whilst i was thus closely scanning him, half-pretending meanwhile to be looking out at the storm from the casement, he never heeded my presence, never troubled himself with so much as a single glance; but appeared wholly occupied with counting the pages of the marvellous book. considering how sociably we had been sleeping together the night previous, and especially considering the affectionate arm i had found thrown over me upon waking in the morning, i thought this indifference of his very strange. but savages are strange beings; at times you do not know exactly how to take them. at first they are overawing; their calm self-collectedness of simplicity seems a socratic wisdom. i had noticed also that queequeg never consorted at all, or but very little, with the other seamen in the inn. he made no advances whatever; appeared to have no desire to enlarge the circle of his acquaintances.