"'Thou knowest best,' was the sepulchral reply; 'the seven hundred and seventy-seventh wouldn't be too much--would it--'where moth and rust do corrupt, but _lay_--' "Lay indeed, thought I, and such a lay!--the seven hundred and seventy-seventh! Well, old Bildad, you are determined that I, for one, shall not _lay_ up many _lays_ here below, where moth and rust do corrupt. It was an exceedingly _long lay_ that, indeed; and though from the magnitude of the figure it might at first deceive a landsman, yet the slightest consideration will show that, though seven hundred and seventy-seven is a pretty large number, yet when you come to make a _teenth_ of it, you will then see, I say, that the seven hundred and seventy-seventh part of a farthing is a good deal less than seven hundred and seventy-seven gold doubloons. And so I thought at the time. "'Why, b---- t your eyes, Bildad!' cried Peleg, 'thou dost not want to swindle this young man! he must have more than that?' "'Seven hundred and seventy-seventh,' again said Bildad, without lifting his eyes; and then went on mumbling--'for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.' "'I am going to put him down for the three hundredth,' said Peleg; 'do ye hear that, Bildad? The three hundredth lay, I say.' "Bildad laid down his book, and, turning solemnly towards him, said, 'Captain Peleg, thou hast a generous heart; but thou must consider the duty thou owest to the other owners of this ship--widows and orphans, many of them; and that, if we too abundantly reward the labors of this young man, we may be taking the bread from those widows and those orphans. The seven hundred and seventy-seventh lay, Captain Peleg.' "'Thou Bildad!' roared Peleg, starting up, and clattering about the cabin, 'B---- t ye, Captain Bildad; if I had followed thy advice in these matters, I would afore now had a conscience to lug about that would be heavy enough to founder the largest ship that ever sailed round Cape Horn.' "'Captain Peleg,' said Bildad steadily, 'thy conscience may be drawing ten inches of water or ten fathoms--I can't tell; but as thou art still an impenitent man, Captain Peleg, I greatly fear lest thy conscience be but a leaky one, and will in the end sink thee foundering down to the fiery pit, Captain Peleg,'"