Fight With the Sharks
After killing the marlin, Santiago lashes the corpse alongside his boat and starts for the shore. But the blood oozing form the wounded marlin invites the sharks. However, Santiago bravely fights off the successive sharks five times.
After an hour, a giant mako shark appears. Santiago hits it with his harpoon. But he not only loses the harpoon but also about forty pounds flesh of the fish. However, he encourages himself by saying, "A man can be destroyed but not defeated".
After two hours, two plundering galanos come to feast on the marlin. Santiago fights them with the knife lashed to the oar. He stabs the knife into their heads. Alas! they steal away about a quarter of the fish.
The third attacker is a single shovel nose shark. The old man lets it hit the fish and then drives the knife into its brain. The shark jerks backwards as it rolls and the blade of the knife snaps and is lost in the water.
Just before sunset, two more marauding galanos come to dine on the marlin. Santiago fights them with his club. Their eating reduces the fish to half. However, Santiago still hopes that he may save the remaining half.
By midnight, the sharks come in packs. He hits them with the club but is deprived of it during the combat. Then he beats them with the tiller but it also breaks. The fighting tools end and then the prey's meat ends and finally the Sisyphean fight ends.
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