33. 魚 ah, 莫跳 lah

33. Hî ah, mài thiàu lah

I teh iōng i ê tn̂g-chhùi lòng thih-sòaⁿ, i siūⁿ. He tiāⁿ-tio̍h ē án-ne. I ē án-ne chò. Án-ne i tō thiàu, m̄-koh góa hi-bōng i koh se̍h kho͘-á. Thiàu ē hō͘ i koàn khong-khì. Koh-lâi múi-kái thiàu ē khiú li̍h tiò-kau ê khang-chhùi, i ū khó-lêng thoat-kau.

"Hî ah, mài thiàu lah," i kóng. "Mài thiàu."

Hî koh kúi-nā kái lòng thih-sòaⁿ, múi-kái i hàiⁿ-thâu lâi lòng, lāu lâng tō pàng kóa soh-á.

Góa bē-sái cheng-ka i ê thiàⁿ, i siūⁿ. Góa ê thiàⁿ bô iàu-kín, góa ē khòng-chè ka-tī. I nā thiàⁿ ē khí-siáu.

Kòe chi̍t-khùn, hî bô koh lòng thih-sòaⁿ, koh khai-sí bān-bān se̍h kho͘-á. Lāu lâng taⁿ koh ún-ún siu soh-á. M̄-koh i koh thâu-hîn ah. I iōng tò-chhiú iúⁿ kóa chúi ak thâu-khak, koh ak kóa tī ām-kún, kā aū-niā lia̍h-lia̍h leh.

"Góa bô kiù-kin," i kóng. "I sûi boeh khí-lâi ah, góa tòng-ē-tiâu. Lí ài tòng-leh. Che m̄-bián kóng."

I kūi-leh tú tī chûn-thâu, kòe chi̍t-ē-á, koh kā soh-á phāiⁿ tī kha-chiah-āu. Taⁿ góa hioh-leh, hō͘ i se̍h chhut-khì, i koh lâi ê sî, góa chiah khiā khí-lâi kap i piàⁿ, i án-ne koat-tēng.

Chin siūⁿ boeh hioh tī chûn-thâu, hō͘ hî khì se̍h, mài siu soh-á. M̄-koh soh-á khiú-la̍t hián-sī hî se̍h ǹg chûn lâi ê sî, lāu lâng khiā khí-lâi, khai-sí siang-pêng iô-tāng, kā ē-tàng siu ê soh-á lóng khiú khí-lâi.

Góa m̄-bat chiah thiám, i siūⁿ, taⁿ koh khí bō͘-e̍k hong (trade wind) ah. Án-ne hó, hō͘ hong ūn i tńg--khì. Che sī góa su-iàu ê.

"Āu hôe i koh chhut-khì góa chiah hioh leh," i kóng. "Góa kám-kak hó chē loh. Koh nn̄g-saⁿ liàn, góa tō ē siu-si̍p i."

I ê chháu-bō-á khap tī thâu-khak-āu, ùi soh-á kám-kak hî se̍h chhut-khì, i sûi koh phak tī chûn-thâu.

Hî ah, lí chò lí ê, i siūⁿ. Se̍h tńg-lâi góa tō lia̍h lí.

Hái-chúi tiòng bē chió. Hong bî-bî-á chhoe, i tńg-chhù aì khò che hong.

"Góa kā chûn ǹg lâm, ǹg sai tō ē-sái," i kóng. "Lâm-chú-hàn tī hái ni̍h bē bê-lō͘, he sī chi̍t ê tn̂g-tn̂g ê tó."

Kàu tē-saⁿ liàn, i chiah khòaⁿ tio̍h hî.

Chi̍t-khai-sí, i khòaⁿ tio̍h chi̍t ê tn̂g-tn̂g ê o͘-iáⁿ, chin kú chiah nǹg-kòe chûn-té, i m̄-káⁿ siong-sìn ū hiah tn̂g.

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33. 魚 ah, 莫跳 lah

伊 teh 用伊 ê 長喙 lòng 鐵線, 伊想. 彼定著會 án-ne. 伊會 án-ne 做. Án-ne 伊 tō 跳, 毋過我希望伊 koh se̍h 箍仔. 跳會予伊灌空氣. 閣來每改跳會搝裂釣鉤 ê 空喙, 伊有可能脫鉤.

