That night, while standing at his pivot hole on deck, Ahab suddenly catches the scent of whale. At dawn, he notices an impressive, sleek wake of a large whale and soon spots Moby Dick. The chase begins. The White Whale sinks Ahab's whaleboat that first day. Moby Dick prevails the second day as well, smashing boats and apparently killing Fedallah. On the third day, Fedallah's prophecy (see Chapter 117) mysteriously proves true. The wounded whale attacks and sinks the Pequod. In a desperate last attempt to harpoon the leviathan from his open boat, Ahab inadvertently becomes entangled in the hemp harpoon line and is cast into the sea to his death.
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