He could not see by the slant of the line that the fish was circling.It was too early for that.He just felt a faint slackening of the pressure of the line and he commenced to pull on it gently with his right hand.It tightened,as always, but just when he reached the point where it would break,line began to come in.He slipped his shoulders and head from under the line and began to pull in line steadily and gently. He used both of his hands in a swinging motion and tried to do the pulling as much as he could with his body and his legs. His old legs and shoulders pivoted with the swinging of the pulling.
“He is making the far part of his circle now,”he said. I must hold all I can,he thought.The strain will shorten his circle each time.Perhaps in an hour I will see him.Now I must convince him and then I must kill him.
Just then he felt a sudden banging and jerking on the line he held with his two hands.It was sharp and hard-feeling and heavy.
The fish hit the wire several times more and each time he shook his head the old man gave up a little line.
“I'll rest on the next turn as he goes out,”he said.“I feel much better.Then in two or three turns more I will have him.”
He held the line tight in his right hand and then pushed his thigh against his right hand as he leaned all his weight against the wood of the bow.Then he passed the line a little lower on his shoulders and braced his left hand on it.