He put his hands in the water again to soak them.It was getting late in the afternoon and he saw nothing but the sea and the sky.There was more wind in the sky than there had been,and soon he hoped that he would see land.
But if I had,and could have lashed it to an oar butt,what a weapon.Then we might have fought them together.What will you do now if they come in the night?What can you do?“Fight them,”he said.“ I'll fight them until I die.”
“It will be dark soon,”he said.“Then I should see the glow of Havana.If I am too far to the eastward I will see the lights of one of the new beaches.”
He saw the reflected glare of the lights of the city at what must have been around ten o'clock at night.They were only perceptible at first as the light is in the sky before the moon rises.Then they were steady to see across the ocean which was rough now with the increasing breeze.He steered inside of the glow and he thought that now,soon,he must hit the edge of the stream.
I must let the first one get a good hold and hit him on the point of the nose or straight across the top of the head,he thought.
“Come on,galano.”the old man said.“ Come in again.”
“I'd like to buy some if there's any place they sell it,”he said.