The gams that the Pequod encounters are usually frustrating or otherwise disappointing. Ahab is interested only in information regarding Moby Dick. When the other ship has not encountered the White Whale, or its captain wants to discuss something else, Ahab prefers to move on as soon as possible. Communication is even more strained than usual with the Jungfrau because of the language barrier, which some critics see as symbolic of the difficulty involved in a visitor's attempt at any conversation with Ahab.
Jungfrau is German for "young woman," which Melville translates as "virgin." The ship is a virgin in the sense that it is inexperienced. It is, Ishmael tells us, "clean" — that is, it is empty of oil and has not yet secured its first whale. The captain and crew of the German vessel are woefully inexperienced at whaling. Ahab's men easily beat the Germans to the one whale in the pod that is captured, although the sperm whale seems sickly and soon sinks to the bottom of the ocean. The Germans then naively take after a fin-back whale, which a novice might confuse with a sperm because the spouts are similar. Veteran whalers do not pursue the fin-back because it is too swift to be caught. Ahab's experienced men desist. Captain Derick encourages pursuit. At the end of the chapter, Ishmael offers one of his universal observations, inferred from the specific situation, as he comments on the futile chase: "Oh! many are the Fin-Backs, and many are the Dericks, my friend."
