Chapter 14 Summary

By night, Ramun and Ruiz are far from home. Ramun offers to take the tiller while the Sevillano sleeps, but Ruiz is too suspicious to accept. Instead, he dozes fitfully while gripping the pearl. Throughout the day, the two have seen many sharks. After dark, Ramun sees the ghostly visage of a giant manta's fins rising in the moonlight, following the boat. Ruiz wishes the powerful creature would swim ahead of them so that he could harness it with a rope and let the small boat be pulled to Guaymas. Ruiz says this manta is the largest he has ever seen. The giants are usually gentle, but they are so powerful that a casual swipe of the fin or tail can easily kill a man.

As the manta passes the boat, Ramun sees the creature's eyes, which are the color of amber. He...