but it is a ponderous task; no ordinary letter-sorter in the post-office is equal to it. to grope down into the bottom of the sea after them; to have one’s hands among the unspeakable foundations, ribs, and very pelvis of the world; this is a fearful thing. what am i that i should essay to hook the nose of this leviathan! the awful tauntings in job might well appal me. will he (the leviathan) make a covenant with thee? behold the hope of him is vain! but i have swam through libraries and sailed through oceans; i have had to do with whales with these visible hands; i am in earnest; and i will try. there are some preliminaries to settle.