28. 用身軀來抽退索仔

28. Iōng sin-khu lâi thiu-thè soh-á

Thiⁿ àm ah, tī káu goe̍h, ji̍t-lo̍h tō sûi àm. I theⁿ tī chûn-thâu ê àu-chhâ téng, chīn-liōng hioh-khùn. Khah chá ê chheⁿ í-keng chhut-lâi ah. I m̄-bat Sam-sok-chhit (Rigel) chheⁿ ê miâ, m̄-koh i khòaⁿ tio̍h i, chai-iáⁿ chheⁿ lóng boeh chhut-lâi ah, tō ū hn̄g-hn̄g ê pêng-iú ah.

"Hî mā-sī góa ê pêng-iú," i tōa-siaⁿ kóng. "Góa m̄-bat thiaⁿ-kòe a̍h-sī khòaⁿ-kòe chit khoán hî. M̄-koh góa ài thâi i. Ka-chài lán m̄-bián khì thâi thiⁿ-chheⁿ."

Siūⁿ khòaⁿ-māi, ū lâng ta̍k-kang ài khì thâi goe̍h, ē án-chóaⁿ? i siūⁿ. Goe̍h ē cháu--khì. A̍h-sī ū lâng ta̍k-kang ài khì thâi ji̍t-thâu, ē án-chóaⁿ? Lán chin hó-ūn, i siūⁿ.

Koh-lâi, i khó-liân hit bóe tōa-hî bô thang chia̍h, m̄-koh thè hî khó-liân pēng bô kái-piàn i boeh thâi i ê koat-sim. I ē-tàng chhī gōa-chē lâng ah, i siūⁿ. M̄-koh in lóng ta̍t-tit chia̍h i mah? Bô, tong-jiân m̄-sī. Tī i ê hêng-ûi kap i ê chun-kùi lâi khòaⁿ, bô lâng ta̍t-tit chia̍h i.

Góa tùi che bô liáu-kái, i siūⁿ. Ka-chài lán m̄-bián khì thâi ji̍t-thâu, a̍h-sī goe̍h, a̍h-sī thiⁿ-chheⁿ. Oa̍h tī hái-siōng, thâi lán ê chhin hiaⁿ-tī tō ū-kàu ah.

Taⁿ, i siūⁿ, góa ài siūⁿ pān-hoat kā ke-tāng. Che ū hó-chhù, mā ū pháiⁿ-chhù. I nā piàⁿ-miā thoa, chiúⁿ ke ê tāng hō͘ chûn piàn bô-khin, góa ài pàng chin tn̂g ê soh-á, ū khó-lêng hō͘ cháu--khì. Chûn nā khah khin, ē iân-tn̂g goán nn̄g-ê ê thoa-bôa, m̄-koh tùi góa khah an-choân, in-ūi i ê sok-tō͘ iáu-bōe oân-choân hoat-hui. M̄-koán án-chóaⁿ, góa ài thâi hái-ti-á, m̄-thang khǹg pháiⁿ--khì, mā ài chia̍h--kóa, lâi pó͘-chhiong thé-la̍t.

Taⁿ góa boeh koh hioh chi̍t tiám-cheng, kám-kak i kian-kò͘ koh ún-tēng liáu, góa chiah khì chûn-bóe bô-êng, sūn-sòa koat-tēng. Chit sî, góa ē-sái khòaⁿ i ê kí-tōng, khòaⁿ i ū piàn--bô? Pa̍k chiúⁿ sī hó kè-tì; m-koh taⁿ iáu-sī an-choân tē-it. I sī liáu-put-khí ê hî, góa khòaⁿ tio̍h tiò-kau tī i ê chhùi-kak, i ê chhùi ha̍p-ân-ân. Tiò-kau ê thiàⁿ bô siáⁿ. Tiōng-tiám sī i chin iau, i bô liáu-kái i ê tùi-chhiú. Hioh-khùn lah, lāu--ê, hō͘ i khì thoa-bôa, tán-kàu lí koh chhut-chhiú ê sî.

I hioh-khùn kàu i siong-sìn ū nn̄g tiám-cheng. Goe̍h iáu-bōe chhut-lâi, i bô hoat-tō͘ kó͘-kè sî-kan. I mā bô án-chóaⁿ hioh-khùn, chí-sī pàng-sang niā-niā. I ê keng-thâu iáu taⁿ hî ê khiú-la̍t, m̄-koh i kā tò-chhiú hōaⁿ tī chûn-thâu ê kîⁿ, kā tùi-hù hî ê la̍t chiām-chiām kau-hō͘ chûn-sin.

Nā ē-sái kā soh-á pa̍k tī chûn tō chin kán-tan, i siūⁿ. M̄-koh sió-khóa chhoah-leh, i tō ē kā soh-á khiú-tn̄g. Góa ài iōng sin-khu lâi thiu-thè soh-á ê khiú-la̍t, sûi-sî chún-pī iōng siang-chhiú pàng soh-á.

"M̄-koh lí iáu bô khùn, lāu--ê," i tōa-siaⁿ kóng. "Pòaⁿ-kang koh chi̍t mê, taⁿ koh chi̍t kang, lí lóng bô khùn. Lí ài siat-hoat tī i tiām koh ún-tēng ê sî sió khùn leh. Nā bô khùn, lí thâu-khak bē chheng-chhéⁿ."

