44. 閣來一陣鯊魚

44. Koh lâi chi̍t-tūn soa-hî

Góa pún-lâi ū hē-goān, nā lia̍h tio̍h tōa-hî boeh liām kî-tó-bûn. M̄-koh taⁿ góa siuⁿ-thiám, bô hoat-tō͘ liām. Góa siōng-hó sī the̍h pò͘-tē lâi khàm keng-thâu.

I tó tī chûn-bóe, hōaⁿ-tōa, khòaⁿ thiⁿ-piⁿ tán teng-kng chhut-hiān. Góa iáu ū pòaⁿ-bóe, i siūⁿ. Hoān-sè góa hó-ūn, ē-tàng kā chit pòaⁿ-bóe chah tńg. Góa èng-kai ū hó-ūn. Bô, i kóng. Lí chhut-hái siuⁿ hn̄g, khì hoān-tio̍h hó-ūn.

"Mài gōng lah," i tōa-siaⁿ kóng. "Ài chheng-chhéⁿ, sái-chûn. Lí iáu ē ū hó-ūn."

"Nā ū-tàng bé, góa boeh bé--kóa," i kóng.

Góa iōng siáⁿ bé ah? i mn̄g ka-tī. E-tàng iōng phah-m̄-kiàn ê hî-chhiuⁿ a̍h-sī tn̄g-khì ê to-á a̍h-sī lâu-hoeh lâu-tih ê siang-chhiú bé?

"Hoān-sè," i kóng. "Lí pún-chiâⁿ siūⁿ boeh iōng peh-cha̍p sì kang chhut-hái bé i. In mā hiám-á tō bē hō͘ lí ah."

Góa mài siūⁿ che ū--ê, bô--ê, i siūⁿ. Hó-ūn ê hêng-sek chin chē, siáng ē jīn-tit i? Siáⁿ khoán ê hó-ūn lóng hó, góa goān-ì hù-chhut in iau-kiû--ê. Góa hi-bōng góa khòaⁿ ē tio̍h teng-hóe ê kng-iáⁿ, i siūⁿ. Góa ê hi-bōng siuⁿ chē ah lah. M̄-koh che sī góa taⁿ ê hi-bōng. I kā sin-khu chhiâu hō͘ khah hó-sè leh thang sái-chûn, sin-khu ê thiàⁿ hō͘ i chai i bô sí.

I khòaⁿ tio̍h to͘-chhī teng-hóe hoán-siā ê kng-iáⁿ liōng-iok sī àm-sî cha̍p-tiám. Tú khai-sí ná ū ná bô, ká-ná sī àm-sî goe̍h boeh chhut chìn-chêng ê thiⁿ-sek. Koh-lâi tō ē-tàng khòaⁿ tio̍h in tī hn̄g-hn̄g ê hái-bīn, taⁿ hong khah tōa, sió-khóa ū éng. I chìn-ji̍p teng-kng ē-bīn, siūⁿ kóng, taⁿ chin kín tō ē kàu hái-lâu ê piⁿ-á.

Tāi-chì lóng kòe ah, i siūⁿ. Soa-hî khó-lêng ē koh kong-kek góa. M̄-koh, o͘-àm tiong bô bú-khì, góa ē-tàng án-chóaⁿ?

I ngē-chiaⁿ koh sng-thiàⁿ, àm-sî ê chheⁿ-léng hō͘ i ê siong kap kòe-tō͘ chhau-lô ê sin-khu ta̍k-ūi lóng teh thiàⁿ. Góa hi-bōng bián koh chiàn ah, i siūⁿ. Góa bô siūⁿ boeh koh chiàn ah.

