42. 老人攑棍仔 kā 摃

42. Lāu lâng gia̍h kùn-á kā kòng

Taⁿ siūⁿ siáⁿ hó? i siūⁿ. Bô. Góa siáⁿ lóng mài siūⁿ, kan-ta tán soa-hî koh lâi. Che nā sī bîn-bāng tō hó lah, i siūⁿ. A̍h chai? Hoān-sè kiat-kio̍k bē-bái.

Koh-lâi chit bóe soa-hî sī ko͘-chi̍t-bóe ê soa-thio-phiⁿ (shovelnose). I lâi ná-chhiūⁿ ti lōng-kàu ti-chô, chhùi-á khui-khui, ē-tàng that chi̍t-lia̍p lâng-thâu. Lāu lâng tán i óa tōa-hî, chiah kā chiúⁿ-pèⁿ ê to tu̍h-ji̍p i ê náu. M̄-koh soa-hî chhoah--chi̍t-ē tò-thè-lu, to-sin soah chū án-ne tn̄g--khì.

Lāu lâng chē-lo̍h hōaⁿ-tōa. I liân khòaⁿ to bô khòaⁿ he soa-hî bān-bān tîm-lo̍h chúi, thōng tāi-seng kui-bóe tōa, lú lâi lú sè, bān-bān bô--khì. Í-chêng i chin ài khòaⁿ he, m̄-koh taⁿ i bē-giàn khòaⁿ.

"Góa iáu ū hî-kau," i kóng. "M̄-koh he pháiⁿ-iōng. Góa iáu ū nn̄g-ki chiúⁿ kap tōa-koaiⁿ, kap chi̍t-ki té kùn-á."

Taⁿ góa su ah, i siūⁿ. Góa siuⁿ lāu, bô hoat-tō͘ iōng kùn-á kòng-sí soa-hî. M̄-koh chí-iàu ū chiúⁿ, ū kùn-á, kap tōa-koaiⁿ, góa tō ài chhì-khòaⁿ-māi.

I koh kā chhiú khǹg tī chúi ni̍h chìm. Ē-po͘ kòe boeh liáu, tî-liáu hái kap thiⁿ, siáⁿ lóng bô khòaⁿ tio̍h. Thiⁿ-téng ê hong pí í-chêng khah tōa, i hi-bōng chin kín tō ē khòaⁿ tio̍h lio̍k-tē.

"Lí thiám ah, lāu--ê," i kóng. "Lí thiám-kàu kut-chhóe ah."

It-ti̍t kàu ji̍t-lo̍h chiah koh ū soa-hî lâi chìn-kong.

Lāu lâng khòaⁿ tio̍h ū chang-sek ê hî-kî iân-lō͘ lâi, it-tēng sī tòe tōa-hî lâu-lo̍h tī chúi ni̍h ê khì-bī. In m̄-bián sì-kè chhōe khì-bī, it-ti̍t tâng-chê ǹg sió-chûn siû--lâi.

I kò͘-tēng hó tōa-pèⁿ, pa̍k hó chûn-phâng, chhun chhiú khì chûn-bóe the̍h kùn-á. Che sī iōng hāi--khì ê chiúⁿ, kì lo̍h-lâi ê chiúⁿ-pèⁿ, chha-put-to chhun nn̄g chhioh pòaⁿ. In-ūi pèⁿ té, kan-ta sek-ha̍p iōng chi̍t chhiú tēⁿ, i iōng chiàⁿ-chhiú kā tēⁿ hó, ná sìm-sìm leh, ná khòaⁿ soa-hî óa--lâi. Nn̄g bóe lóng sī hoe-phôe.

Góa ài tán tē-it bóe kā-tiâu chiah kòng i ê phīⁿ, a̍h-sī ti̍t-chiap kòng thâu-khak, i siūⁿ.

Nn̄g bóe soa-hî óa--lâi, tng i khòaⁿ tio̍h lī i khah kīn hit bóe peh-chhùi kā-ji̍p tōa-hî ê gîn-sek hî-tō͘, i kā kùn-á gia̍h koân, tōa-la̍t hàm-lo̍h soa-hî khoah-khoah ê thâu-khak. Kùn-á lo̍h-khì, i kám-kak ná kòng tio̍h ngē-ngē ê chhiū-leng. M̄-koh mā ū kám-kak tioh tēng-tēng ê kut-thâu, i koh chi̍t-kái tōa-la̍t hám i ê phīⁿ-thâu, soa-hî chū án-ne ùi tōa-hî hia poa̍h-lo̍h hái.

Iáu chi̍t bóe liah chi̍t tè bah liáu lī-khui, taⁿ chhùi khui-khui koh tńg--lâi ah. Soa-hî khì kā tōa-hî koh ha̍p-chhùi ê sî, lāu lâng khòaⁿ tio̍h i chhùi-kak sàn-chhut peh-sek ê hî-bah sap-á. I hàiⁿ kùn-á, kòng i ê thâu, soa-hî kā khòaⁿ leh, kā bah khiú li̍h. Soa-hî siû-khui boeh khì hàu-ko͘ ê sî, lāu lâng koh hàiⁿ kùn-á kā kòng, kan-ta kòng tio̍h ná ngē-ngē chhiū-leng ê phôe.

