按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！
ded weˇd be polite no matter what。〃
¨Iˇll be polite；〃 Andrew said。 ¨But itˇs hard sometimes with Dave。 Papa； do you think he can really get him？ That it isnˇt just like a dream or something？〃
¨Letˇs not talk about it。〃
¨Have I said something wrong again？〃
¨No。 Only it always seems bad luck to talk that way。 We got it from the old fishermen。 I donˇt know what started it。〃
¨Iˇll be careful。〃
¨Hereˇs your drink； papa；〃 Tom said； handing it up from below。 The glass was wrapped in a triple thickness of paper towel with a rubber band around to hold the paper tight against the glass and keep the ice from melting。 ¨I put lime； bitters； and no sugar in it。 Is that how you want it？ Or can I change it？〃
¨Thatˇs fine。 Did you make it with coconut water？〃
¨Yes； and I made Eddy a whisky。 Mr。 Davis didnˇt want anything。 Are you staying up there； Andy？〃
¨No。 Iˇm coming down。〃
Tom climbed up and Andrew went down。
Looking back over the stern； Thomas Hudson noticed the line starting to slant up in the water。
¨Watch it； Roger；〃 he called。 ¨It looks like heˇs coming up。〃
¨Heˇs coming up！〃 Eddy yelled。 He had seen the slant in the line too。 ¨Watch your wheel。〃
Thomas Hudson looked down at the spool of the reel to see how much line there was to maneuver with。 It was not yet a quarter full and as he watched it started to whiz off and Thomas Hudson started backing； turning sharp toward the slant of the line； well under way as Eddy yelled； ¨Back on him； Tom。 The son of a bitch is coming up。 We ainˇt got no line to turn。〃
¨Keep your rod up；〃 Roger said to David。 ¨Donˇt let him get it down。〃 Then to Thomas Hudson； ¨Back on him all you can； Tom。 Youˇre going right。 Give her all sheˇll take。〃
Then； astern of the boat and off to starboard； the calm of the ocean broke open and the great fish rose out of it； rising； shining dark blue and silver； seeming to come endlessly out of the water； unbelievable as his length and bulk rose out of the sea into the air and seemed to hang there until he fell with a splash that drove the water up high and white。
¨Oh； God；〃 David said。 ¨Did you see him？〃
¨His swordˇs as long as I am；〃 Andrew said in awe。
¨Heˇs so beautiful；〃 Tom said。 ¨Heˇs much better than the one I had in the dream。〃
¨Keep backing on him；〃 Roger said to Thomas Hudson。 Then to David； ¨Try and get some line out of that belly。 He came up from way down and thereˇs a big belly of line and you can get some of it。〃
Thomas Hudson； backing fast onto the fish； had stopped the line going out and now David was lifting； lowering； and reeling； and the line was coming onto the reel in sweeps as fast as he could turn the reel handle。
¨Slow her down；〃 Roger said。 ¨We donˇt want to get over him。
¨Son of a bitchˇll weigh a thousand pounds；〃 Eddy said。 ¨Get that easy line in； Davy boy。〃
The ocean was flat and empty where he had jumped but the circle made where the water had been broken was still widening。
¨Did you see the water he threw when he jumped； papa？〃 young Tom asked his father。 ¨It was like the whole sea bursting open。〃
¨Did you see the way he seemed to climb up and up； Tom？ Did you ever see such a blue and that wonderful silver on him？〃
¨His sword is blue too；〃 young Tom said。 ¨The whole back of it is blue。 Will he really weigh a thousand pounds； Eddy？〃 he called down。
¨I think he will。 Nobody can say。 But heˇll weigh something awful。〃
¨Get all the line you can； Davy； now while itˇs cheap；〃 Roger told him。 ¨Youˇre getting it fine。〃
The boy was working like a machine again； recovering line from the great bulge of line in the water and the boat was backing so slowly that the movement was barely perceptible。
¨What will he do now； papa？〃 Tom asked his father。 Thomas Hudson was watching the slant of the line in the water and thinking it would be safer to go ahead just a little but he knew how Roger had suffered with so much line out。 The fish had only needed to make one steady rush to strip all the line from the reel and break off and now Roger was taking chances to get a reserve of line。 As Thomas Hudson watched the line； he saw that David had the reel nearly half full and that he was still gaining。
¨What did you say？〃 Thomas Hudson asked his boy Tom。
¨What do you think heˇll do now？〃
¨Wait a minute； Tom；〃 his father said and called down to Roger。 ¨Iˇm afraid weˇre going to get over him； kid。〃
¨Then put her ahead easy；〃 Roger said。
¨Ahead easy；〃 Thomas Hudson repeated。 David stopped getting in so much line but the fish was in a safer position。
Then the line started to go out again and Roger called up； ¨Throw her out；〃 and Thomas Hudson threw out the clutches and let the motors idle。
¨Sheˇs out；〃 he said。 Roger was bending over David and the boy was braced and holding back on the rod and the line was slipping steadily away。
¨Tighten on him a little bit； Davy；〃 Roger said。 ¨Weˇll make him work for it。〃
¨I donˇt want him to break；〃 David said。 But he tightened the drag。
¨He wonˇt break；〃 Roger told him。 ¨Not with that drag。〃
The line kept going out but the rod was bent heavier and the boy was braced back holding against the pressure with his bare feet against the wood of the stern。 Then the line stopped going out。
¨Now you can get some；〃 Roger told the boy。 ¨Heˇs circling and this is the in…turn。 Get back all you can。〃
The boy lowered and reeled； then lifted； let the rod straighten； lowered and reeled。 He was getting line beautifully again。
¨Am I doing all right？〃 he asked。
¨Youˇre doing wonderful；〃 Eddy told him。 ¨Heˇs hooked deep； Davy。 I could see when he jumped。〃
Then； while the boy was lifting； the line started to go out again。
¨Hell；〃 David said。
¨Thatˇs OK；〃 Roger told him。 ¨Thatˇs whatˇs supposed to happen。 Heˇs on the out…turn now。 He circled in toward you and you got line。 Now heˇs taking it back。〃
Steadily； slowly； with David holding him with all the strain the line would take； the fish took out all the line the boy had just recovered and a little more。 Then the boy held him。
¨All right。 Get to work on him；〃 Roger said quietly。 ¨He widened his circle a little bit but heˇs on the in…swing now。〃
Thomas Hudson was using the engines only occasionally now to keep the fish astern。 He was trying to do everything for the boy that the boat could do and he was trusting the boy and the fight to Roger。 As he saw it there was no other thing to do。
On the next circle the fish gained a little line again。 On the circle after that he gained too。 But the boy still had almost half the line on the reel。 He was still working the fish exactly as he should and delivering each time Roger asked him to do something。 But he was getting very tired and the sweat and salt water had made salty blotches on his brown back and shoulders。
¨Two hours even；〃 Eddy said to Roger。 ¨Howˇs your head； Davy？〃
¨All right。〃
¨Not ache？〃
The boy shook his head。
¨You better drink some water this time；〃 Eddy said。
David nodded and drank when Andrew put the glass to hi