Fighting Sharks¹

Doctor John Perry decided it was time to go home. It had been a perfect day -- a day alone， the first such day in many years.

He had filled his bag with all sorts of sea shells²， enough to study for months. The island had been a good place to find shells. But now the sun was going down. He must leave before it got dark.

He picked up his bag of shells and walked toward the edge of the island. He came to the sand reef³ that led from the island to shore. He stopped for a moment to enjoy the sunset on the ocean water， then began to walk down the sand reef toward the shore. He walked slowly， stopping a few times to rest. He began to whistle. Alone with nature all day， it had cheered him. He could see the shore.

The gray colors of evening were beginning to spread across the ocean and the sand. He hurried on. Then， suddenly， he stepped into the water. Before he knew what had happened， he dropped down and down..， the water was covering his head. He rose to the top of the water， blowing and struggling to get back on to the dry sand. He felt the water rushing about him. Somehow he got on to the sand and sat down wet and surprised at his sudden fall. He heard the water still rushing about and then he saw a long gray shark.

He stood up， looked around. He saw the sharks swim roward the shore and then he saw other sharks. Five， six， seven of them. But where was the reef? What had happened to it? He began to walk back toward the island.

While he had searched for shells on the island， the strong ocean waves had washed a large part of the sand reef away. There was nothing between him and the shore but water... and sharks.

He did not know much about sharks... but he was a good swimmer. He looked at the shore which was now almost black against the red sky. He could swim... but what about the sharks? Do they attack in the night? He tried to remember what he had read about sharks. Didn't sharks find their food by smelling it? If they did， it meant they looked for food at all times -- even during the night. He decided not to swim to shore. It was too dark and he wanted to see the enemy if he was to fight it.

He looked around for his bag of shells， and found it a few metersaway. He pulled the bag on to some dry sand， then sat down next to it.

The wind was warm. The stars began to show. The moor rose. The water looked peaceful and quiet and yellow in the moon light.

The gentle noises of night soon made him sleep... but not for long. Most of the night he lay down and looked up at the stars， thinking. He thought of the people in the village... his friends. They needed him. He was their doctor， the only doctor in the village. And it felt good to be needed. He thought of wood for a fire -- wood to signal for help. But there was no wood. He thought of the sharks. Would they go away during the night?

Then he thought of food. He was hungry， but hunger was his smallest problem. The ocean was filled with fish. Fish would satisfy both his hunger and thirst， if he could catch one. But hunger and thirst could wait. At last the thought of sleep... it came at last... and he slept until the sun rose.

He felt stiff when he got up. He moved about， then looked at the water before him. It was clear and green. Far off， he could hear the noise of splashing water made by the sharks. He saw red areas on the water and he knew the sharks were killing and eating the fish. The sharks were there because the fish were there. The same waves that had washed the sand reef away had somehow pushed large schools⁴ of fish into the area.

He watched the sharks kill. They swam after the schools of fish， played with them and killed them even though they were not hungry. They would not let the fish swim out into the open sea⁵.

He looked at the sea. If he swam to shore， he would be in the water five， six minutes -- much could happen in that time.

A wind blew across the water. Small waves rushed across the top and stopped him from seeing the bottom. He hoped the wind would stop. Somehow clear water seemed less dangerous.

He looked at the sharks now near the shore. They were still feeding. It was hard to think of himself being attacked by a shark. A man when he is healthy feels good， but pain... a torn belly， a missing leg， a badly crushed head by those powerful teeth... no... no.He wanted to live. To swim now might mean sudden death. But the sharks might stay here for days -- a week or more?

He decided to swim. But first he looked all around. There was not a sign of a boat anywhere， no fishermen， nothing. He looked up， not a sign of a storm， just a clear blue sky.

He took off all his clothes and kept only his belt and his small knife. The sharks were far off. He silently slipped into the water. He went deep down and looked around. He was about to rise to the top when he saw a long gray body below him. Small dots of sunlight danced on its body down through the clear water. He kicked himself up to the top and struggled onto the sand.

