11. 天袂齊光, 伊 tō 放餌

11. Thiⁿ bōe chiâu-kng, i tō pàng-jī

Chìn-chêng tī chhim-chéⁿ hut kui lé-pài, siáⁿ to lia̍h bô, i án-ne siūⁿ. Kin-á-ji̍t góa boeh khì ū ian-á (bonito) kap chhǹg-á (albacore) hî-tīn hia, hoān-sè ē tú tio̍h tōa-bóe hî teh tòe in.

Thiⁿ bōe chiâu kng í-chêng, i tō pàng-jī ah, chûn mā pàng hō͘ chúi lâu. Tē-it ê hî-jī pàng tī sì-cha̍p siâm chhim, tē-jī ê tī chhit-cha̍p gō͘, tē-saⁿ kap sì tī chi̍t-pah kap pah jī-gō͘ siâm ê chhim-nâ hái-chúi ni̍h. Ta̍k ê hî-jī lóng thâu ǹg ē-bīn tò-tiàu, tiò-kau liâm pèⁿ chhàng tī hî-jī lāi-té, pa̍k-kah chin kiat-si̍t, kau-á thok chhut-lâi ê pō͘-hūn, oan-khiau kap chiam-bóe, lóng koh pau sin-sian ê un-á hî. Ta̍k bóe un-á lóng chhiám-kòe ba̍k-chiu, thok chhut-lâi ê thih-kau tō ná pòaⁿ-ê hoe-khoân. Tiò-kau kui-ê lóng hō͘ tōa-hî ē kám-kak phang koh hó-chia̍h.

Gín-á hō͘ i nn̄g bóe sin-sian ê sè-bóe chhǹg-á (tuna/albacore), khǹg tī thong chhim ê soh-á hia, ná-chhiūⁿ iân-chí, kî-thaⁿ ê soh-á iōng ê sī chêng iōng-kòe ê tōa-bóe kam-á-hî (blue runner) kap o͘-bīn-kam (yellow jack); m̄-koh lóng iáu chin hó, ka-siōng chhiⁿ ê un-á hî, in koh-khah hó-chia̍h, siâⁿ--lâng. Ta̍k tiâu soh-á lóng iân-pit hiah chho͘, liâm chi̍t ki chheⁿ-sek ê tiò-koaiⁿ, nā hî-jī tāng tio̍h, tiò-koaiⁿ tō sìm--lo̍h, ta̍k tiâu soh-á lóng ū nn̄g khún sì-cha̍p siâm ê bóe-liu, ē-tàng chin kín chiap kî-thaⁿ pī-iōng ê soh-á khún, só͘-í, su-iàu ê sî, chi̍t chiah hî ē-tàng iōng saⁿ-pah siâm ê soh-á.

Taⁿ lāu lâng ná khòaⁿ chûn-piⁿ ê tiò-koaiⁿ, ná khin-khin-á kò-chûn, hō͘ soh-á khiú-tit, tîm-lo̍h kàu sek-tòng ê chhim-tō͘. Thiⁿ tōa kng, ji̍t-thâu sûi boeh phû-hái ah.

Ji̍t-thâu ùi hái-bīn phû-chhut chi̍t-tiám-tiám-á, lāu lâng ē-tàng khòaⁿ tio̍h kî-thaⁿ ê chûn, tī kē-kē ê hái-bīn, lî hái-hōaⁿ bô hn̄g, sûi hái-lâu sì-sòaⁿ--khui. Ji̍t-thâu lú kng, kng-sòaⁿ chhut-chúi, jiân-āu ji̍t-thâu kui-ê phû-chhut, hái-bīn tō kā kng-sòaⁿ hoán-siā kàu i ê ba̍k-chiu, chin chha̍k-ba̍k, i ná kò-chûn, bô khì khòaⁿ he. I àⁿ-thâu khòaⁿ chúi, khòaⁿ ti̍t-ti̍t tîm-lo̍h chhim-hái ê soh-á. I hō͘ soh-á pí pa̍t-lâng ê lóng khah ti̍t, só͘-í tī àm-àm chúi-lâu ê múi chi̍t ê chhim-to͘, lóng ū chi̍t ê jī tī i siat-tēng ê só͘-chāi teh tán tī hia siû ê hî-á. Pa̍t-lâng pàng soh-á hō͘ chúi lâu, siūⁿ-kóng sī tī chi̍t-pah siâm hia, sū-si̍t ū khó-lêng sī la̍k-cha̍p siâm.