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28. 用身軀來抽退索仔

天暗 ah, tī 九月, 日落 tō 隨暗. 伊撐 tī 船頭 ê 漚柴頂, 盡量歇睏. 較早 ê 星已經出來 ah. 伊 m̄-bat 參宿七 (Rigel) 星 ê 名, 毋過伊看著伊, 知影星攏欲出來 ah, tō 有遠遠 ê 朋友 ah.

"魚 mā 是我 ê 朋友," 伊大聲講. "我 m̄-bat 聽過抑是看過這款魚. 毋過我愛刣伊. 佳哉咱毋免去刣天星."

想看覓, 有人逐工愛去刣月, 會按怎? 伊想. 月會走去. 抑是有人逐工愛去刣日頭, 會按怎? 咱真好運, 伊想.

閣來, 伊可憐彼尾大魚無通食, 毋過替魚可憐並無改變伊欲刣伊 ê 決心. 伊會當飼偌濟人 ah, 伊想. 毋過 in 攏值得食伊 mah? 無, 當然毋是. Tī 伊 ê 行為 kap 伊 ê 尊貴來看, 無人值得食伊.

我對這無了解, 伊想. 佳哉咱毋免去刣日頭, 抑是月, 抑是天星. 活 tī 海上, 刣咱 ê 親兄弟 tō 有夠 ah.

今, 伊想, 我愛想辦法 kā 加重. 這有好處, mā 有歹處. 伊若拚命拖, 槳加 ê 重予船變無輕, 我愛放真長 ê 索仔, 有可能予走去. 船若較輕, 會延長阮兩个 ê 拖磨, 毋過對我較安全, 因為伊 ê 速度猶未完全發揮. 毋管按怎, 我愛刣海豬仔, 毋通囥歹去, mā 愛食寡, 來補充體力.

今我欲 koh 歇一點鐘, 感覺伊堅固 koh 穩定了, 我才去船尾無閒, 順紲決定. 這時, 我會使看伊 ê 舉動, 看伊有變無? 縛槳是好計智; 毋過今猶是安全第一. 伊是了不起 ê 魚, 我看著釣鉤 tī 伊 ê 喙角, 伊 ê 喙合絚絚. 釣鉤 ê 疼無啥. 重點是伊真 iau, 伊無了解伊 ê 對手. 歇睏 lah, 老 ê, 予伊去拖磨, 等到你 koh 出手 ê 時.

伊歇睏到伊相信有兩點鐘. 月猶未出來, 伊無法度估計時間. 伊 mā 無按怎歇睏, 只是放鬆 niā-niā. 伊 ê 肩頭猶擔魚 ê 搝力, 毋過伊 kā 倒手扞 tī 船頭 ê 墘, kā 對付魚 ê 力漸漸交予船身.

若會使 kā 索仔縛 tī 船 tō 真簡單, 伊想. 毋過小可掣 leh, 伊 tō 會 kā 索仔搝斷. 我愛用身軀來抽退索仔 ê 搝力, 隨時準備用雙手放索仔.

"毋過你猶無睏, 老 ê," 伊大聲講. "半工 koh 一暝, 今 koh 一工, 你攏無睏. 你愛設法 tī 伊恬 koh 穩定 ê 時小睏 leh. 若無睏, 你頭殼袂清醒."

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28.

It was dark now as it becomes dark quickly after the sun sets in September. He lay against the worn wood of the bow and rested all that he could. The first stars were out. He did not know the name of Rigel but he saw it and knew soon they would all be out and he would have all his distant friends.

“The fish is my friend too,” he said aloud. “I have never seen or heard of such a fish. But I must kill him. I am glad we do not have to try to kill the stars.”

Imagine if each day a man must try to kill the moon, he thought. The moon runs away. But imagine if a man each day should have to try to kill the sun? We were born lucky, he thought.

Then he was sorry for the great fish that had nothing to eat and his determination to kill him never relaxed in his sorrow for him. How many people will he feed, he thought. But are they worthy to eat him? No, of course not. There is no one worthy of eating him from the manner of his behaviour and his great dignity.

I do not understand these things, he thought. But it is good that we do not have to try to kill the sun or the moon or the stars. It is enough to live on the sea and kill our true brothers.

Now, he thought, I must think about the drag. It has its perils and its merits. I may lose so much line that I will lose him, if he makes his effort and the drag made by the oars is in place and the boat loses all her lightness. Her lightness prolongs both our suffering but it is my safety since he has great speed that he has never yet employed. No matter what passes I must gut the dolphin so he does not spoil and eat some of him to be strong.

Now I will rest an hour more and feel that he is solid and steady before I move back to the stern to do the work and make the decision. In the meantime I can see how he acts and if he shows any changes. The oars are a good trick; but it has reached the time to play for safety. He is much fish still and I saw that the hook was in the corner of his mouth and he has kept his mouth tight shut. The punishment of the hook is nothing. The punishment of hunger, and that he is against something that he does not comprehend, is everything. Rest now, old man, and let him work until your next duty comes.

He rested for what he believed to be two hours. The moon did not rise now until late and he had no way of judging the time. Nor was he really resting except comparatively. He was still bearing the pull of the fish across his shoulders but he placed his left hand on the gunwale of the bow and confided more and more of the resistance to the fish to the skiff itself.

How simple it would be if I could make the line fast, he thought. But with one small lurch he could break it. I must cushion the pull of the line with my body and at all times be ready to give line with both hands.

“But you have not slept yet, old man,” he said aloud. “It is half a day and a night and now another day and you have not slept. You must devise a way so that you sleep a little if he is quiet and steady. If you do not sleep you might become unclear in the head.”

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