But they were sailing together lashed side by side and the old man thought, let him bring me in if it pleases him.
I am only better than him through trickery and he meant me no harm.
They sailed well and the old man soaked his hands in the salt water and tried to keep his head clear.
There were high cumulus clouds and enough cirrus above them so that the old man knew the breeze would last all night.
The old man looked at the fish constantly to make sure it was true.
It was an hour before the first shark hit him.
The shark was not an accident.
He had come up from deep down in the water as the dark cloud of blood had settled and dispersed in the mile deep sea.
He had come up so fast and absolutely without caution that he broke the surface of the blue water and was in the sun.
Then he fell back into the sea and picked up the scent and started swimming on the course the skiff and the fish had taken.