Depiction: Fleece the cook stands at the stove, turning a steak with his long tongs made out of straightened iron hoops; one of these hoops holds a doubloon.
Text: Chapter 64 - Stubb's Supper
The old black, not in any very high glee at having been previously roused from his warm hammock at a most unseasonable hour, came shambling along from his galley, for, like many old blacks, there was something the matter with his knee-pans, which he did not keep well scoured like his other pans; this old Fleece, as they called him, came shuffling and limping along, assisting his step with his tongs, which, after a clumsy fashion, were made of straightened iron hoops..
Comments: Chapter 64 is a hard chapter to get through, as it's unpleasant to read about Stubb abusing his privilege as an officer to force the elderly Black cook to get up and make (and remake) him a steak, especially when Fleece can barely walk due to his bad knees. Admittedly, it's nothing unusual for any sailor to be ordered around, but this seems different in light of the cook's age and physical condition. Then there's all that stereotypical dialect when Stubb insists that Fleece preach to the sharks. Although it's clear there is some sympathy for Fleece, I sense this scene may have been intended to be humorous to Melville's contemporary audience in the Civil War era. Reading it now, it's difficult not to think of anything but racism, exploitation and abuse of power. With this card, I see the stove as Fleece's horse; he does his work every day, performs his role on the ship as required, and gets through life as best he can.
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