The original story was entitled "The Path Through the Cemetery" written by Leonard Q. Ross. It has been adapted by many authors into various genres. The concept of the obsession factor in the TZ episode may come into play a bit, but I doubt that it was inspired at all by Moby Dick. The original story is set in Russia and involves some soldiers who pick on a local, shy, young man and mock him by calling him "Ivan the Terrible." They issue the challenge to walk through the cemetery and give him a sword to plunge into the ground at the center. There is no character like the character of Pinto. Ivan is simply a person afraid of his own shadow. However, the central theme is the same but the story ends with his death, not with anyone commenting upon the possibility of a supernatural occurrence.