M̄-koh, kàu pòaⁿ-mê, i koh chiàn ah, chit kái i chai, chiàn mā bô-hāu. In lâi chi̍t-tīn, i kan-ta ē-tàng khòaⁿ tio̍h in ê pōe-kî tī chúi ni̍h ê sòaⁿ kap in sat hiàng tōa-hî ê sî ê lîn-kng. Tng in tī chûn-kha kā hî ê sî, i iōng kùn-á kā kòng thâu, thiaⁿ tio̍h chhùi-khí sio-hap ê siaⁿ, chûn-á iô-iô pái-pái. I kan-ta ē-tàng khò kám-kak kap thiaⁿ-kak piàⁿ-miā kòng, koh kám-kak ū siáⁿ kā-tio̍h kùn-á, chū án-ne kùn-á liu khì.

I thiu-chhut chûn-tōa ê pèⁿ, iōng he kòng koh phut, iōng siang-chhiú tēⁿ tio̍h, it-ti̍t hám--lo̍h. M̄-koh taⁿ in kheh tī chûn-thâu, chi̍t-bóe chi̍t-bóe chhi̍h-óa, koh-lâi kui-tīn tâng-chê, tán in oa̍t-thâu koh lâi ê sî, tī hái ni̍h hoat-chhut lîn-kng ê hî-bah sûi hō͘ thiah-liáu-liáu.

Chòe-āu, ū chi̍t bóe lâi chhńg hî-thâu, i chai, lóng khì-liáu-liáu ah. Soa-hî chhùi kā tāng-tāng ê hî thâu, thiah bē khui ê sî, i hàiⁿ tōa-pèⁿ kòng i ê thâu. I chi̍t-kái koh chi̍t-kái it-ti̍t kòng, thiaⁿ tio̍h tōa-pèⁿ tn̄g-khì, tō iōng tn̄g-khì ê pèⁿ kā chha̍k. I kám-kak ū chha̍k ji̍p-khì, chai he chin chiam, tō koh kā tu̍h. Soa-hî pàng chhùi, hoan-sin chaú--khì. Che sī chit tīn soa-hî ê siōng bóe chi̍t bóe. Koh-lâi bô siáⁿ thang chia̍h ah.

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44. 閣來一陣鯊魚

我本來有下願, 若掠著大魚欲念祈禱文. 毋過今我 siuⁿ thiám, 無法度念. 我上好是提布袋來崁肩頭.

伊倒 tī 船尾, 扞舵, 看天邊等燈光出現. 我猶有半尾, 伊想. 凡勢我好運, 會當 kā 這半尾扎轉. 我應該有好運. 無, 伊講. 你出海 siuⁿ 遠, 去犯著好運.

"莫戇 lah," 伊大聲講. "愛清醒, 駛船. 你猶會有好運."

"若 ū-tàng 買, 我欲買寡," 伊講.

我用啥買 ah? 伊問家己. 會當用拍毋見 ê 魚槍抑是斷去 ê 刀仔抑是流血流滴 ê 雙手買?

"凡勢," 伊講. "你本成想欲用八十四工出海買伊. In mā 險仔 tō 賣予你 ah."

我莫想這有 ê, 無 ê, 伊想. 好運 ê 形式真濟, siáng 會認得伊? 啥款 ê 好運攏好, 我願意付出 in 要求 ê. 我希望我看會著燈火 ê 光影, 伊想. 我 ê 希望 siuⁿ 濟 ah lah. 毋過這是我今 ê 希望. 伊 kā 身軀 chhiâu 予較好勢 leh 通駛船, 身軀 ê 疼予伊知伊無死.

伊看著都市燈火反射 ê 光影量約是暗時十點. 拄開始 ná 有 ná 無, ká-ná 是暗時月欲出進前 ê 天色. 閣來 tō 會當看著 in tī 遠遠 ê 海面, 今風較大, 小可有湧. 伊進入燈光下面, 想講, 今真緊 tō 會到海流 ê 邊仔.

代誌攏過 ah, 伊想. 鯊魚可能會 koh 攻擊我. 毋過, 烏暗中無武器, 我會當按怎?

伊硬 chiaⁿ koh 痠疼, 暗時 ê 生冷予伊 ê 傷 kap 過度操勞 ê 身軀逐位攏 teh 疼. 我希望免 koh 戰 ah, 伊想. 我無想欲 koh 戰 ah.

