English story The Old Man and the Sea Chapter 03

Chapter 3 The Battle Begins He looked behind him and saw that no land was visible That makes no difference he thought can always come in on the glow from Havana Maybe he will come up before sunset or with the moon have no cramps and feel strong It is he that has the hook in his mouth But what fish to pull like that wish could see him only once to know what have against me The fish never changed his course It was cold after the sun went down he tied the sack that covered the bait box around his neck so that it hung down over his back he cautiously worked it down under the line that was across his shoulders now can do nothing with him and he can do nothing with me he thought Once he stood up and urinated over the side of the skiff and looked at the stars and checked his course They were moving more slowly now and the glow of Havana was not so strong so he knew the current must be carrying them eastward wonder how the baseball came out in the grand leagues today Ephod It would be wonderful to do this with radio Think of what you are doing you must do nothing stupid Then he said aloud wish had the boy To help me and to see this' No one should be alone in their old age he thought But it is unavoidable must remember to eat the tuna before he spoils in order to keep strong remember you must eat him in the morning he said to himself During the night two porpoise came around the boat and he could hear them rolling and blowing They are good he said They play and make jokes and love one another They are our brothers like the flying fish Then he began to pity the great fish that he had hooked He is wonderful and strange and who knows how old he is he thought Never have had such strong fish nor one who acted so strangely Perhaps he is too wise to jump He could ruin me by jumping But what great fish he and what he will bring in the market if the flesh is good he took the bait like male and he pulls like male and his fight has no panic in it wonder if he has any plans or if he is just as desperate as am wish the boy were here he said aloud and settled himself against the bow and felt the strength of the great fish through the line he held across his shoulders My choice was to go out to find him beyond all people in the world Now we are joined together and no one to help either one of us The fish made surge that pulled him down on his face and made cut below his eye The blood ran down his cheek little way But it coagulated and dried before it reached his chin and he worked his way back to the bow and rested against the wood wonder why he made that surge he thought The wire must have slipped on the great hill of his back back Certainly his back cannot feel as bad as mine does But he cannot pull this skiff forever no matter how great he is fish he said softly aloud I'll stay with you until am dead When the sun had risen further the old man realized that the fish was not getting tired There was only one favorable sign The slam of the line showed he was swimming at lesser depth That did not mean that he would jump But he might God nothing the old man said have enough line to handle him fish he said love you and respect you very much will kill you dead before this day ends small bird came toward the skiff from the north He was warbler and the old man could see he was very tired He flew around the old man's head and rested on the line How old are you the old man asked the bird Is this your first trip The bird was very tired and he teetered on the line as his delicate feet gripped Take good rest small bird he said Then go and take your chance like any man or bird Blowfish Just then the fish gave sudden lurch that pulled the old man down to the bow and would have pulled him overboard if he had not braced himself and given some line The bird flew away and he felt the line carefully with his right hand and noticed his hand was bleeding Shifting the weight of the line to his left shoulder line carefully he washed his hand in the ocean The cut was in the working part of his hand He knew he would need his hands before this was over and he did not like to be cut before it started Nao he said must eat the small tuna he knelt down and found the tuna under the stem He put one knee on the fish and cut strips of dark red meat from the back of the head to the tail don't think can eat an entire one he said He could feel the steady hard pull of the line and his left hand was cramped What kind of hand is that he said Cramp then if you want Make yourself into claw It will do you no good He picked up piece of tuna and put it in his mouth and chewed it slowly It was not unpleasant How do you feel hand he asked the cramped hand that was almost as stiff as rigor mortis I'll eat some more for you wish could feed the fish he thought He is my brother But must kill him and keep strong to do it Slowly he ate all the strips of fish God help me to have the cramp go he said Because do not know what the fish is going to do What is his plan he thought And what is mine His left hand was still cramped but he was unknotting it slowly hate cramps he thought It is treachery of one's own body Then with his right hand he felt the difference in the pull of the line He's coming up he said Come on hand Please come on The line rose slowly and steadily and then the surface of the ocean bulged ahead of the boat and the fish came out He came out unendingly and water poured from his sides He was bright in the sun and his head and his sides were wide and colored light lavender His sword was as long as baseball bat and tapered like rapier and and he rose his full length from the water and then re-entered it smoothly like like diver and the old man saw the great scythe-blade of his tail go under and and the line started to race out He is two feet longer than the skiff the old man said He was trying with both hands to keep the line just inside of breaking strength He knew that if he could not slow the fish with steady pressure the fish could take out all the line and break it He is great fish but must convince him that he is no match for me he thought must never let him learn his strength nor what he could do if he made his run The old man had seen many great fish He had seen many that weighed more than thousand pounds and he had caught two of that size in his life but never alone alone Now alone and out of sight of land he was tied fast to the biggest fish that he had ever seen and bigger than he had ever heard of and his left hand was still cramped wonder why he jumped the old man thought He jumped almost as though to show me how big he was wish could show him what sort of man am But then he would see the cramped hand At noon the old man's left hand was uncramped He He was comfortable but suffering although he did not admit the suffering at all am not religious he said But will say ten Our Fathers and ten Hail Marys so that can catch this fish and promise to make pilgrimage to the Virgin de Cobre if catch him too green know he was so big I'll kill him though he said In all his greatness Although it is unjust he thought But will show him what man can do and what man endures told the boy was strange old man he said Now is when must prove The thousand times that he had proved it meant nothing Now he was proving it again if you are still strong as he said aloud you must be very strange He felt very tired now and he tried to think of other things He thought of the Big Leagues and he knew the Yankees of New York were playing the Tigers of Detroit This is the second day that do not know the result of the juegos he thought But But must have confidence and must be worthy of the great DiMaggio who does all things perfectly Do you believe the great DiMaggio would stay with fish as long as will stay with this one he thought am sure he would and more since he is young and strong Also his father was fisherman