46. 真濟討海人圍 tī 小船

46. Chin chē thó-hái-lâng ûi tī sió-chûn

Chòe-āu, i kā ûi-koaiⁿ khǹg-lo̍h, khiā--khí-lâi. I koh kā ûi-koaiⁿ giâ--khí-lâi, khǹg tī keng-thâu, kè-sio̍k kiâⁿ. Kàu chhù chìn-chêng, i koh chē-lo̍h hioh-khùn gō͘ pái.

Tī chhù-liâu-á lāi-bīn, i kā ûi-koaiⁿ khò tī piah. I bong tio̍h chúi-koàn-á, lim chi̍t-chhùi chúi, tō tó-lo̍h bîn-chhn̂g. I khiú thán-á kòe-lâi khàm keng-thâu hām i ê kha-chiah-phiaⁿ kap siang-kha, sin-khu phak tī sin-bûn téng khùn, siang-chhiú chhun ti̍t-ti̍t, chhiú-té hiòng koân.

Chá-khí, gín-á ùi mn̂g khòaⁿ--ji̍p-lâi ê sî, i iáu bōe chhéⁿ. Hong siuⁿ thàu, pàng-bāng ê chûn bô hoat-tō͘ chhut-hái, gín-á khùn-kàu chin òaⁿ, kap ta̍k-kang kāng-khoán i koh lâi lāu lâng ê liâu-á khòaⁿ. Gín-á khòaⁿ lāu lâng iáu ū teh chhoán-khùi, koh khòaⁿ tio̍h lāu lâng ê chhiú, i chū-án-ne teh khàu. I tiām-tiām chhut-khì, boeh khì the̍h kóa kapi, iân lō͘ i lóng teh khàu.

Chin chē thó-hái-lâng ûi tī sió-chûn khòaⁿ he piⁿ-á pa̍k--ê sī siáⁿ, ū chi̍t-ê, khò͘-kha pih--khí-lâi, tī chúi ni̍h iōng soh-á niû hî ê kut-kè.

Gín-á bô kiâⁿ--loeh. I í-keng khì-kòe hia, ū chi̍t ê thó-hái-lâng teh thè i kò͘ sió-chûn.

"I án-chóaⁿ ah?" chi̍t ê thó-hái-lâng hoah-siaⁿ.

"Teh khùn," gín-á ìn-siaⁿ. I m̄-kiaⁿ in khòaⁿ tio̍h i teh khàu. "Mài khì chhá--i."

"Thâu kàu bóe cha̍p-peh chhioh," niû tn̂g-tō͘ ê thó-hái-lâng kiò--chhut-lâi.

"Góa siong-sìn," gín-á kóng.

I ji̍p-khì Terrace, tiám chi̍t koàn kapi.

"Sio--ê, ke khah chē gû-leng kap thn̂g leh."

"Iáu ài siáⁿ bô?"

"Bián. Liâm-mi góa khòaⁿ i ē-sái chia̍h siáⁿ."

"Chiâⁿ tōa-bóe ê hî ah," láu-pán kóng. "M̄-bat ū hiah tōa-bóe ê. Lí cha-hng lia̍h ê hit nn̄g-bóe mā chin hó."

"Góa he siáⁿ hî ah," gín-á kóng, koh khai-sí khàu.

"Lí boeh lim siáⁿ bô?" láu-pán mn̄g.

"Bián," gín-á kóng. "Kiò in m̄-thang kiáu-jiáu Santiago. Góa sûi tńg--lâi."

"Kā kóng, góa thè i m̄-kam."

"To-siā," gín-á kóng.

Gín-á the̍h hit koàn sio kapi kàu lāu lâng ê liâu-á, chē i piⁿ-á, tán i chhéⁿ. Ū chi̍t-kái, i khòaⁿ-tio̍h ná boeh chhéⁿ--khí-lâi ah, m̄-koh sûi koh khùn kah chin lo̍h-bîn, gín-á tō kòe lō͘ khì chioh kóa chhâ, kā kapi koh hiâⁿ sio.

Choè-āu, lāu lâng chhéⁿ--lâi.

"Mài chē--khí-lâi," gín-á kóng. "Lim che."

-- 

46. 真濟討海人圍 tī 小船

最後, 伊 kā 桅杆囥落, 徛起來. 伊 koh kā 桅杆夯起來, 囥 tī 肩頭, 繼續行. 到厝進前, 伊 koh 坐落歇睏五擺.

