As the final call for boarding sounds, Ishmael and Queequeg rush to the Pequod, but are interrupted by Elijah. He interrupts their way, speaking in cryptic terms about four or five men entering the ship in the dim evening light.

Still mulling over Elijah’s words and the mystery of those strange men, the two companions find the Pequod’s deck quiet, except for a single rigger asleep within the bottom deck of the ship. Queequeg uses the stranger as a seat, explaining that it is the customary practice in his country for noblemen to use people as chairs.

Soon the rigger awakes, notes the entrance of Starbuck, the Pequod’s chief mate, and soon the crew begins to pour into the Pequod. There is still no sign of Ahab.

At noon on Christmas Day, Peleg and Bildad confer with Starbuck and Stubb, the ship’s second mate, on final preparations. Ahab stays below decks, unseen. The captain’s lack of visibility before setting sail is not entirely unheard of, and besides, says Ishmael, preparations for sail keep all hands too busy to notice.