The old man could hardly breathe now and he felt a strange taste in his mouth.It was coppery and sweet and he was afraid of it for a moment.But there was not much of it.
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.
“Come on,galano.”the old man said.“ Come in again.”
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 club down on him again as he slipped away to swallow and hit only the heavy solid rubberiness.
He liked to think of the fish and what he could do to a shark if he were swimming free.I should have chopped the bill off to fight them with,he thought.But there was no hatchet and then there was no knife.