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d made another fast deep run that took him out of sight in the clear water in less time than a man could snap his fingers。
¨They always have that one run；〃 Ara said。 ¨It goes like a bullet。〃
Henry brought him in fast and they watched over the stern as he was gaffed and brought aboard rigid and trembling。 His stripes showed a bright blue and his jaws； that could cut like razors； opened and closed with spasmodic uselessness。 Antonio laid him in the stern and his tail beat against the deck。
¨？Qu？ peto m？s hermoso！〃 Ara said。
¨Heˇs a beautiful wahoo；〃 Thomas Hudson agreed。 ¨But weˇll be out here all morning if this keeps up。 Leave out the lines but take the leaders off；〃 he said to his mate。 He steered for just outside the light on its high point of rock and tried to make up the time they had lost and still act as though they were fishing。 The friction of the lines in the water bent the rods。
Henry came up and said； ¨He was a beautiful fish； wasnˇt he？ Iˇd love to have had him on light tackle。 Donˇt they have an extraordinarily shaped head？〃
¨What will he weigh？〃 Willie asked。
¨Antonio said heˇd weigh about sixty； Willie。 I was sorry I didnˇt have time to call you。 He really should have been yours。〃
¨Thatˇs all right；〃 Willie said。 ¨You caught him faster than I could and we have to get the hell along。 I bet we could catch plenty good fish all along here。〃
¨Weˇll come sometime after the war。〃
¨Iˇll bet；〃 said Willie。 ¨After the war Iˇm going to be in Hollywood and be a technical adviser on how to be a horseˇs ass at sea。〃
¨Youˇll be good at it。〃
¨I ought to be。 Iˇve been studying it now for over a year to train me for my career。〃
¨What the hell have you got so much black ass about today； Willie？〃 Thomas Hudson asked。
¨I donˇt know。 I woke up with it。〃
¨Well； go down to the galley and see if that bottle of tea is cold and bring it up。 Antonioˇs butchering the fish。 So make a sandwich will you； please？〃
¨Sure。 What kind of sandwich？〃
¨Peanut butter and onion if thereˇs plenty of onion。〃
¨Peanut butter and onion it is； sir。〃
¨And try to get rid of your black ass。〃
¨Yes sir。 Black ass gone； sir。〃
When he was gone Thomas Hudson said； ¨You take it easy with him； Henry。 I need the son of a bitch and heˇs good at his stuff。 Heˇs just got black ass。〃
¨I try to be good with him。 But heˇs difficult。〃
¨Well try a little harder。 You were needling hurt about the twenty cents。〃
Thomas Hudson looked ahead at the smooth sea and the innocent…looking deadliness of the reef off his port bow。 He loved to run just off a bad reef with the light behind him。 It made up for the times when he had to steer into the sun and it made up for several other things。
¨Iˇm sorry； Tom；〃 Henry said。 ¨Iˇll watch what I say and what I think。〃
Willie was back up with the empty rum bottle full of tea wrapped in a paper towel and with two rubber bands around it to keep the towel in place。
¨Sheˇs cold； skipper；〃 he said。 ¨And I have insulated her。〃
He handed a sandwich； wrapped in a paper towel segment； to Thomas Hudson and said； ¨One of the highest points in the sandwich…makerˇs art。 We call it the Mount Everest Special。 For Commanders only。〃
In the calm； even on the bridge； Thomas Hudson smelled his breath。
¨Donˇt you think itˇs a little early in the day； Willie？〃
¨No sir。〃
Thomas Hudson looked at him speculatively。
¨What did you say； Willie？〃
¨No sir。 Didnˇt you hear me； sir？〃
¨OK；〃 Thomas Hudson said。 ¨I heard you twice。 You hear this once。 Go below。 Clean up the galley properly and then go up in the bow where I can see you and stand by to anchor。〃
¨Yes sir；〃 said Willie。 ¨I donˇt feel well； sir。〃
¨Fuck how you feel； you sea lawyer。 If you donˇt feel well you are going to feel a damned sight worse。〃
¨Yes sir；〃 Willie said。 ¨I donˇt feel well； sir。 I should see the shipˇs surgeon。〃
¨Youˇll find him in the bow。 Knock on the door of the head and see if heˇs there as you go by。〃
¨Thatˇs what I mean； sir。〃
¨What do you mean？〃
¨Nothing； sir。〃
¨Heˇs skunk…drunk；〃 Henry said。
¨No； heˇs not；〃 Thomas Hudson said。 ¨Heˇs drinking。 But heˇs closer to crazy。〃
¨Heˇs been strange for quite a while；〃 Ara said。 ¨But he was always strange。 None of us has ever suffered as he has。 I have never even suffered at all。〃
¨Tomˇs suffered；〃 Henry said。 ¨And heˇs drinking cold tea。〃
¨Letˇs not talk morbid and letˇs not talk wet；〃 Thomas Hudson said。 ¨I never suffered and I like cold tea。〃
¨You never did before。〃
¨We learn something new all the time； Henry。〃
He was coming up well on the light and he saw the rock he should keep outside of now； and he thought this was a worthless conversation。
¨Go up forward with him； Ara； and see how heˇs doing。 Stick around with him。 You get the lines in； Henry。 George； get down and help Antonio with the dinghy。 Go in with him if he wants you to。〃
When he was alone on the bridge he smelled the bird guano from the rock and he rounded the point and anchored in two fathoms of water。 The bottom was clean and there was a big tide running。 He looked up at the white…painted house and the tall old…fashioned light and then past the high rock to the green mangrove keys and beyond them the low； rocky； barren tip of Cayo Romano。 They had lived； off and on； for such a long time within sight of that long； strange； and pest…ridden key and knew a part of it so well and had come in on its landmarks so many times and under such good and bad circumstances that it always made him an emotion to sight it or to leave it out of sight。 Now it was there at its barest and most barren； jutting out like a scrubby desert。
There were wild horses and wild cattle and wild hogs on that great key and he wondered how many people had held the illusion that they might colonize it。 It had hills rich in grass with beautiful valleys and fine stands of timber and once there had been a settlement called Versailles where Frenchmen had made their attempt at living on Romano。
Now all the frame buildings were abandoned but the one big house and one time when Thomas Hudson had gone in there to fill water； the dogs from the shacks were huddled with the pigs that had burrowed in the mud and dogs and pigs both were gray from the solid blanket of mosquitoes that covered them。 It was a wonderful key when the east wind blew day and night and you could walk two days with a gun and be in good country。 It was country as unspoiled as when Columbus came to this coast。 Then； when the wind dropped； the mosquitoes came in clouds from the marshes。 To say they came in clouds； he thought； is not a metaphor。 They truly came in clouds and they could bleed a man to death。 The people we are searching for would not have stopped in Romano。 Not with this calm。 They must have gone further up the coast。
¨Ara；〃 he called。
¨What is it； Tom？〃 Ara asked。 He always swung up onto the bridge and landed as lightly as an acrobat but with the weight of steel。
¨Whatˇs the score？〃
¨Willieˇs not himself； Tom。 I took him