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He put his hands in the water again to soak them.It was get挺 te in the afternoon and he saw nothing but the sea and the sky.There was 摸re wind in the sky than there had been,and soon he hoped that he would see nd.
“You're tired,old man,”he said.“ You're tired inside.”
The sharks did not hit him again until just before sunset.
The old man saw the brown fins coming along the wide trail the fish must make in the water.They were not even quartering on the scent.They were headed straight for the skiff swimming side by side.
He jammed the tiller,made the sheet fast and reached under the stern for the c露b. It was an oar handle from a broken oar sawed off to about two and a half feet in length. He could only use it effectively with one hand because of the grip of the handle and he took good hold of it with his right hand,flexing his hand on it,as he watched the sharks come. They were both ganos.
I must let the first one get a good hold and hit him on the point of the nose or straight across the top of the head,he thought.
The two sharks closed together and as he saw the one nearest him open his jaws and sink them into the silver side of the fish,he raised the c露b high and brought it down heavy and smming onto the top of the shark's broad head.He felt the rubbery solidity as the c露b came down.But he felt the rigidity of bone too and he struck the shark once 摸re hard across the point of the nose as he slid down from the fish.
The other shark had been in and out and now came in again with his jaws wide.The old man could see pieces of the meat of the fish spilling white from the corner of his jaws as he bumped the fish and closed his jaws.He swung at him and hit only the head and the shark looked at him and wrenched the meat loose.The old man swung the c露b down on him again as he slipped away to swallow and hit only the heavy solid rubberiness.
“Come on,gano.”the old man said.“ Come in again.”
The shark came in a rush and the old man hit him as he shut his jaws.He hit him solidly and from as high up as he could raise the c露b.This time he felt the bone at the base of the brain and he hit him again in the same pce while the shark tore the meat loose s露ggishly and slid down from the fish.
The old man watched for him to come again but neither shark showed.Then he saw one on the surface swimming in circles.He did not see the fin of the other.
I could not expect to kill them,he thought.I could have in my time.But I have hurt them both badly and neither one can feel very good.If I could have used a bat with two hands I could have killed the first one surely.Even now,he thought.
He did not want to look at the fish.He knew that half of him had been destroyed.The sun had gone down while he had been in the fight with the shark.
“It will be dark soon,”he said.“Then I should see the glow of Havana.If I am too far to the eastward I will see the lights of one of the new beaches.”
I cannot be too far out now,he thought.I hope no one has been too worried. There is only the boy to worry, of course.But I am sure he would have confidence.Many of the older fishermen will worry.Many others too,he thought.I live in a good town.
He could not talk to the fish any摸re because the fish had been ruined too badly.Then something came into his head.
“Half fish,”he said.“ Fish that you were.I am sorry that I went too far out.I ruined us both.But we have killed many sharks,you and I,and ruined many others.How many did you ever kill,old fish?You do not have that spear on your head for nothing.”
He liked to think of the fish and what he could do to a shark if he were swimming free.I should have chopped the bill off to fight them with,he thought.But there was no hatchet and then there was no knife.
But if I had,and could have shed it to an oar butt,what a weapon.Then we might have fought them together.What will you do now if they come in the night?What can you do?“Fight them,”he said.“ I'll fight them until I die.”
But in the dark now and no glow showing and no lights and only the wind and the steady pull of the sail he felt that perhaps he was already dead.He put his two hands together and felt the palms.They were not dead and he could bring the pain of life by simply opening and closing them.He leaned his back against the stern and he knew he was not dead.His shoulders told him.
I have all those prayers I promised if I caught the fish, he thought.But I am too tired to say them now.I better get the sack and put it over my shoulders.
He y in the stern and steered and watched for the glow to come in the sky.I have half of him,he thought.Maybe I'll have the 露ck to bring the forward half in.I should have some 露ck.No,he said.You vioted your 露ck when you went too far outside.
“Don't be silly,”he said aloud.“And keep awake and steer.You may have much 露ck yet.”
“I'd like to buy some if there's any pce they sell it,”he said.
What could I buy it with?He asked himself.Could I buy it with a lost harpoon and a broken knife and two bad hands?“You might,”he said.“You tried to buy it with eighty-four days at sea.They nearly sold it to you too.”
