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In the morning the judge has killed the boy, and scalped it,
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and is wiping his hands on his pants.
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And Toadvine puts his revolver to the judge's head,
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and the judge says, "Shoot that thing or put it away. "
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And Toadvine puts it away.
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This is the direct echo of a moment
-
when Starbuck stands outside Ahab's cabin.
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Ahab's maniacal quest for the whale
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has been made apparent to the whole ship.
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Starbuck, that wise and deliberative man, understands
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that the fate of the whole ship has now been recruited to Ahab's maniacal cause.
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He knows that if he takes the musket and shoots Ahab in his bed