The Crotch — Moby-Dick

Ishmael says big books grow like trees. Branches grow from the trunk, and twigs grow from branches. This short chapter is one of those twigs. It explains the crotch.

The crotch is a notched stick about two feet long. It fits upright in the starboard bow of the whaleboat. It holds the harpoon ready, like a rifle on a wall. Two harpoons usually rest there. They are called the first iron and the second iron.

Both harpoons connect to the whale-line. The idea is to throw them one after the other into the same whale. If the first pulls loose, the second may still hold. That doubles the chances of a good catch.

But when the first harpoon hits, the whale often runs so fast that the harpooneer cannot throw the second. The second iron is still tied to the running line. It cannot stay safely in the boat. It must be thrown overboard right away, or the crew could be killed.

Once the second iron is loose in the water, it becomes a dangling danger. It whips around the boat and the whale. It can tangle or cut the lines. No one can secure it again until the whale is dead.

Sometimes this toss itself causes terrible accidents. When four boats attack one strong whale, eight or ten loose second irons may swing at once. Each boat also carries spare harpoons if the first is lost.

Ishmael tells us all this now so we will understand the harder chase scenes that come later.