"That's downright interestin.' They might even spend a bit more today to get one."
"Yeah, I bet they would," says the dark-skinned fisherman. "For a live one."
"What are you thinking, Mad Jack?" Squatty asks eyeing him shrewdly.
"Oh, nothin, boys," beams Mad Jack grinning widely, "nothin' at all," and he throws back his head and booms out his enromous anchor-chain laughter. Everything in the place stops before the roll of the thunder of Mad Jack laughing.
"You better sharpen your pencil, Mad Jack Hawkins," says Squatbender, "if you think you can catch one of those monsters and carry it away alive-especially without a boat. And I had my fill of those bastards. And that one got his fill out of me."
"I wonder how much one would bring on today's market," muses Mad Jack."Been a few years. More people are interested in the fat wonders of the sea."
Squatty just chuckles.
"I'll take that drink now that you offered. I gotta hear how you're gonna pull this one off."
"Who me?" asks Mad Jack innocently. "I got no plans."
"I'll take the drink."
"Third-Eye!" bellows Mad Jack. "We need some service! I'm buying my friend here a good belt, and I need one too."
Third-Eye returns holding something in his hands to face the little knot of people, which is to say, he looks off to both sides of them."What'll it be?" he asks.
"What do you got there?" asks Mad Jack of Third-Eye. "I got myself a juicy ham from my gal, Sweetbuns, my little sweetheart from the charity down the road.
She's from the college in Santa Cruz. They got a pile of these here hams and she gave me this for like a Valentine. She says I'm like Buddha. I see everything, she says. Sweet little butt she has, I can tell you that. Say, who the hell is Buddha? I didn't want to ask her. Might spoil the spell I got on her.""That's a real nice looking ham," Mad Jack nods. "She got any more?"
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Jack and the Great White
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