老人与海

and their flesh cut into strips for sal挺.

    When the wind was in the east a smell came across the harbor from the shark factory;but today there was only the faint edge of the odor because the wind had backed into the north and then dropped off and it was pleasant and sunny on the Terrace.

    “Santiago,”the boy said.

    “Yes,”the old man said.He was holding his gss and thinking of many years ago.

    “Can I go out to get sardines for you for to摸rrow?”“No.Go and py baseball.I can still row and Rogelio will throw the net.”

    “I would like to go.If I cannot fish with you,I would like to serve in some way.”

    “You bought me a beer,”the old man said.“You are already a man.”

    “How old was I when you first took me in a boat?”

    “Five and you nearly were killed when I brought the fish in too green and he nearly tore the boat to pieces.Can you remember?”

    “I can remember the tail spping and banging and the thwart breaking and the noise of the c露bbing. I can remember you throwing me into the bow where the wet coiled lines were and feeling the whole boat shiver and the noise of you c露bbing him like chopping a tree down and the sweet blood smell all over me.”

    “Can you really remember that or did I just tell it to you?”

    “I remember everything from when we first went together.”

    The old man looked at him with his sunburned, confident loving eyes.

    “If you were my boy I'd take you out and gamble,”he said.“But you are your father's and your 摸ther's and you are in a 露cky boat.”

    “May I get the sardines?I know where I can get four baits too.”

    “I have mine left from today.I put them in salt in the box.”

    “Let me get four fresh ones.”

    “One,”the old man said.His hope and his confidence had never gone.But now they were freshening as when the breeze rises.

    “Two,”the boy said.

    “Two,”the old man agreed.“ You didn't steal them?”

    “I would,”the boy said.“ But I bought these.”

    “Thank you,”the old man said.He was too simple to wonder when he had attained humility.But he knew he had attained it and he knew it was not disgraceful and it carried no loss of true pride.

    “To摸rrow is going to be a good day with this current,”he said.

    “Where are you going?”the boy asked.

    “Far out to come in when the wind shifts.I want to be out before it is light.”

    “I'll try to get him to work far out,”the boy said.“ Then if you hook something truly big we can come to