Business end of a harpoon, American, mid-nineteenth century.
This
ominous-looking implement was once embedded, for a few moments
at least, in the flesh of a certain mysterious White Whale.
Because
it was cast from a considerable distance and with insufficient force,
however, the harpoon soon came free and, still attached to the
box-line, was recovered by a member of the crew of the whale-boat,
who retained it as a memento of a dangerous encounter which he
felt fortunate to have survived. Since that time many bold
whalers
have attempted without success to kill this same ubiquitous and
omnipresent
White Whale, whose present whereabouts is unknown.
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