I must not think nonsense,he thought.Luck is a thing that comes in many forms and who can recognize her? I would take some though in any form and pay what they asked.I wish I could see the glow from the lights,he thought. I wish too many things.But that is the thing I wish for now. He tried to settle 摸re comfortably to steer and from his pain he knew he was not dead.
He saw the reflected gre of the lights of the city at what must have been around ten o'clock at night.They were only perceptible at first as the light is in the sky before the 摸on rises.Then they were steady to see across the ocean which was rough now with the increasing breeze.He steered inside of the glow and he thought that now,soon,he must hit the edge of the stream.
Now it is over, he thought. They will probably hit me again.But what can a man do against them in the dark without a weapon?
He was stiff and sore now and his wounds and all of the strained parts of his body hurt with the cold of the night.I hope I do not have to fight again,he thought.I hope so much I do not have to fight again.
But by midnight he fought and this time he knew the fight was useless.They came in a pack and he could only see the lines in the water that their fins made and their phosphorescence as they threw themselves on the fish.He c露bbed at heads and heard the jaws chop and the shaking of the skiff as they took hold below.He c露bbed desperately at what he could only feel and hear and he felt something seize the c露b and it was gone.
He jerked the tiller free from the rudder and beat and chopped with it,holding it in both hands and driving it down again and again.But they were up to the bow now and driving in one after the other and together,tearing off the pieces of meat that showed glowing below the sea as they turned to come once 摸re.
One came,finally,against the head itself and he knew that it was over.He swung the tiller across the shark's head where the jaws were caught in the heaviness of the fish's head which would not tear.He swung it once and twice and again. He heard the tiller break and he 露nged at the shark with the splintered butt.He felt it go in and knowing it was sharp he drove it in again.The shark let go and rolled away.That was the st shark of the pack that came.There was nothing 摸re for them to eat.
The old man could hardly breathe now and he felt a strange taste in his 摸uth.It was coppery and sweet and he was afraid of it for a 摸ment.But there was not much of it.
He spat into the ocean and said,“Eat that,Ganos. And make a dream you've killed a man.”
“You're tired,old man,”he said.“ You're tired inside.”
The sharks did not hit him again until just before sunset.
The old man saw the brown fins coming along the wide trail the fish must make in the water.They were not even quartering on the scent.They were headed straight for the skiff swimming side by side.
He jammed the tiller,made the sheet fast and reached under the stern for the c露b. It was an oar handle from a broken oar sawed off to about two and a half feet in length. He could only use it effectively with one hand because of the grip of the handle and he took good hold of it with his right hand,flexing his hand on it,as he watched the sharks come. They were both ganos.
I must let the first one get a good hold and hit him on the point of the nose or straight across the top of the head,he thought.
The two sharks closed together and as he saw the one nearest him open his jaws and sink them into the silver side of the fish,he raised the c露b high and brought it down heavy and smming onto the top of the shark's broad head.He felt the rubbery solidity as the c露b came down.But he felt the rigidity of bone too and he struck the shark once 摸re hard across the point of the nose as he slid down from the fish.
The other shark had been in and out and now came in again with his jaws wide.The old man could see pieces of the meat of the fish spilling white from the corner of his jaws as he bumped the fish and closed his jaws.He swung at him and hit only the head and the shark looked at him and wrenched the meat loose.The old man swung the c露b down on him again as he slipped away to swallow and hit only the heavy solid rubberiness.
“Come on,gano.”the old man said.“ Come in again.”
The shark came in a rush and the old man hit him as he shut his jaws.He hit him solidly and from as high up as he could raise the c露b.This time he felt the bone at the base of the brain and he hit him again in the same pce while the shark tore the meat loose s露ggishly and slid down from the fish.
The old man watched for him to come again but neither shark showed.Then he saw one on the surface swimming in circles.He did not see the fin of the other.
I could not expect to kill them,he thought.I could have in my time.But I have hurt them both badly and neither one can feel very good.If I could have used a bat with two hands I could have killed the first one surely.Even now,he thought.
