As Queequeg and Ishmael approach the Pequod, which is being prepared for its extended trip, a strange man approaches them. The man calls himself a prophet and introduces himself as Elijah, then offers ominous and mysterious suggestions regarding the ship and its captain, referring to the latter as "Old Thunder" and wondering about the fate of Ishmael and Queequeg’s souls. The two are unsettled, but laugh off Elijah’s words, believing him to be selling falsehoods.

The day the ship is scheduled to depart, Ishmael notices a handful of figures walking through the dim morning haze; he assumes they are sailors manning the vessel for its upcoming trip. However, Elijah soon reappears and challenges Ishmael to locate these men once he has boarded. Despite his misgivings and disbelief, Ishmael takes up Elijah’s challenge and attempts to locate the men; they are nowhere to be found. Ahab, too, is noticeably absent. Although he supposedly arrived on the ship the previous night, he has not yet left his quarters.

On  Christmas Day, the vessel begins its voyage. Bildad and Peleg guide it out of the harbor but seem oddly hesitant to do so. Later that evening, Ishmael is shocked to observe Bulkington at the steering wheel. As the men sail toward their destination, Ishmael falls to musing.

Ishmael explains that he considers whaling a respectable profession and argues that whalers are no more brutal than soldiers, who, unlike whalers, are praised for their killing. He points out that whale oil is used to illuminate the world and is even used to bless royalty during their crowning ceremonies; yet, those who gather this precious material are looked down upon. To Ishmael, however, being a whaler was as valuable as attending Yale or Harvard.