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 shells1, 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 reef2 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 whistle3. 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 into4 the water. Before he knew what had happened, he dropped5 down and down...the water was covering his head. He rose to the top of the water, blowing6 and struggling to get back on to the dry sand. He felt the water rushing7 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 toward 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 fight8 it.
He looked around for his bag of shells, and found it a few meters away. 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 moon 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, if he could catch one. Fish would satisfy both his hunger and thirst. 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 stiff9 when he got up. He moved about, then looked at the water before him. It was clear and green. Far off10, he could hear the noise of splashing11 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 schools 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 sea12.
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 top13 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 feeding14. It was hard to think of himself being attacked by a shark. A man when he is healthy feels good, but pain...a torn belly15, a missing leg, a badly crushed16 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 fishermen17, 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 into18 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 dots19 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 after20 him. He didn't think of the rest21.
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 playing22. 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 toward23 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 bony fin24 was cutting through25 the water toward him. He put his face in the water and kicked and splashed himself forward as fast as he could. The shore was nearer now. But he thought of his belly under the water. How defenseless it was and he thought of the flat nose26 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 pushing him, helping him. He kicked and shouted as loud as he could and then a great gray body hit him and almost rolled him over27 in the water. He touched the shore with his fingers and he pulled himself up28 the stones. The shark, excited by the smell of blood and the chase, went after him. Its great body crashed against29 the stones. It rolled and turned as it dropped back into the water...and then, the other sharks jumped on30 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 me31,” 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.
1． sea shell ]海贝
2． reef n．礁，礁脉
3． whistle v．吹口哨
4． step into 踏进
5． drop v．（意外）降落，落下
6． blow v．呼气，吹气
7． rush v．冲，奔，涌
8． was to fight 打算搏斗
9． stiff [stif] adj．僵硬的，僵直的
10． far off 远处
11． splash v．溅水，泼水
12． the open sea 开阔的海面
13． the top 海面
14． feed v．进食
15． torn belly 被撕烂的腹部
16． crush v．压伤，挤压
17． fisherman n．渔民，渔夫
18． slip into 悄悄地溜进
19． dot n．小圆点
20． chase after 追逐
21． the rest 别的事情
22． 此句意为“鲨鱼在海里翻滚、嬉戏”
23． race toward 冲向
24． bony fin 多骨的鳍
25． cut through 切进
26． flat nose 扁平的鼻子
27． roll him over 将他掀翻
28． pull himself up 使自己爬上
29． crash against 撞击
30． jump on．．． 跳到……上
31． 此句意为“你奈何不了我；你战胜不了我。”