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
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