第10章 The Old Mans Return[第4页/共7页]

“One on the first day. One the second and two the third.”

“Tiburon,”the waiter said,“Eshark.”He was meaning to explain what had happened.

He started to climb again and at the top he fell and lay for some time with the mast across his shoulder.

“What's that?”she asked a waiter and pointed to the long backbone of the great fish that was now just garbage waiting to go out with the tide.

Up the road, in his shack, the old man was sleeping again.He was still sleeping on his face and the boy was sitting by him watching him.The old man was dreaming about the lions.

That afternoon there was a party of tourists at the Terrace and looking down in the water among the empty beer cans and dead barracudas a woman saw a great long white spine with a huge tail at the end that lifted and swung with the tide while the east wind blew a heavy steady sea outside the entrance to the harbor.

“You must get well fast for there is much that I can learn and you can teach me everything.How much did you suffer?”

“Don't forget to tell Pedrico the head is his.”

“No.Afterwards I will see what he can eat.”

“Plenty,”the old man said.

He went into the Terrace and asked for a can of coffee.

“Get that well too,”the boy said.“Lie down,old man, and I will bring you your clean shirt.And something to eat.”“Bring any of the papers of the time that I was gone,”the old man said.