- The Pequod is very busy hunting in the Pacific, just off the coast of Japan.
- The ship spends long stretches floating on the tranquil, beautiful waves of the becalmed sea; the blue swells of water almost seem like meadows on the land.
- Even Ahab feels the blessed serenity, but thinks that it can’t last; Starbuck finds fodder for his faith; and Stubb is simply jolly.