The shark swung over and the Old Man saw his eye was not alive and then he swung over once again, wrapping himself in two loops of the rope. The Old Man knew that he was dead but the shark would not accept it. Then, on his back, with his tail lashing and his jaws clicking, the shark plowed over the water as a speedboat does. The water was white where his tail beat it and three-quarters of his body was clear above the water when the rope came taut, shivered and then snapped.