毋過, 到半暝, 伊 koh 戰 ah, 這改伊知, 戰 mā 無效. In 來一陣, 伊干焦會當看著 in ê 背鰭 tī 水 ni̍h ê 線 kap in 殺向大魚 ê 時 ê 燐光. 當 in tī 船跤咬魚 ê 時, 伊用棍仔 kā 摃頭, 聽著喙齒相 hap ê 聲, 船仔搖搖擺擺. 伊干焦會當靠感覺 kap 聽覺拚命摃, koh 感覺有啥咬著棍仔, 自 án-ne 棍仔溜去.

伊抽出船舵 ê 柄, 用彼摃 koh phut, 用雙手捏著, 一直撼落. 毋過今 in kheh tī 船頭, 一尾一尾 chhi̍h 倚, 閣來規陣同齊, 等 in 越頭閣來 ê 時, tī 海 ni̍h 發出燐光 ê 魚肉隨予拆了了.

最後, 有一尾來 chhńg 魚頭, 伊知, 攏去了了 ah. 鯊魚喙咬重重 ê 魚頭, 拆袂開 ê 時, 伊幌舵柄摃伊 ê 頭. 伊一改 koh 一改一直摃, 聽著舵柄斷去, tō 用斷去 ê 柄 kā 鑿. 伊感覺有鑿入去, 知彼真尖, tō koh kā tu̍h. 鯊魚放喙, 翻身走去. 這是這陣鯊魚 ê 上尾一尾. 閣來無啥通食 ah.

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44.

I have all those prayers I promised if I caught the fish, he thought. But I am too tired to say them now. I better get the sack and put it over my shoulders.

He lay in the stern and steered and watched for the glow to come in the sky. I have half of him, he thought. Maybe I’ll have the luck to bring the forward half in. I should have some luck. No, he said. You violated your luck when you went too far outside.

“Don’t be silly,” he said aloud. “And keep awake and steer. You may have much luck yet.”

“I’d like to buy some if there’s any place they sell it,” he said.

What could I buy it with? he asked himself. Could I buy it with a lost harpoon and a broken knife and two bad hands?

“You might,” he said. “You tried to buy it with eighty-four days at sea. They nearly sold it to you too.”

I must not think nonsense, he thought. Luck is a thing that comes in many forms and who can recognize her? I would take some though in any form and pay what they asked. I wish I could see the glow from the lights, he thought. I wish too many things. But that is the thing I wish for now. He tried to settle more comfortably to steer and from his pain he knew he was not dead.

He saw the reflected glare of the lights of the city at what must have been around ten o’clock at night. They were only perceptible at first as the light is in the sky before the moon rises. Then they were steady to see across the ocean which was rough now with the increasing breeze. He steered inside of the glow and he thought that now, soon, he must hit the edge of the stream.

Now it is over, he thought. They will probably hit me again. But what can a man do against them in the dark without a weapon?

He was stiff and sore now and his wounds and all of the strained parts of his body hurt with the cold of the night. I hope I do not have to fight again, he thought. I hope so much I do not have to fight again.

But by midnight he fought and this time he knew the fight was useless. They came in a pack and he could only see the lines in the water that their fins made and their phosphorescence as they threw themselves on the fish. He clubbed at heads and heard the jaws chop and the shaking of the skiff as they took hold below. He clubbed desperately at what he could only feel and hear and he felt something seize the club and it was gone.

He jerked the tiller free from the rudder and beat and chopped with it, holding it in both hands and driving it down again and again. But they were up to the bow now and driving in one after the other and together, tearing off the pieces of meat that showed glowing below the sea as they turned to come once more.

One came, finally, against the head itself and he knew that it was over. He swung the tiller across the shark’s head where the jaws were caught in the heaviness of the fish’s head which would not tear. He swung it once and twice and again. He heard the tiller break and he lunged at the shark with the splintered butt. He felt it go in and knowing it was sharp he drove it in again. The shark let go and rolled away. That was the last shark of the pack that came. There was nothing more for them to eat.

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