CHAPTER EIGHT
Black Eyes
“You're not putting that thing on my boat," says Quint.
The boat is ready to go. Quint has his back to it. In front of him Brody and Hooper stand next to a big cage. The cage is over two meters tall and two meters across.
"Why not?" asks Hooper.
"It's too big," says Quint. "What is it?"
"It's a shark cage," says Hooper. "I want to put it in the water and get into it. I want to take some pictures of that fish."
“No," says Quint. “Not on my boat."
"Why not?"
“Because it's too dangerous. The fish will eat that cage for breakfast."
"I don't think he will. And I want those pictures."
“He says you can't," says Brody. “Forget it. We're going out there to kill that fish."
“You can't stop me," says Hooper.
“Oh yes, I can. The town of Amity is paying for this."
Hooper says to Quint. "I'll pay you."
Quint smiles. “How much?"
"I said no!” says Brody.
But Hooper does not listen to Brody. He says to Quint. "A hundred dollars."
Hooper gives Quint the money. Brody is very angry, but he does not want to lose more time. He says to Quint, “Let's go."
Quint takes the boat out into the sea. Brody sits next to him. "Are we going back to the same place?" he asks Quint.
“Yes. We'll be there soon."
“Will the fish be there?"
"Who knows? But it's the only thing we can do. Sharks are not clever."
Brody remembers the face of the shark. "I don't know," he says. “That fish was clever yesterday.”
“No. He doesn't know what he's doing. Fish do different things sometimes. But I know everything they can do."
“Can you catch every fish?"
“No. But not because they're clever. Sometimes they're not hungry. Or you can give them the wrong fish food."
Quint is quiet for a time. Then he speaks again. “Once," he says, “a shark nearly caught me. It was about twenty years ago. I had a blue shark on the line and he pulled me overboard with him."
"What did you do?"
"I came up fast. I was lucky.”
Quint slows the boat down. Suddenly it is quiet. “OK, Hooper," he says. “Start throwing the fish food overboard."
By ten o'clock there is a light wind. The men sit and watch the sea. They say nothing. Hooper drops meat into the sea.
Brody gets up to get a drink. Suddenly Quint says, “There he is."
Hooper jumps up and says, “Yes! There he is!”
"Where?" asks Brody.
“There," says Quint. “Behind you."
Brody looks out to sea. The shark is forty meters away. "What are we going to do?"
“Nothing," says Quint. "We'll wait. Hooper, drop more fish food in the sea. Let's bring him in here."
Quint picks up a harpoon. The fish swims around the boat. Then it moves nearer.
“Come here, fish," says Quint. “Come here."
But the fish does not come nearer.
"I don't understand," says Quint. “Throw some food into the water. And throw some bottles, too."
"Why bottles?" asks Brody.
“Perhaps he'll swim towards them. We want him to come nearer."
They throw things into the water. The shark moves nearer. Ten meters from the boat it stops. Suddenly its head comes up above the surface.
“Fish!” Quint calls. “Come here. We've got something for you!”
For a short time the shark watches them with its black eyes. Then its head goes back below the water.
"Where did he go?" asks Brody.
"I think he's coming now," says Quint. “Come on, fish!” he says. “Come and get your dinner!” He points the harpoon down at the water.
Suddenly the boat moves below them. The three men fall over.
They get up and look overboard. But there is nothing there.
"Where is he now?" says Brody.
"I don't know," says Quint. “But he'll come back."
“Let's put the cage overboard," says Hooper.
“No!” says Brody.
"It might bring him out. And I want to go down in it," says Hooper. "What do you say, Quint?"
“OK," says Quint. “You paid for it." He puts down the harpoon, and he and Hooper push the cage overboard. The three men look into the water.
“Do you think the fish will come up?" says Brody.
"I think he'll come and look at the cage," says Hooper.
But the shark does not come up. After fifteen minutes, Hooper says, "I'm going down there. Maybe that'll bring him up."
"Wait for the fish," says Quint. “He'll come up."
"I don't want to wait ten years for him, Quint! I don't think you understand this fish."
Quint looks at Hooper. "Are you saying I don't know my job?"
“No. But I think I can kill the fish."
“OK. Go and do it then."
Brody says, "We can't let him go down in that thing."
But Quint does not listen. “Go on," he says to Hooper. “Get in the cage."
Hooper gets into the cage and they drop it overboard. It stops two meters below the surface.
Quint picks up the harpoon.
"Will he be OK?" asks Brody. "I don't think he'll live for ten minutes down there."
“Maybe you're right. But you never know what these fish will do."
"I know, but this is different. This is like putting your hand into a fire."