M̄-koh, i siūⁿ, góa ê bē cheng-chha. Chí-sī góa bô hó-ūn. A̍h-chai? Hoān-sè kin-á-ji̍t ūn tō lâi. Tak-kang lóng sī sin ê chi̍t kang. Hó-ūn siōng hó. M̄-koh góa lêng-khó chiàu-pō͘-lâi. Án-ne hó-ūn lâi, góa mā chiâu chê-pī ah.

Ji̍t-thâu í-keng chhut-lâi nn̄g tiám-cheng, taⁿ khòaⁿ tang-pêng mā bē hiah chha̍k-ba̍k ah. Kan-ta ū khòaⁿ tio̍h saⁿ chiah chûn-á, in lóng tī kē-kē ê chúi-bīn, lî hái-hōaⁿ bô hn̄g.

Góa ê ba̍k-chiu chi̍t-sì-lâng lóng hō͘ thàu-chá ê ji̍t-thâu siong-hāi, i siūⁿ. M̄-koh in iáu hó-hó. Boeh-àm-á góa ti̍t-ba̍k kā khòaⁿ, mā bē o͘-àm--khì. Boeh-àm ê ji̍t mā chin béng. Chá-sî ê ji̍t chha̍k kah ē thiàⁿ.

Hit-sî, i khòaⁿ tio̍h chi̍t chiah kun-lām chiáu (man-of-war bird), tián-khui tn̂g-tn̂g ê o͘-si̍t tī i thâu-chêng ê thiⁿ-téng se̍h. I hiông-hiông si̍t iap-āu, siâ-siâ chhih-lo̍h, sûi koh khai-sí se̍h kho͘-á.

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11. 天袂齊光, 伊 tō 放餌

進前 tī 深井 hut 規禮拜, 啥都掠無, 伊 án-ne 想. 今仔日我欲去有煙仔 (bonito) kap 串仔 (albacore) 魚 tīn 遐, 凡勢會拄著大尾魚 teh 綴 in.

天袂齊光以前, 伊 tō 放餌 ah, 船 mā 放予水流. 第一个魚餌放 tī 四十尋深, 第二个 tī 七十五, 第三 kap 四 tī 一百 kap 百二五尋 ê 深藍海水 ni̍h. 逐个魚餌攏頭 ǹg 下面倒吊, 釣鉤連柄藏 tī 魚餌內底, 縛甲真結實, 鉤仔戳出來 ê 部份, 彎曲 kap 尖尾, 攏 koh 包新鮮 ê 鰮仔魚. 逐尾鰮仔攏攕過目睭, 戳出來 ê 鐵鉤 tō ná 半个花環. 釣鉤規个攏予大魚會感覺芳 koh 好食.

囡仔予伊兩尾新鮮 ê 細尾串仔 (tuna/albacore), 囥 tī 通深 ê 索仔遐, ná 像鉛子, 其他 ê 索仔用 ê 是前用過 ê 大尾魽仔魚 (blue runner) kap 烏面魽 (yellow jack); 毋過攏猶真好, 加上鮮 ê 鰮仔魚, in 閣較好食, 唌人. 逐條索仔攏鉛筆 hiah 粗, 連一枝青色 ê 釣杆, 若魚餌動著, 釣杆 tō sìm 落, 逐條索仔攏有兩捆四十尋 ê 尾溜, ē-tàng 真緊接其他備用 ê 索仔捆, 所以, 需要 ê 時, 一尾魚 ē-tàng 用三百尋 ê 索仔.

今老人 ná 看船邊 ê 釣杆, ná 輕輕仔划船, 予索仔搝直, 沉落到適當 ê 深度. 天大光, 日頭隨欲浮海 ah.

