the negro from Cienfuegos

The negro from Cienfuegos was the opponent in the most celebrated physical contest of Santiago's life, a hand-wrestling match that took place in a tavern in Casablanca. The man was known as the strongest on the docks, and the contest against him became a legendary test of strength that defined Santiago's identity as "The Champion" and later served as a vital source of confidence during his solitary struggle with the great marlin.

Identity and the Legendary Contest

The negro from Cienfuegos was a large, powerful man, recognized as the strongest on the docks. The match between them took place in a tavern in Casablanca, where they sat at a table with their elbows on a chalk line, forearms straight up, and hands gripped tight. The contest lasted for one day and one night, with the bettors coming and going under the kerosene lights. The referees were changed every four hours after the first eight so they could sleep. The walls of the room were painted bright blue, and the lamps threw the shadows of the spectators against them. The negro's shadow was huge and moved on the wall as the breeze moved the lamps. Blood came out from under the fingernails of both men's hands as they looked each other in the eye. The odds changed back and forth all night, and the negro was fed rum and had cigarettes lit for him.

The Turning Point and Victory

After drinking the rum, the negro made a tremendous effort and nearly had Santiago, who was not an old man then, three inches off balance. But Santiago raised his hand back to dead even, and at that moment he was sure he had the negro beaten. The match had started on a Sunday morning and ended on a Monday morning. Many of the bettors had asked for a draw because they had to go to work on the docks loading sacks of sugar or at the Havana Coal Company, but Santiago unleashed his effort and forced the negro's hand down until it rested on the wood. For a long time after that, everyone called him "The Champion." There was a return match in the spring, but not much money was bet, and Santiago won it quite easily since he had broken the confidence of the negro from Cienfuegos in the first match.

Aftermath and Significance

After those matches, Santiago had a few more and then no more. He decided that he could beat anyone if he wanted to badly enough, and he decided that it was bad for his right hand for fishing. He had tried a few practice matches with his left hand, but his left hand had always been a traitor and would not do what he called on it to do, and he did not trust it. The memory of this contest became a crucial source of strength for Santiago during his ordeal at sea. As the sun set on the second day of his battle with the marlin, he remembered the hand game to give himself more confidence. He thought of the great DiMaggio and whether he would stay with a fish as long as Santiago would, and he was sure he would, since he was young and strong and his father was a fisherman. The memory of the negro from Cienfuegos, and the victory Santiago achieved through sheer will and endurance, reinforced his determination to prove what a man can do and what a man endures.