The Old Man And The Sea, is a novel by Ernest Hemingway, written in Cuba in 1951 and published in 1952. It follows a few days of fishing in the life of an old man named Santiago. In the first day, he catches a ten pound albacore, that he uses as bait along with several sardines, to catch the largest fish of his life. The immense marlin swallows the hook, and for two days and two nights pulls the small skiff far out into the water. Santiago sustains several wounds at the hands of his adversary, but shows a compassionate respect for the fish, whom he calls a brother. On the third day the marlin begins circling, and Santiago pulls it out of the water and harpoons the life out of it. He then ropes the fish to the side of his skiff and sets off for home. However, a great Mako Shark is attracted to the fish's blood clouding up the water, and rips off forty pounds of the fishes meat. The old man harpoons the shark, losing it in the process. But it is to no avail, he eventually loses most of the fish carcass, returning to land with mostly bone to show for his effort. The old man sleeps upon returning to land, and the boy finds him and cries. Santiago wakes up, and promises the boy they will fish together again, he then returns to sleep, dreaming of the lions of Africa.