"魚 ah, 莫跳 lah," 伊講. "莫跳."

魚 koh 幾若改 lòng 鐵線, 每改伊幌頭來lòng, 老人 tō 放寡索仔.

我袂使增加伊 ê 疼, 伊想. 我 ê 疼無要緊, 我會控制家己. 伊若疼會起痟.

過一睏, 魚無 koh lòng 鐵線, koh 開始慢慢 se̍h 箍仔. 老人今 koh 穩穩收索仔. 毋過伊 koh 頭眩 ah. 伊用倒手舀寡水沃頭殼, koh 沃寡 tī 頷頸, kā 後陵掠掠 leh.

"我無糾筋," 伊講. "伊隨欲起來 ah, 我擋會牢. 你愛擋 leh. 這毋免講."

伊跪 leh 拄 tī 船頭, 過一下仔, koh kā 索仔揹 tī 尻脊後. 今我歇 leh, 予伊 se̍h 出去, 伊閣來 ê 時, 我才徛起來 kap 伊拚, 伊 án-ne 決定.

真想欲歇 tī 船頭, 予魚去 se̍h, 莫收索仔. 毋過索仔搝力顯示魚 se̍h ǹg 船來 ê 時, 老人徛起來, 開始雙爿搖動, kā 會當收 ê 索仔攏搝起來.

我 m̄-bat chiah thiám, 伊想, 今 koh 起貿易風 (trade wind) ah. Án-ne 好, 予風運伊轉去. 這是我需要 ê.

"後回伊 koh 出去我才歇 leh," 伊講. "我感覺好濟 loh. Koh 兩三輾, 我 tō 會收拾伊."

伊 ê 草帽仔蓋 tī 頭殼後, ùi 索仔感覺魚 se̍h 出去, 伊隨 koh 仆 tī 船頭.

魚 ah, 你做你 ê, 伊想. se̍h 轉來我 tō 掠你.

海水漲袂少. 風微微仔吹, 伊轉厝愛靠這風.

"我 kā 船 ǹg 南, ǹg 西 tō 會使," 伊講. "男子漢 tī 海 ni̍h 袂迷路, 彼是一个長長 ê 島."

到第三輾, 伊才看著魚.

一開始, 伊看著一个長長 ê 烏影, 真久才 nǹg 過船底, 伊毋敢相信有 hiah 長.

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33.

He is hitting the wire leader with his spear, he thought. That was bound to come. He had to do that. It may make him jump though and I would rather he stayed circling now. The jumps were necessary for him to take air. But after that each one can widen the opening of the hook wound and he can throw the hook.

“Don’t jump, fish,” he said. “Don’t jump.”

The fish hit the wire several times more and each time he shook his head the old man gave up a little line.

I must hold his pain where it is, he thought. Mine does not matter. I can control mine. But his pain could drive him mad.

After a while the fish stopped beating at the wire and started circling slowly again. The old man was gaining line steadily now. But he felt faint again. He lifted some sea water with his left hand and put it on his head. Then he put more on and rubbed the back of his neck.

“I have no cramps,” he said. “He’ll be up soon and I can last. You have to last. Don’t even speak of it.”

He kneeled against the bow and, for a moment, slipped the line over his back again. I’ll rest now while he goes out on the circle and then stand up and work on him when he comes in, he decided.

It was a great temptation to rest in the bow and let the fish make one circle by himself without recovering any line. But when the strain showed the fish had turned to come toward the boat, the old man rose to his feet and started the pivoting and the weaving pulling that brought in all the line he gained.

I’m tireder than I have ever been, he thought, and now the trade wind is rising. But that will be good to take him in with. I need that badly.

“I’ll rest on the next turn as he goes out,” he said. “I feel much better. Then in two or three turns more I will have him.”

His straw hat was far on the back of his head and he sank down into the bow with the pull of the line as he felt the fish turn.

You work now, fish, he thought. I’ll take you at the turn.

The sea had risen considerably. But it was a fair-weather breeze and he had to have it to get home.

“I’ll just steer south and west,” he said. “A man is never lost at sea and it is a long island.”

It was on the third turn that he saw the fish first.

He saw him first as a dark shadow that took so long to pass under the boat that he could not believe its length.

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