p>\n

The queen swung the fish, slapping Jo on the shoulder.<\/p>\n

\u201cOw!\u201d said Jo. \u201cThat hurt!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAgain!\u201d commanded Neptune.<\/p>\n

Jo received a blow on the other shoulder and cried out once more.<\/p>\n

\u201cKeep going,\u201d said Neptune. \u201cUntil she is quiet.\u201d<\/p>\n

The queen bent low and thumped Jo in the belly with the grouper. She doubled over, but managed to remain silent.<\/p>\n

\u201cNow,\u201d said Neptune. \u201cHow do you plead?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGuilty,\u201d muttered Jo, holding her stomach.<\/p>\n

\u201cVery well. The Court of Neptune hereby convicts you of being a slimy, rebellious pollywog, and sentences you to take the oil bath. Bring forth the spermaceti, Davy Jones.\u201d<\/p>\n

Queequeg opened his locker and removed a large jar of spermaceti oil, taken from the skull of the sperm whale they\u2019d killed. The crew cheered as he raised the jar and poured its contents over Jo\u2019s head. The waxy oil was hot and sticky in the tropic sun. It covered Jo\u2019s hair and face and she was afraid to open her eyes.<\/p>\n

\u201cMore!\u201d ordered Neptune.<\/p>\n

The mermaids and nymphs all rushed forth with jars of their own and doused Jo from head to toe. It was thoroughly disgusting, but Jo laughed despite herself.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd now, my dear, you are officially a shellback,\u201d said Neptune. \u201cDavy Jones! Cleanse my new subject!\u201d<\/p>\n

Queequeg dumped a barrel of saltwater over Jo. When the oil was all washed off, he took her on a promenade around the deck. Crewman slapped her back and presented her with shell necklaces, seaweed bracelets and other trinkets. Ishmael gave her an ivory whale tooth, on which he\u2019d carved an image of the Pequod<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, thank you, Ish!\u201d said Jo. \u201cI shall cherish it forever, and always remember the day I became a shellback.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI shall remember it, too, my little woman,\u201d said Ishmael, as the merry sailors whisked her away.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

On Christmas Day, four whales were spotted. They swam together, sporting playfully.<\/p>\n

\u201cCaptain!\u201d said Jo, beating on Ahab\u2019s door. \u201cThere are right whales off the starboard bow. Shall we kill them?\u201d<\/p>\n

Ahab came out looking crazed. \u201cWhat\u2019s that you say? White whales?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cRight whales, sir.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI care not for rights, girl! It\u2019s the white whale I want. I\u2019ll chase him round the cape, and round the horn, and round hell\u2019s inferno before I relent!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYour troubles are returning,\u201d said Jo. \u201cIsh says it\u2019s monomania, which isn\u2019t at all healthy. Would you like a lime?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBlast your limes! I\u2019ll have the white whale or nothing.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut you promised, Captain.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ahab took out his spyglass and studied the pod of whales. \u201cIt\u2019s only a mother and three calves. We\u2019ve got a bigger fish to fry.\u201d He stumped back into this cabin and slammed the door.<\/p>\n

Jo watched the whales as the Pequod<\/em> drew closer. The little ones frolicked, jumping and diving and nosing into one another. They swam round and under their mother, who floated calmly, spouting great fountains of water for her children to play in. Jo couldn\u2019t help but think of Marmee and her sisters, romping in the yard at Orchard House.<\/p>\n

She went down to the forecastle, where Ishmael was reading in his hammock.<\/p>\n

\u201cIsh,\u201d she said. \u201cDo you like whaling?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo,\u201d said Ishmael, setting his book aside. \u201cI don\u2019t think I do.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIs it the killing you dislike?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, Jo.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jo went to her hammock to think things over. Whaling was very adventuresome, and she did love to throw her harpoon, but it seemed very sad that the whales, who had families and friends just like anyone else, should have to die. She dug her Pilgrim\u2019s Progress<\/em> out of her duffle and read the inscription: \u201cTo my dearest Josephine on Christmas. May you always take the right path. Love, Marmee.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jo knew she had reached a fork in the road. One way led to goodness and happiness, the other to a sort of thrilling but sinful wickedness she didn\u2019t fully understand. Perhaps the captain was having these same doubts. She wrapped the little crimson-covered book in paper, with one of her hair ribbons for a bow, and left it outside Ahab\u2019s door.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

In the week that followed, the captain stayed in his cabin night and day. Starbuck brought him food, but found him taciturn; he wouldn\u2019t even discuss his favorite topic, the white whale.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s very odd,\u201d Starbuck told Jo. \u201cHe seems lost. Like he doesn\u2019t know where he is or what he\u2019s about.\u201d<\/p>\n

