Mornin' in Singapore. I'm back at the harbor, strollin' along, eatin' some kind of flat bread I've nicked from a stall. I know it's wrong to steal, but I've got no more coins in me pocket, so there don't seem much choice. I'm contemplatin' a stall sellin' fruit, and thinkin' it's a long time until the tide turns and me ship sails, when who do I see but me little bird. She's just left the very stall I was lookin' at.
I follow her as she picks her way along the road, eatin' the mango she just bought, without a care in the world, it seems. She really makes me laugh. Her veil is an old, tattered thing, coarse and dull brown, wrapped around her from head to toe. She must think she'll pass as one of the peasant girls, but she ain't foolin' anyone. Old as her clothes may be, they're the cleanest thing to be seen along the quayside. And her hands are pale and soft, not dirty and callused like a peasant girl's would be. When she turns her head to look at the sea, her veil falls back a bit, showin' beaded gold ear-rings.
I can tell she's used to wearing shoes, too. Every time she comes to some gravel in the road, she has to stop and pick her way across, tryin' not to bruise her dainty little feet. Watchin' her hop along so very careful-like reminds me of a bird again.
"Hello there, love," I says, catchin' up to her. Her eyes go wide for a second, then she sneers at me and says somethin'. I don't speak her lingo, but whatever she says, it don't sound friendly. But even her sneer is pretty. She puts her little nose in the air and goes on her way. I stand there in the road like the fool that I am. What did I expect ? Though I watched over her escape, and even thought that I'd like to help her, she's never even seen me before. I might feel as though I know this girl, as though she's somehow mine, but to her I'm just a dirty sailor boy. I suddenly imagine Mister Phillips, takin' up a piece of rope and beatin' me with it for actin' so stupid. Good for me he's not around.
But I see that I'm not the only one takin' an interest in me little bird. There's two rough-lookin' native men strollin' along behind her now, one to either side. Now I can't stand by and let anyone hurt me sweet girl, even if she does think I'm not worth a second glance. I run after 'em, yellin' bloody murder. Me girl turns and lets out a little scream. She dodges away, just as one of the thugs takes a swing at me. The other thug grabs for her, but seein' as she's just ducked out of me way, he misses. She runs toward an alley.
"Not the alley, love !" I yell, exasperated. She really doesn't know anythin' about survival. Stay on the main street and lose 'em in the crowd while I distract 'em, I think. To which end, I kick the nearest tough in the soft bits. It may be a dirty trick, but he's almost twice my size, so what else am I supposed to do ? I dive after the other one, who's headin' for the alley.
Just then me little bird comes racin' back out of the alley, holdin' her veil up above her knees so she can run faster. There's a third tough chasin' after her. I start to feel just a bit flustered – I can handle two, but three grown men against one little me is a bit much, savvy ? The thug I'm chasin' makes a grab for her, but she dodges past him. He wheels around and nearly runs me down. I grab him and we scuffle for a moment, but then he throws me aside like a sack of flour and runs after me girl.
I hit the ground hard. It takes a moment to catch me breath, and then I see me little bird, standin' on the sea wall. Her eyes are wide, dartin' from one side to the other as the two men close in on her from either side. I'm pleased to see the third one is just crawlin' to his feet, still clutchin' his privates in pain. Just then one of the thugs makes a grab for me girl, and with a wild cry she half turns away from him and jumps right into the sea.
A crowd is gatherin' now, finally, and the thugs slink away as people start to run up. I'm proud of me pretty bird, knowin' how she's afraid of heights. It was brave of her, jumpin' right off that wall without hesitatin' at all. But as I run up and look down into the water, I see we have a new problem. Me brave little girl is no water fowl – she's sunk beneath the waves of the bay. And here stand sailors and shopkeepers and peasants, all starin' slack-jawed while she drowns.
"Out of me way," I yell, and dive in after her. I take a moment to thank me lucky stars that Mister Phillips insisted that I learn to swim. Even though he did throw me overboard and nearly drowned me as part of the learnin' process, it's comin' in handy now. I splash around and manage to get a grip on me poor drownin' girl somehow. She's heavy, that waterlogged veil weighin' her down. I try to hold her head up, but it's nearly impossible to hold her and keep me own head above water at the same time. "A little help here ?" I yell to the crowd of gawkers above us. It seems like forever until finally some city guards arrive and lower poles and ropes and haul the girl to safety.
Of course no one pays Jack Sparrow any mind and it takes me a minute to scramble back up onto the quay. Out of the corner of me eye I see that the thug that I'd kicked is bein' held by two guards, but me main attention is on the little knot of guards around me girl. I push me way through. One of 'em tries to hold me back, jabberin' somethin'. I may not speak the native lingo, but I know somehow that he's sayin' she's dead. She's lyin' there in the road, veil wrapped around her like a shroud.
It can't be. I rip the veil off her face. Her skin is gray. The guards are yammerin' at me. I pay no attention. Not knowin' what else to do, I grab me bird by the shoulders and shake her, hard. I can feel tears stingin' me eyes. Then she gives a little cough, and all of a sudden she vomits sea water all over me shirt. I hold her in me arms and watch her face go from grey to tan. She's breathin' again. The color comes back into her lips and her eyelids flutter. Then she looks up at me and smiles. Then I just I have to laugh, I'm so relieved – and her face is all red now. She's blushin'. "Better out than in, love," I say about the salt water. "Never mind about the shirt," I tell her, even though I know she don't speak English. I think I could sit here in the dirt and just hold her forever.
Then a guard is shoutin' and grabbin' her out of me arms, and another guard has got me by the scruff of the neck. It really does spoil the mood. There's an old man standin' there all of a sudden, and he's huggin' me girl to him and yellin' orders. Next thing I know, I'm marched off to gaol.