If he had not looked down， he would now be halfway across with the shark chasing after him. He didn't think of the rest.

He stood up and looked around again. How could he make the sharks move out to sea... ? If they swam out to sea he could jump in and get to shore before they saw him.

He saw the sharks rolling and playing. Their hunger was now gone and they were killing for fun. How could he make them move?

He pulled his knife from his belt. Sharks can smell blood， he thought. He put the knife against his leg and cut deep into the flesh. The blood ran out and he caught it on his white shirt. When the shirt was red and wet he tied some cloth around his leg to stop the flow of blood. He tied a long piece of cloth to the shirt， then walked to the edge of the sand. He threw the shirt into the water and pulled it with the piece of cloth.

The sharks smelled the blood and came racing toward the shirt. He ran down the sand reef pulling the shirt and the sharks raced after it. He was leading them away from shore. Suddenly he dropped the cloth， turned toward shore and ran as fast as he could. He jumped into the water and swam.

He was halfway across when he turned to look back. A high bony⁶ fin⁷ was cutting through the water toward him. He put his face in the water and kicked and splasheds himself forward as fast as he could. The shore was nearer now. But he thought of his belly under the water. How defenseless⁹ it was and he thought of the flat nose¹⁰ of the shark hitting from below.

He lifted his head again to breathe and he saw the shore very near. From behind he felt the water rush toward him， almost push- ing him， helping him. He kicked and shouted as loud as he could and then a great gray body hit him and almost rolled him over in the water. He touched the shore with his fingers and he pulled himself up the stones. The shark， excited by the smell of blood and the chase， went after him. Its great body crashed against the stones. It rolled and turned as it dropped back into the water... and then， the other sharks jumped on it. The end came quickly and the water was covered with the shark's blood. The injured shark was eaten alive as it tried to escape.

Doctor Perry slowly got to his feet.

\"So，\" he said， \"you did not get me，\" and he looked down at the sharks still eating even though they were full of food. He climbed up the stones and walked toward the village.

Notes:

1．shark n．鲨鱼

2．shell n. 贝壳

3．reef n．沙洲，暗礁

4．school n. (鱼)群

5．open sea 外海，公海

6．bony adj. 多骨的，似骨的

7．fin n．鳍

8．splash vt．(使水)泼溅

9．defenseless adj.无保护的

10．nose n．动物的口鼻部

约翰·佩里医生断定时间不早了，该回家了。这是令人满意的一天——只身自在的日子，多年来第一次有这样的一天。

他的袋子里已装满各式各样的海贝贝壳，够他研究几个月的了。这个岛子是搜集贝壳的理想处所。可惜太阳已然西沉，他必须得在天黑之前离开这里。

他拾起贝壳的袋子，朝岛子边上走去。当他来到那条连接该岛与陆地的沙埂时，驻足片刻，以观赏洋面上的黄昏美景。然后他就沿着沙埂朝陆地的方向走去。他走得挺慢，几次驻足休息，还高兴得吹起口哨，因为一整天都是只身沐浴在大自然环境中，令他感到舒畅。大陆就在眼前，清晰可见。

傍晚的灰蒙蒙色调在开始弥漫于洋面与沙滩之上。他加快了脚步，走着走着，猛地一步迈入水中。在他还没弄清是怎么一回事，他已越来越往下沉……海水一点点没过了他的头顶。他踩水升到水面，累得气喘吁吁，才挣扎地回到干燥的沙地上。他觉着海水在他身边冲泻着，不知怎的他登上了沙丘，在湿地上坐了下来，对刚才突遭没顶之事感到惊异。他听到海水仍在四下狂涌，就在这时他看到一条长长的灰色鲨鱼。

他站起身，四周环视，看见几条鲨鱼朝大陆游去，然后又看其他鲨鱼，五条，六条，共七条。但是沙埂子哪里去了?它是怎么变没的?他不得不走回小岛。

就在他在岛上寻觅贝壳的时候，汹涌的海浪已把沙埂子冲去了一大半，所以在他与大陆之间除了海水……和一些鲨鱼之外，就再也没有别的了。