"Sir their on our tail already" Mr Gibbs came to stand beside jack at the wheel and readily took over as Jack marched away pulling out his telescope. Sure enough he found himself looking straight at a member of the royal navy in exactly the same position as him only stood on the deck of the black diamond rather than the black pearl. The ships had become a pair over the past twelve months, the diamond so named because it was supposed to be harder prettier and all around a better jewel than a pearl but it had still failed to overcome it's enemy and Jack wasn't to worried about its presence. It had become rather an expectance to find it tailing the pearl at all hours of day or night.
"Mr Gibbs steer a heavy port" Jack yelled and the boat immediately lurched to the left.
"Captain were going to run ground" Over half the crew yelled soon followed by "Captain the diamonds on our tail turn starboard!" the ship began to sway back but jack ran up and took the wheel back heading straight for a small island after a vey sharp left . Sure enough the ship shuddered to a halt and Jack leant against the wheel ginning and waiting. He ignored the frantic cries of his crew and refused to let them load the guns.
"I'm waiting for the right tide." He didn't need to explain himself. The path that the diamond had taken lead them through an embankment that made them hit ground a good distance from the pearl and the shore and at the wrong angle for guns to fire. So when Jack lead is crew of the boat and they waded through the meter or so of water that separated them from the lush white sand the crew on the diamond were still trying to decide what to do frantically running over the deck and preparing for an attack but Jack had no intentions of fighting. This was an island that he knew well. The tied would be down all night and his ship would be moving long before the diamond, not to mention the numerous holds of rum here, yet another island that he had discovered used by merchant sailors to hold stolen stock.
It didn't take long for the bets to start on how long the marines would hold up. Of course it is in the nature of a pirate to cheat and so in the end (and rather conveniently) Jack won the honour of playing captain for the next two hours.
Just three hours after they had set up on the beach a marine manned life boat hit the shore.
"Jack Sparrow..."
"CAPTAIN Jack Sparrow" The crew chorused to a round of drunken laughter
"Captain Jack Sparrow, Commodore Norrington request you're corporation as he requests permission to come ashore for the night."
"Your ship isn't suitable?" Jack asked rather loudly and the chorus of sinkers that ran through his camp earned suspicious looks.
"The sudden stop has caused a leak in the lower quarters causing a large number of vermin to flee into the living quarters." Jack shot a smile at Gibbs who, along with others in the crew was covered in suspicious bites and dripping wet.
"The commodore is welcome though he must fight me for the Rum!" That was backed up by a cheer and the raising of many bottles sloshing liquid and raising further yells of disappointment.
Looking disgusted the marines snapped back "Royal marines do not drink on duty"
"Oh we'll see" whispered Jack as they returned to deliver their message to the boat. "Gents, a task for you every marine that sets foot on this boat will be as drunk as a fish in Singapore but not a drop of blood will be shed." That created some unrest but jack quickly settled it "I'd like to see how the diamond crew fares with a hangover for I'll tell you now they will hold their ale worse than a priest!" that caused laughter and every man agreed to share his ale for such a sight. But that wasn't the sight on Jacks mind as he watched the fleet approached, he was focussed on the impossible as always, but this impossible was going to stay in his mind, a dream and nothing more.
