Ahab has the carpenter put together a log and line, replacing the old, rotted apparatus, in order to help him discern the ship’s direction and speed. Pip comes to help his captain and so touches Ahab with his madness and sense of loss that the commander takes the child under wing. A sailor falls from the mainmast, drowning when the ship’s old life buoy won’t float. The carpenter makes a buoy out of Queequeg’s coffin.
