Taking a Ship's Deck at Sea Is Not Your Business, Gentlemen

The order about the shovel was almost as plainly meant to sting and insult stilkilt. Steelkilt rose and slowly retreated round the windlass, steadily followed by the mate with his menacing hammer. But for all his first nameless feeling of forbearance, the sweating steel kilt could but ill brook. This bore in the mate, but somehow still smothering the conflagration within him. Without speaking, he remained doggedly rooted to his seat, till at last the incensed radney shook the hammer within a few inches of his face, furiously commanding him to do his bidding.