The ship loomed dark and high over the water. It moved silent, like a widow in deep mourning. It moved slow, like a hunter seeking his prey. There was an ethereal glow about it as the moonlight streamed through the clouds. A gleam of gold in the black. The shape of a gargoyle sneered in the pale light. And then the moon hid again, and all was dark once more. And so it was that the Black Pearl glided nearer and nearer towards the sleeping port.
No one would notice it until the very last moment.