On New Year\u2019s Day, the men mixed up a batch of rum punch and went gamboling about the ship. Jo, Ishmael and Queequeg sat around the capstan Christmas tree telling stories and feasting on jerky. When the jolly sailors saw them, they danced over, singing \u201cHere we come a wassailing, among the sails so white.\u201d The cook dragged Jo to her feet, and they galloped across the deck in a wild polka. Jo was having so much fun, she didn\u2019t even notice his breath.<\/p>\n

The merriment was at its peak when the lookout called from aloft: \u201cThere she blows!\u201d<\/p>\n

The men threw down their drinks and scrambled to their stations.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere she breaches!\u201d bellowed the lookout. \u201cIt\u2019s the white whale! Moby Dick!\u201d<\/p>\n

The door of Ahab\u2019s cabin banged open, and he strode onto the deck. He spoke not a word, but focused his spyglass on the mighty leviathan that cruised ahead of the Pequod, leaving a wake wider than any ship\u2019s.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s him,\u201d said Ahab.<\/p>\n

\u201cShould we launch the boats, Captain?\u201d said Starbuck.<\/p>\n

\u201cI . . . I don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIncrease sail, then? Pursue him in the Pequod<\/em>?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, Starbuck. I suppose.\u201d<\/p>\n

When Jo saw the confusion on Ahab\u2019s face, she knew that he was changed. She did not run to collect her harpoon, but went instead to the bow of the ship to see Moby Dick. The incredible beast plowed ever forward, dividing the crystal waters. But where was he going? Could Moby Dick be the father of the young whales Jo had seen on Christmas Day? Was he coming home to them after some long ordeal? Jo thought of her own father, and wondered if she\u2019d ever see him again.<\/p>\n

Ahab thumped over and stood at Jo\u2019s side. \u201cHave a lime?\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI do!\u201d said Jo.<\/p>\n

They shared the lime and watched Moby Dick.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019ve been reading my Pilgrim\u2019s Progress<\/em>, haven\u2019t you?\u201d said Jo.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd now you can forgive Moby Dick for taking your leg, can\u2019t you?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI was in the Slough of Despond,\u201d said Ahab. \u201cBut you pulled me out.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have both altered our paths,\u201d said Jo. \u201cI no longer wish to kill whales.\u201d<\/p>\n

As they spoke, Moby Dick sounded, and the crew of the Pequod<\/em> never saw him again.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Months later, on the ferry dock at New Bedford, Jo said her goodbyes to Queequeg and Ishmael.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you\u2019re ever in Concord, you must come to Orchard House,\u201d said Jo, embracing Queequeg. \u201cBut promise me you\u2019ll wear a shirt. Aunt March could be there, and she cannot abide shirtless men.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cUh,\u201d said Queequeg.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd what about me?\u201d said Ishmael. \u201cMay I come to Orchard House if I wear a shirt?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, Ish, I do hope you will.\u201d Jo took his hand fondly. \u201cIf you could only meet Marmee and Meg and Beth and Amy, you\u2019d see how wonderful people really are.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI know there will be at least one wonderful person there,\u201d said Ishmael.<\/p>\n

Jo hugged him tight and kissed him on the cheek. She started to walk away, but stopped.<\/p>\n

\u201cQueequeg!\u201d she said. \u201cI want you to have my harpoon. I won\u2019t be needing it anymore. \u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

DAN MOREY <\/strong>is a freelance writer in Pennsylvania. He\u2019s worked as a book critic, nightlife columnist, travel correspondent and outdoor journalist. His writing has appeared or is forthcoming in Cleaver Magazine<\/em>, Roads & Kingdoms<\/em>, and McSweeney’s Quarterly<\/em>. Find him at\u00a0danmorey.weebly.com<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Dan Morey     \u201cI\u2019m afraid it\u2019s going to be a dreary Christmas,\u201d said Meg. \u201cOh, it will be awful!\u201d said Amy. \u201cMarmee has spent all our money on potatoes for that wretched Hummel family. I doubt I\u2019ll even get … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"parent":7645,"menu_order":2,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-7648","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/P15duy-1Zm","_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.jerseydevilpress.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/7648","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.jerseydevilpress.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.jerseydevilpress.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.jerseydevilpress.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.jerseydevilpress.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=7648"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/www.jerseydevilpress.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/7648\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7655,"href":"http:\/\/www.jerseydevilpress.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/7648\/revisions\/7655"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.jerseydevilpress.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/7645"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.jerseydevilpress.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=7648"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}