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Does the Whale’s Magnitude Diminish? — Will He Perish?

           Butstillanotherinquiryremains;oneoftenagitatedbythemorereconditeNantucketers.Whetherowingtothealmostomniscientlook-outsatthemast-headsofthewhaleships,nowpenetratingeventhroughBehring’sstraits,andintotheremotestsecretdrawersandlockersoftheworld;andthethousandharpoonsandlancesdartedalongallcontinentalcoasts;themootpointis,whetherLeviathancanlongenduresowideachase,andsoremorselessahavoc;whetherhemustnotatlastbeexterminatedfromthewaters,andthelastwhale,likethelastman,smokehislastpipe,andthenhimselfevaporateinthefinalpuff.

           Comparingthehumpedherdsofwhaleswiththehumpedherdsofbuffalo,which,notfortyyearsago,overspreadbytensofthousandstheprairiesofIllinoisandMissouri,andshooktheirironmanesandscowledwiththeirthunder-clottedbrowsuponthesitesofpopulousriver-capitals,wherenowthepolitebrokersellsyoulandatadollaraninch;insuchacomparisonanirresistibleargumentwouldseemfurnished,toshowthatthehuntedwhalecannotnowescapespeedyextinction.

           Butyoumustlookatthismatterineverylight.ThoughsoshortaperiodagonotagoodlifetimethecensusofthebuffaloinIllinoisexceededthecensusofmennowinLondon,andthoughatthepresentdaynotonehornorhoofofthemremainsinallthatregion;andthoughthecauseofthiswondrousexterminationwasthespearofman;yetthefardifferentnatureofthewhale-huntperemptorilyforbidssoingloriousanendtotheLeviathan.

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