Stubb's whale had been killed some distance from the ship. It was a 
calm; so, forming a tandem of three boats, we commenced the slow 
business of towing the trophy to the Pequod. And now, as we eighteen 
men with our thirty-six arms, and one hundred and eighty thumbs and 
fingers, slowly toiled hour after hour upon that inert, sluggish 
corpse in the sea; and it seemed hardly to budge at all, except at 
long intervals; good evidence was hereby furnished of the 
enormousness of the mass we moved. For, upon the great canal of Hang-
Ho, or whatever they call it, in China, four or five laborers on the 
foot-path will draw a bulky freighted junk at the rate of a mile an 
hour; but this grand argosy we towed heavily forged along, as if 
laden with pig-lead in bulk.

Darkness came on; but three lights up and down in the Pequod's main-
rigging dimly guided our way; till drawing nearer we saw Ahab 
dropping one of several more lanterns over the bulwarks. Vacantly 
eyeing the heaving whale for a moment, he issued the usual orders for 
securing it for the night, and then handing his lantern to a seaman, 
went his way into the cabin, and did not come forward again until 
morning.