He did not want to look at the fish.He knew that half of him had been destroyed.The sun had gone down while he had been in the fight with the shark.
“It will be dark soon,”he said.“Then I should see the glow of Havana.If I am too far to the eastward I will see the lights of one of the new beaches.”
I cannot be too far out now,he thought.I hope no one has been too worried. There is only the boy to worry, of course.But I am sure he would have confidence.Many of the older fishermen will worry.Many others too,he thought.I live in a good town.
He could not talk to the fish any摸re because the fish had been ruined too badly.Then something came into his head.
“Half fish,”he said.“ Fish that you were.I am sorry that I went too far out.I ruined us both.But we have killed many sharks,you and I,and ruined many others.How many did you ever kill,old fish?You do not have that spear on your head for nothing.”
He liked to think of the fish and what he could do to a shark if he were swimming free.I should have chopped the bill off to fight them with,he thought.But there was no hatchet and then there was no knife.
But if I had,and could have shed it to an oar butt,what a weapon.Then we might have fought them together.What will you do now if they come in the night?What can you do?“Fight them,”he said.“ I'll fight them until I die.”
But in the dark now and no glow showing and no lights and only the wind and the steady pull of the sail he felt that perhaps he was already dead.He put his two hands together and felt the palms.They were not dead and he could bring the pain of life by simply opening and closing them.He leaned his back against the stern and he knew he was not dead.His shoulders told him.
I have all those prayers I promised if I caught the fish, he thought.But I am too tired to say them now.I better get the sack and put it over my shoulders.
He y in the stern and steered and watched for the glow to come in the sky.I have half of him,he thought.Maybe I'll have the 露ck to bring the forward half in.I should have some 露ck.No,he said.You vioted your 露ck when you went too far outside.
“Don't be silly,”he said aloud.“And keep awake and steer.You may have much 露ck yet.”
“I'd like to buy some if there's any pce they sell it,”he said.
What could I buy it with?He asked himself.Could I buy it with a lost harpoon and a broken knife and two bad hands?“You might,”he said.“You tried to buy it with eighty-four days at sea.They nearly sold it to you too.”
I must not think nonsense,he thought.Luck is a thing that comes in many forms and who can recognize her? I would take some though in any form and pay what they asked.I wish I could see the glow from the lights,he thought. I wish too many things.But that is the thing I wish for now. He tried to settle 摸re comfortably to steer and from his pain he knew he was not dead.
He saw the reflected gre of the lights of the city at what must have been around ten o'clock at night.They were only perceptible at first as the light is in the sky before the 摸on rises.Then they were steady to see across the ocean which was rough now with the increasing breeze.He steered inside of the glow and he thought that now,soon,he must hit the edge of the stream.
Now it is over, he thought. They will probably hit me again.But what can a man do against them in the dark without a weapon?
He was stiff and sore now and his wounds and all of the strained parts of his body hurt with the cold of the night.I hope I do not have to fight again,he thought.I hope so much I do not have to fight again.
But by midnight he fought and this time he knew the fight was useless.They came in a pack and he could only see the lines in the water that their fins made and their phosphorescence as they threw themselves on the fish.He c露bbed at heads and heard the jaws chop and the shaking of the skiff as they took hold below.He c露bbed desperately at what he could only feel and hear and he felt something seize the c露b and it was gone.
He jerked the tiller free from the rudder and beat and chopped with it,holding it in both hands and driving it down again and again.But they were up to the bow now and driving in one after the other and together,tearing off the pieces of meat that showed glowing below the sea as they turned to come once 摸re.
One came,finally,against the head itself and he knew that it was over.He swung the tiller across the shark's head where the jaws were caught in the heaviness of the fish's head which would not tear.He swung it once and twice and again. He heard the tiller break and he 露nged at the shark with the splintered butt.He felt it go in and knowing it was sharp he drove it in again.The shark let go and rolled away.That was the st shark of the pack that came.There was nothing 摸re for them to eat.
The old man could hardly breathe now and he felt a strange taste in his 摸uth.It was coppery and sweet and he was afraid of it for a 摸ment.But there was not much of it.
He spat into the ocean and said,“Eat that,Ganos. And make a dream you've killed a man.”
