pbien.jaws-第48章
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〃Leave it in the holder;〃 said Quint。 〃No sense in getting ready if he's going to chew through this one too。〃
Adrenaline was pumping through Brody's body。 He was both excited and afraid; awed by the thought of what was swimming below them; a creature whose power he could not imagine。 Hooper stood at the port gunwhale; transfixed by the running line。
The line stopped and went limp。
〃Shit;〃 said Quint。 〃He done it again。〃 He took the rod out of the holder and began to reel。 The severed line came aboard exactly as had the other one。 〃We'll give him one more chance;〃 said Quint; 〃and I'll put on a tougher leader。 Not that that'll stop him if it's the fish I think it is。〃 He reached into the ice chest for another bait and removed the wire leader。 From a drawer in the cockpit he took a four…foot length of three…eighths…inch chain。
〃That looks like a dog's leash;〃 said Brody。
〃Used to be;〃 said Quint。 He wired one end of the chain to the eye of the baited hook; the other to the wire line。
〃Can he bite through that?〃
〃I imagine so。 Take him a little longer; maybe; but he'd do it if he wanted to。 All I'm trying to do is goose him a little and bring him to the surface。〃
〃What's next if this doesn't work?〃
〃Don't know yet。 I suppose I could take a four…inch shark hook and a length of noshit chain and drop it overboard with a bunch of bait on it。 But if he took it; I wouldn't know what to do with him。 He'd tear out any cleat I've got on board; and until I see him I'm not going to take a chance and wrap chain around anything important。〃 Quint flipped the baited hook overboard and fed out a few yards of line。 〃e on; you bugger;〃 he said。 〃Let's have a look at you。〃
The three men watched the port line。 Hooper bent down; filled his ladle with churn; and tossed it into the slick。 Something caught his eye and made him turn to the left。 What he saw sucked from him a throaty grunt; unintelligible but enough to draw the eyes of the other two men。
〃Jesus Christ!〃 said Brody。
No more than ten feet off the stern; slightly to the starboard; was the flat; conical snout of the fish。 It stuck out of the water perhaps two feet。 The top of the head was a sooty gray; pocked with two black eyes。 At each side of the end of the snout; where the gray turned to cream white; were the nostrils … deep slashes in the armored hide。 The mouth was open not quite halfway; a dim; dark cavern guarded by huge; triangular teeth。
Fish and men confronted each other for perhaps ten seconds。 Then Quint yelled; 〃Get an iron!〃 and; obeying himself; he dashed forward and began to fumble with a harpoon。 Brody reached for the rifle。 Just then; the fish slid quietly backward into the water。 The long; scythed tail flicked once … Brody shot at it and missed … and the fish disappeared。
〃He's gone;〃 said Brody。
〃Fantastic!〃 said Hooper。 〃That fish is everything I thought。 And more。 He's fantastic! That head must have been four feet across。〃
〃Could be;〃 said Quint; walking aft。 He deposited two harpoon barbs; two barrels; and two coils of rope in the stern。 〃In case he es back;〃 he said。
〃Have you ever seen a fish like that; Quint?〃 said Hooper。 His eyes were bright; and he felt ebullient; vibrant。
〃Not quite;〃 said Quint。
〃How long; would you say?〃
〃Hard to tell。 Twenty feet。 Maybe more。 I don't know。 With them things; it don't make much difference over six feet。 Once they get to six feet; they're trouble。 And this sonofabitch is trouble。〃
〃God; I hope he es back;〃 said Hooper。
Brody felt a chill; and he shuddered。 〃That was very strange;〃 he said; shaking his head。 〃He looked like he was grinning。〃
〃That's what they look like when their mouths are open;〃 said Quint。 〃Don't make him out to be more than he is。 He's just a dumb garbage bucket。〃
〃How can you say that?〃 said Hooper。 〃That fish is a beauty。 It's the kind of thing that makes you believe in a god。 It shows you what nature can do when she sets her mind to it。〃
