The line went out and out and out but it was slowing now and he was making the fish earn each inch of it.Now he got his head up from the wood and out of the slice of fish that his cheek had crushed.Then he was on his knees and then he rose slowly to his feet.He was ceding line but more slowly all the time.He worked back to where he could feel with his foot the coils of line that he could not see.There was plenty of line still and now the fish had to pull the friction of all that new line through the water.
He is hitting the wire leader with his spear,he thought. That was bound to come.He had to do that.It may make him jump though and I would rather he stayed circling now. The jumps were necessary for him to take air.But after that each one can widen the opening of the hook wound and he can throw the hook.
The fish hit the wire several times more and each time he shook his head the old man gave up a little line.
The old man held him with his left hand and his shoulders now and stooped down and scooped up water in his right hand to get the crushed dolphin flesh off his face.He was afraid that it might nauseate him and he would vomit and lose his strength.When his face was cleaned he washed his right hand in the water over the side and then let it stay in the salt water while he watched the first light come before the sunrise.He's headed almost east,he thought.That means he is tired and going with the current.Soon he will have to circle. Then our true work begins.