DETAILS, FICTION AND BICK DICK

Southeast on the Cape of fine Hope, the Pequod helps make the main of nine sea-encounters, or "gams", with other ships: Ahab hails the Goney (Albatross) to request whether they have seen the White Whale, though the trumpet by which her captain tries to speak falls in to the sea before he can reply. Ishmael explains that because of Ahab's absorption