日頭 ùi 海面浮出一點點仔, 老人會當看著其他 ê 船, tī 低低 ê 海面, 離海岸無遠, 隨海流四散開. 日頭愈光, 光線出水, 然後日頭規个浮出, 海面 tō kā 光線反射到伊 ê 目睭, 真鑿目, 伊 ná 划船, 無去看彼. 伊 àⁿ 頭看水, 看直直沉落深海 ê 索仔. 伊予索仔比別人 ê 攏較直, 所以 tī 暗暗水流 ê 每一个深度, 攏有一个餌 tī 伊設定 ê 所在 teh 等 tī 遐泅 ê 魚仔. 別人放索仔予水流, 想講是 tī 一百尋遐, 事實有可能是六十尋.

毋過, 伊想, 我 ê 袂精差. 只是我無好運. 抑知? 凡勢今仔日運 tō 來. 逐工攏是新 ê 一工. 好運上好. 毋過我寧可照步來. Án-ne 好運來, 我 mā chiâu 齊備 ah.

日頭已經出來兩點鐘, 今看東爿 mā 袂 hiah 鑿目 ah. 干焦有看著三隻船仔, in 攏 tī 低低 ê 水面, 離海岸無遠.

我 ê 目睭一世人攏予透早 ê 日頭傷害, 伊想. 毋過 in 猶好好. 欲暗仔我直目 kā 看, mā 袂烏暗去. 欲暗 ê 日 mā 真猛. 早時 ê 日鑿甲會疼.

彼時, 伊看著一隻軍艦鳥 (man-of-war bird), 展開長長 ê 烏翼 tī 伊頭前 ê 天頂se̍h. 伊雄雄翼 iap 後, 斜斜 chhih 落, 隨 koh 開始 se̍h 箍仔.

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11.

I worked the deep wells for a week and did nothing, he thought. Today I’ll work out where the schools of bonito and albacore are and maybe there will be a big one with them.

Before it was really light he had his baits out and was drifting with the current. One bait was down forty fathoms. The second was at seventy-five and the third and fourth were down in the blue water at one hundred and one hundred and twenty-five fathoms. Each bait hung head down with the shank of the hook inside the bait fish, tied and sewed solid and all the projecting part of the hook, the curve and the point, was covered with fresh sardines. Each sardine was hooked through both eyes so that they made a half-garland on the projecting steel. There was no part of the hook that a great fish could feel which was not sweet smelling and good tasting.

The boy had given him two fresh small tunas, or albacores, which hung on the two deepest lines like plummets and, on the others, he had a big blue runner and a yellow jack that had been used before; but they were in good condition still and had the excellent sardines to give them scent and attractiveness. Each line, as thick around as a big pencil, was looped onto a green-sapped stick so that any pull or touch on the bait would make the stick dip and each line had two forty-fathom coils which could be made fast to the other spare coils so that, if it were necessary, a fish could take out over three hundred fathoms of line.

Now the man watched the dip of the three sticks over the side of the skiff and rowed gently to keep the lines straight up and down and at their proper depths. It was quite light and any moment now the sun would rise.

The sun rose thinly from the sea and the old man could see the other boats, low on the water and well in toward the shore, spread out across the current. Then the sun was brighter and the glare came on the water and then, as it rose clear, the flat sea sent it back at his eyes so that it hurt sharply and he rowed without looking into it. He looked down into the water and watched the lines that went straight down into the dark of the water. He kept them straighter than anyone did, so that at each level in the darkness of the stream there would be a bait waiting exactly where he wished it to be for any fish that swam there. Others let them drift with the current and sometimes they were at sixty fathoms when the fishermen thought they were at a hundred.

But, he thought, I keep them with precision. Only I have no luck any more. But who knows? Maybe today. Every day is a new day. It is better to be lucky. But I would rather be exact. Then when luck comes you are ready.

The sun was two hours higher now and it did not hurt his eyes so much to look into the east. There were only three boats in sight now and they showed very low and far inshore.

All my life the early sun has hurt my eyes, he thought. Yet they are still good. In the evening I can look straight into it without getting the blackness. It has more force in the evening too. But in the morning it is painful.

Just then he saw a man-of-war bird with his long black wings circling in the sky ahead of him. He made a quick drop, slanting down on his back-swept wings, and then circled again.

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