August 8, 2019 - Chapter One Hundred One


This chapter brings up what might seem like a minor point but one that I think could be overlooked. Here, Ishmael, thinking further about the recently departed Samuel Enderby, remembers how much beer a Dutch whaling ship he once encountered had carried – two barrels per sailor. Certainly, this is a lot of beer, but as we were told in a much earlier chapter, whaling ships don’t stop at ports very often, if at all. As such, it must be borne in mind that the ability of whalers to consort with women are extremely rare. As a result, we ought not be surprised that so much alcohol is available aboard them.

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