and prolonged ham-squattings in cold, cheerless rooms were
stark nonsense; bad for the health; useless for the soul; opposed, in short, to
the obvious laws of hygiene and common-sense. I told him, too, that he being in
other things such an extremely sensible and sagacious savage, it pained me, very
badly pained me, to see him now so deplorably foolish about this ridiculous
Ramadan of his. Besides, argued I, fasting makes the body cave in; hence the
spirit caves in; and all thoughts born of a fast must necessarily be
half-starved. This is the reason why most dyspeptic religionists cherish such
melancholy notions about their hereafters. In one word, Queequeg, said I, rather
digressively; hell is an idea first born on an undigested apple-dumpling; and
since then perpetuated through the hereditary dyspepsias nurtured by Ramadans.
    I then asked Queequeg whether he himself was ever troubled with dyspepsia;
expressing the idea very plainly, so that he could take it in. He said no; only
upon one memorable occasion. It was after a great feast given by his father the
King, on the gaining of a great battle wherein fifty of the enemy had been
killed by about two o'clock in the afternoon, and all cooked and eaten that very
evening.
    »No more, Queequeg,« said I, shuddering; »that will do«; for I knew the
inferences without his further hinting them. I had seen a sailor who had visited
that very island, and he told me that it was the custom, when a great battle had
been gained there, to barbecue all the slain in the yard or garden of the
victor; and then, one by one, they were placed in great wooden trenchers, and
garnished round like a pilau, with breadfruit and cocoa-nuts; and with some
parsley in their mouths, were sent round with the victor's compliments to all
his friends, just as though these presents were so many Christmas turkeys.
    After all, I do not think that my remarks about religion made much
impression upon Queequeg. Because, in the first place, he somehow seemed dull of
hearing on that important subject, unless considered from his own point of view;
and, in the second place, he did not more than one-third understand me, couch my
ideas simply as I would; and, finally, he no doubt thought he knew a good deal
more about the true religion than I did. He looked at me with a sort of
condescending concern and compassion, as though he thought it a