Now,he thought,I must think about the drag.It has its perils and its merits.I may lose so much line that I will lose him,if he makes his effort and the drag made by the oars is in place and the boat loses all her lightness.Her lightness prolongs both our suffering but it is my safety since he has great speed that he has never yet employed.No matter what passes must gut the dolphin so he does not spoil and eat some of him to be strong.

For a long time after that everyone had called him The Champion and there had been a return match in the spring. But not much money was bet and he had won it quite easily since he had broken the confidence of the negro from Cienfuegos in the first match.After that he had a few matches and then no more.He decided that he could beat anyone if he wanted to badly enough and he decided that it was bad for his right hand for fishing.He had tried a few practice matches with his left hand.But his left hand had always been a traitor and would not do what he called on it to do and he did not trust it.

But remember to sleep,he thought.Make yourself do it and devise some simple and sure way about the lines.Now go back and prepare the dolphin.It is too dangerous to rig the oars as a drag if you must sleep.