第5章 The Old Man and the Big Fish[第1页/共14页]

“He has slowed much,”he said.

A small bird came toward the skiff from the north.He was a warbler and flying very low over the water.The old man could see that he was very tired.

“Hail Mary full of Grace the Lord is with thee.Blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.Holy Mary.Mother of God,pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen.”Then he added,“Blessed Virgin,pray for the death of this fish.Wonderful though he is.”

“He's coming up,”he said.“Come on hand.Please come on.”

“Bad news for you fish,”he said and shifted the line over the sacks that covered his shoulders.

The bird had flown up when the line jerked and the old man had not even seen him go.He felt the line carefully with his right hand and noticed his hand was bleeding .

“I am not religious ,”he said.“But I will say ten Our Fathers and ten Hail Marys that I should catch this fish,and I promise to make a pilgrimage to the Virgin de Cobre if I catch him.That is a promise.”

It encouraged him to talk because his back had stiffened in the night and it hurt truly now.

It will uncramp though, he thought. Surely it will uncramp to help my right hand.There are three things that are brothers:the fish and my two hands.It must uncramp.It is unworthy of it to be cramped.The fish had slowed again and was going at his usual pace.