Moby Dick

Chapter 14

"Nantucket"

Ishmael speaks of the island of Nantucket in this chapter. He recites all the tall tales of how it is strange and unusual. Traditionally, the island was discovered by American Indians whose child was swept off by an eagle. They then turned to the sea for their living. The sea became theirs, their property, their country, and they lived their lives on the high seas.

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References:
"the Eddystone lighthouse"
"a mere hillock":small hill
"Some gamesome wights":"frolicsome"[Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary] fellows
"like Laplander snowshoes"
"crabs and quohogs"
"That Himmalehan"
"as chamois hunters":a small goatlike antelope of Europe and the Caucasus