〃Horseshit;〃 said Quint; and he climbed the ladder to the flying bridge。
〃Are you going to use the porpoise?〃 said Brody。
〃No need。 We got him on the surface once。 He'll be back。〃
As Quint spoke; a noise behind Hooper made him turn。 It was a swishing noise; a liquid hiss。 〃Look;〃 said Quint。 Heading straight for the boat; thirty feet away; was a triangular dorsal fin more than a foot high; knifing the water and leaving a rippled wake。
It was followed by a towering tail that swatted left and right in tight cadence。
〃It's attacking the boat!〃 cried Brody。 Involuntarily; he backed into the seat of the fighting chair and tried to draw away。
Quint came down from the flying bridge; cursing。 〃No fucking warning this time;〃 he said。 〃Hand me that iron。〃
The fish was almost at the boat。 It raised its flat head; gazed vacantly at Hooper with one of its black eyes; and passed under the boat。 Quint raised the harpoon and turned back to the port side。 The throwing pole struck the fighting chair; and the dart dislodged and fell to the deck。 〃Cocksucker!〃 shouted Quint。 〃Is he still there?〃 He reached down; grabbed the dart; and stuck it back on the end of the pole。
〃Your side; your side!〃 yelled Hooper。 〃He's passed this side already。〃
Quint turned back in time to see the gray…brown shape of the fish as it pulled away from the boat and began to dive。 He dropped the harpoon and; in a rage; snatched up the rifle and emptied the clip into the water behind the fish。 〃Bastard!〃 he said。
〃Give me some warning next time。〃 Then he put the rifle down and laughed。 〃I suppose I should be grateful;〃 he said。 〃At least he didn't attack the boat。〃 He looked at Brody and said; 〃Gave you a bit of a start。〃
〃More 'n a bit;〃 said Brody。 He shook his head; as if to reassemble his thoughts and sort out his visions。 〃I'm still not sure I believe it。〃 His mind was full of images of a torpedo shape streaking upward in the blackness and tearing Christine Watkins to pieces; of the boy on the raft; unknowing; unsuspecting; until suddenly seized by a nightmare creature; and of the nightmares he knew would e to him; dreams of violence and blood and a woman screaming at him that he killed her son。 〃You can't tell me that thing's a fish;〃 he said。 〃It's more like one of those things they make movies about。 You know; the monster from twenty million fathoms。〃
〃It's a fish; all right;〃 said Hooper。 He was still visibly excited。 〃And what a fish! Damn near megalodon。〃
〃What are you talking about?〃 said Brody。
〃That's an exaggeration;〃 said Hooper; 〃but if there's something like this swimming around; what's to say megalodon isn't? What do you say; Quint?〃
〃I'd say the sun's got to you;〃 said Quint。
〃No; really。 How big do you think these fish grow?〃
〃I'm no good at guessing。 I'd put that fish at twenty feet; so I'd say they grow to twenty feet。 If I see one tomorrow that's twenty…five feet; I'll say they grow to twenty…five feet。 Guessing is bullshit。〃
〃How big do they grow?〃 Brody asked; wishing immediately that he hadn't said anything。 He felt that the question subordinated him to Hooper。
But Hooper was too caught up in the moment; too flushed and happy; to be patronizing。
〃That's the point;〃 he said。 〃Nobody knows。 There was one in Australia that got snarled in some chains and drowned。 He was measured at thirty…six feet; or so said the reports。〃
〃That's almost twice as big as this one;〃 said Brody。 His mind; barely able to prehend the fish he had seen; could not grasp the immensity of the one Hooper described。
Hooper nodded。 〃Generally; people seem to accept thirty feet as a maximum size; but the figure is fancy。 It's like what Quint says。 If they see one tomorrow that's sixty feet; they'll accept sixty feet。 The really terrific thing; the thing that blows your mind; is imagining … and it could be true … that there are great whites way down in the deep that are a hundred feet long。〃
〃Oh bullshit;〃 said Quint。
〃I'm not saying it's so;〃