Tī 厝寮仔內面, 伊 kā 桅杆靠 tī 壁. 伊摸著水罐仔, 啉一喙水, tō 倒落眠床. 伊搝毯仔過來崁肩頭和伊 ê 尻脊骿 kap 雙跤, 身軀仆 tī 新聞頂睏, 雙手伸直直, 手底向懸.

早起, 囡仔 ùi 門看入來 ê 時, 伊猶未醒. 風 siuⁿ 透, 放網 ê 船無法度出海, 囡仔睏到真晏, kap 逐工仝款伊 koh 來老人 ê 寮仔看. 囡仔看老人猶有 teh 喘氣, koh 看著老人 ê 手, 伊自 án-ne teh 哭. 伊恬恬出去, 欲去提寡 kapi, 沿路伊攏 teh 哭.

真濟討海人圍 tī 小船看彼邊仔縛 ê 是啥, 有一个, 褲跤 pih 起來, tī 水 ni̍h 用索仔量魚 ê 骨架.

囡仔無行 loeh. 伊已經去過遐, 有一个討海人 teh 替伊顧小船.

"伊按怎 ah?" 一个討海人喝聲.

"Teh 睏," 囡仔應聲. 伊毋驚 in 看著伊 teh 哭. "莫去吵伊."

"頭到尾十八尺," 量長度 ê 討海人叫出來.

"我相信," 囡仔講.

伊入去 Terrace, 點一罐 kapi.

"燒 ê, 加較濟牛奶 kap 糖 leh."

"猶愛啥無?"

"免. Liâm-mi 我看伊 ē-sái 食啥."

"誠大尾 ê 魚 ah," 老闆講. "M̄-bat 有 hiah 大尾 ê. 你昨昏掠 ê 彼兩尾 mā 真好."

"我彼啥魚 ah," 囡仔講, koh 開始哭.

"你欲啉啥無?" 老闆問.

"免," 囡仔講. "叫 in 毋通攪擾 Santiago. 我隨轉來."

"Kā 講, 我替伊毋甘."

"多謝," 囡仔講.

囡仔提彼罐燒 kapi 到老人 ê 寮仔, 坐伊邊仔, 等伊醒. 有一改, 伊看著 ná 欲醒起來 ah, 毋過隨 koh 睏甲真落眠, 囡仔 tō 過路去借寡柴, kā kapi koh 燃燒.

最後, 老人醒來.

"莫坐起來," 囡仔講. "啉這."

-- 

46.

Finally he put the mast down and stood up. He picked the mast up and put it on his shoulder and started up the road. He had to sit down five times before he reached his shack.

Inside the shack he leaned the mast against the wall. In the dark he found a water bottle and took a drink. Then he lay down on the bed. He pulled the blanket over his shoulders and then over his back and legs and he slept face down on the newspapers with his arms out straight and the palms of his hands up.

He was asleep when the boy looked in the door in the morning. It was blowing so hard that the drifting-boats would not be going out and the boy had slept late and then come to the old man’s shack as he had come each morning. The boy saw that the old man was breathing and then he saw the old man’s hands and he started to cry. He went out very quietly to go to bring some coffee and all the way down the road he was crying.

Many fishermen were around the skiff looking at what was lashed beside it and one was in the water, his trousers rolled up, measuring the skeleton with a length of line.

The boy did not go down. He had been there before and one of the fishermen was looking after the skiff for him.

“How is he?” one of the fishermen shouted.

“Sleeping,” the boy called. He did not care that they saw him crying. “Let no one disturb him.”

“He was eighteen feet from nose to tail,” the fisherman who was measuring him called.

“I believe it,” the boy said.

He went into the Terrace and asked for a can of coffee.

“Hot and with plenty of milk and sugar in it.”

“Anything more?”

“No. Afterwards I will see what he can eat.”

“What a fish it was,” the proprietor said. “There has never been such a fish. Those were two fine fish you took yesterday too.”

“Damn my fish,” the boy said and he started to cry again.

“Do you want a drink of any kind?” the proprietor asked.

“No,” the boy said. “Tell them not to bother Santiago. I’ll be back.”

“Tell him how sorry I am.”

“Thanks,” the boy said.

The boy carried the hot can of coffee up to the old man’s shack and sat by him until he woke. Once it looked as though he were waking. But he had gone back into heavy sleep and the boy had gone across the road to borrow some wood to heat the coffee.

Finally the old man woke.

“Don’t sit up,” the boy said. “Drink this.”

--