He leaned over the side and pulled loose a piece of the meat of the fish where the shark had cut him.He chewed it and noted its quality and its good taste.It was firm and juicy ,like meat,but it was not red.There was no springiness in it and he knew that it would bring the highest price in the market.But there was no way to keep its scent out of the water and the old man knew that a very bad time was coming.
When the old man saw him coming he knew that this was a shark that had no fear at all and would do exactly what he wished.He prepared the harpoon and made the rope fast while he watched the shark come on.The rope was short as it lacked what he had cut away to lash the fish.
The shark closed fast astern and when he hit the fish the old man saw his mouth open and his strange eyes and the clicking chop of the teeth as he drove forward in the meat just above the tail.The shark's head was out of water and his back was coming out and the old man could hear the noise of skin and flesh ripping on the big fish when he rammed the harpoon down onto the shark's head at a spot where the line between his eyes intersected with the line that ran straight back from his nose.There were no such lines.There was only the heavy sharp blue head and the big eyes and the clicking, thrusting all-swallowing jaws.But that was the location of the brain and the old man hit it.He hit it with his blood mushed hands driving a good harpoon with all his strength.He hit it without hope but with resolution and complete malignancy .