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42. 老人攑棍仔 kā 摃

今想啥好? 伊想. 無. 我啥攏莫想, 干焦等鯊魚 koh 來. 這若是眠夢 tō 好 lah, 伊想. 抑知? 凡勢結局袂䆀.

閣來這尾鯊魚是孤一尾 ê 沙挑鼻 (shovelnose). 伊來 ná 像豬 lōng 到豬槽, 喙仔開開, ē-tàng that 一粒人頭. 老人等伊倚大魚, 才 kā 槳柄 ê 刀 tu̍h-ji̍p 伊 ê 腦. 毋過鯊魚掣一下倒退 lu, 刀身煞自 án-ne 斷去.

老人坐落扞舵. 伊連看 to 無看彼鯊魚慢慢沉落水, thōng 代先規尾大, 愈來愈細, 慢慢無去. 以前伊真愛看彼, 毋過今伊袂癮看.

"我猶有魚鉤," 伊講. "毋過彼歹用. 我猶有兩支槳 kap 舵杆, kap 一支短棍仔."

今我輸 ah, 伊想. 我 siuⁿ 老, 無法度用棍仔摃死鯊魚. 毋過只要有槳, 有棍仔, kap 舵杆, 我 tō 愛試看覓.

伊 koh kā 手囥 tī 水 ni̍h 浸. 下晡過欲了, 除了海 kap 天, 啥攏無看著. 天頂 ê 風比以前較大, 伊希望真緊 tō 會看著陸地.

"你 thiám ah, 老的," 伊講. "你 thiám 到骨髓 ah."

一直到日落才 koh 有鯊魚來進攻.

老人看著有棕色 ê 魚鰭沿路來, 一定是綴大魚流落 tī 水 ni̍h ê 氣味. In 毋免四界揣氣味, 一直同齊 ǹg 小船泅來.

伊固定好舵柄, 縛好船帆, 伸手去船尾提棍仔. 這是用害去 ê 槳, 鋸落來 ê 槳柄, 差不多賰兩尺半. 因為柄短, 干焦適合用一手捏, 伊用正手 kā 捏好, ná sìm-sìm leh, ná 看鯊魚倚來. 兩尾攏是花皮.

我愛等第一尾咬牢才摃伊 ê 鼻, 抑是直接摃頭殼, 伊想.

兩尾鯊魚倚來, 當伊看著離伊較近彼尾 peh 喙咬入大魚 ê 銀色魚肚, 伊 kā 棍仔攑懸, 大力撼落鯊魚闊闊 ê 頭殼. 棍仔落去, 伊感覺 ná 摃著硬硬 ê 樹奶. 毋過 mā 有感覺著碇碇 ê 骨頭, 伊 koh 一改大力撼伊 ê 鼻頭, 鯊魚自 án-ne ùi 大魚遐跋落海.

猶一尾 liah 一塊肉了離開, 今喙開開 koh 轉來 ah. 鯊魚去咬大魚 koh 合喙 ê 時, 老人看著伊喙角散出白色 ê 魚肉屑仔. 伊幌棍仔, 摃伊 ê 頭, 鯊魚 kā 看 leh, kā 肉搝 li̍h. 鯊魚泅開欲去孝孤 ê 時, 老人 koh 幌棍仔 kā 摃, 干焦摃著 ná 硬硬樹奶 ê 皮.

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42.

What can I think of now? he thought. Nothing. I must think of nothing and wait for the next ones. I wish it had really been a dream, he thought. But who knows? It might have turned out well.

The next shark that came was a single shovelnose. He came like a pig to the trough if a pig had a mouth so wide that you could put your head in it. The old man let him hit the fish and then drove the knife on the oar down into his brain. But the shark jerked backwards as he rolled and the knife blade snapped.

The old man settled himself to steer. He did not even watch the big shark sinking slowly in the water, showing first life-size, then small, then tiny. That always fascinated the old man. But he did not even watch it now.

“I have the gaff now,” he said. “But it will do no good. I have the two oars and the tiller and the short club.”

Now they have beaten me, he thought. I am too old to club sharks to death. But I will try it as long as I have the oars and the short club and the tiller.

He put his hands in the water again to soak them. It was getting late in the afternoon and he saw nothing but the sea and the sky. There was more wind in the sky than there had been, and soon he hoped that he would see land.

“You’re tired, old man,” he said. “You’re tired inside.”

The sharks did not hit him again until just before sunset.

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.

He jammed the tiller, made the sheet fast and reached under the stern for the club. It was an oar handle from a broken oar sawed off to about two and a half feet in length. He could only use it effectively with one hand because of the grip of the handle and he took good hold of it with his right hand, flexing his hand on it, as he watched the sharks come. They were both galanos.

I must let the first one get a good hold and hit him on the point of the nose or straight across the top of the head, he thought.

The two sharks closed together and as he saw the one nearest him open his jaws and sink them into the silver side of the fish, he raised the club high and brought it down heavy and slamming onto the top of the shark’s broad head. He felt the rubbery solidity as the club came down. But he felt the rigidity of bone too and he struck the shark once more hard across the point of the nose as he slid down from the fish.

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.

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