Jack had found a few kind souls in Shipwreck who were willing to help the settlers in New Flimwell. They sailed back to New Flimwell, where Jack and Gibbs went ashore with the helpers. They brought them, with some extra supplies, straight to the pub, and introduced them to the landlord.

The landlord, a robust fellow by the name of Quimby, looked as if he had aged a year in the last couple of weeks. He was glad to see Jack again, but overjoyed at the extra help Jack had brought with him.

"Can't promise you much, gents," he told them, "as my inn is one of the last buildings standing. "But we'll be glad to host you at no charge. 'Preciate the help."

The village had been cleaned up some, and there was a brand-new graveyard just outside it, full of fresh graves. Where there had been houses and businesses were now lots of rubble and charred wood. There were about 19 villagers left alive, and most of them were more than willing to talk to the strangers, especially after they learned that they had brought help.

Thomas Hound was an obvious exception. As soon as he saw Jack, he slunk away quietly. No one missed him. His son Tommy was glad to see them both again, and happily shared what he knew.

Unfortunately, no one knew much more than they did last time. They were able to work out that the pirates spoke Spanish, sailed a big warship called El Gavilón , and their leader was a beautiful woman with long, black hair under her big, feathered hat. They had carefully examined every man's face before murdering him, and had ransacked each house as if looking for something in particular before looting it. The only thing that was a possible clue was that several people had heard the pirates say "Espero" over and over.

"Espero?" Jack muttered to himself. "Espero, espero, espero."

"What's that mean to us Englishmen, Jack?" Gibbs asked him.

"It means 'I hope,'" Jack replied. "Not an emotion usually espoused by pirates or their victims.

They went back to the pub and had a couple of drinks. The landlord came back over to chat with them.

"You know, I never got your name, mate," he told Jack. "I'd like to know who to thank for bringing us the extra supplies."

Jack exchanged glances with Gibbs. "All right, but I'd appreciate it if you didn't share it around, like, say, with the navy."

The landlord grinned. "Smuggling? Or piracy?"

Jack shrugged. "Let's just say that I'm a man who looks after his own interests by whatever means necessary, and leave it at that. Captain Jack Sparrow."

"You're Captain Sparrow?" the landlord sputtered in surprise. "But why would a pirate bring help? And goats, and blankets? It was a pirate what sacked the town in the first place!"

"Not all pirates are created equally."

"I should say not! Well, thank you, Captain, and you can be sure I won't be giving your name to the Navy. If there's ever anything I can do for you, I am eternally in your debt and at your service."

Jack smiled. "I doubt that a few goats and blankets are worth a lifetime of debt, man, but thanks."

"And they're all from Shipwreck, you say? The pirate island?"

"Aye. Things were a bit different there, after we elected a pirate king."

"There's a pirate king?" the landlord asked, eyes bright with interest. He'd be able to gossip about this for weeks.

Jack remembered at the last minute that he had wanted the citizens of Flimwell to think Elizabeth hadn't survived the attack. "Aye, or did have. You knew her. Mrs Turner, up the hill," told him. He He left the man dumfounded, and, laughing quietly to himself, went with Gibbs up the hill to Elizabeth's cottage to see if they could find any clues as to who had made the attack.

The cottage looked worse than they remembered it; apparently the fires had kept on burning after they had left the last time, for there was less of the cottage actually there. They poked around in corners and under piles of ash and rubble and finally gave up. It wasn't until they were on their way out that they found something.

"Jack, look!" Gibbs called. He'd been trying to close the door, and he pointed out a bit of parchment that was folded up and stuck into a crack in the door. Very little of it actually showed, which was probably why they had missed it last time. Gibbs pulled it out and unfolded it and his eyes grew wide. "Uh, you remember how Mrs Turner said this seemed personal? I think it was. I just don't think she was the person it was aimed at." The note said Jack Sparro at the top of it, but the rest was written in Spanish and Gibbs couldn't read it. There was no signature.

He handed the note to Jack, who read it and grimaced. "Bugger."

"What's it say?" Gibbs asked. "You know I can't read all that foreign chickenscratch."

Jack cleared his throat. "Well, the good news is, they weren't after Will's heart," he said. "The bad news is, someone wants me dead, and my 'whore and bastard' along with me," he said with a grimace.

"Your what?" Gibbs exclaimed.

"'S what it says, mate." Jack shrugged.

"Think they mean Mrs Turner and little Jake?"

Jack scoffed. "Anyone who's dealt with us in the last three or four years knows that couldn't be true."

"Aye," Gibbs said thoughtfully. "But it was stuck into her door, and we do drop anchor here fairly regular, and Jack, ye do be visiting 'em often in the middle of the night. It could look suspicious to someone who didn't know about Will's involvement in the matter."

"Who wouldn't know about his involvement, though? All the pirate lords know. Most of them do want to kill me, but that has naught to do with Will or Elizabeth. Mostly for old wrongs. Or money. But this—this seems exceptional."

Gibbs shrugged. "Well, we have had recent experience with a Spanish woman who wanted to kill you. Also, I recall a certain speech you made once to a roomful of pirate lords, in which you mentioned something about the hellish fury—"

"—Of a woman scorned," Jack finished. "Oh, sod it. It's Angelica. It has to be. The attackers weren't all saying 'I hope, I hope.' They were asking about Sparrow!"

"Aye," Gibbs agreed. "Blackbeard's daughter."

"She already had the hellish fury of a woman scorned, and now on top of that she thinks I've murdered her father. I don't know how she found out about Elizabeth living here, but she's obviously made a connection between us that the lovely Mrs Turner and I never made. Much to my everlasting regret," he added with a smirk.

Gibbs snorted in amusement. "So what now, Captain? Set sail and hunt for El Gavilón ?"

Jack considered. "One ship in the whole Caribbean? And it's been several days, now, so no telling where they would have gone next. No, mate. Best we make for Tortuga. If anyone has news of the attack or the attacker, it'll be there."

Unfortunately, no one in Tortuga knew about a Spanish ship by that name, nor about a female captain with a big hat. Chewing his lip in thought, Jack gave orders to sail for Shipwreck, and retired to his cabin.

Pirates*of*the*Caribbean*Pirates*of*the*Caribbean*Pirates*of*the*Caribbean*Pirates*of*the*Caribbean*Pirates*of*the*Caribbean*

Note: What is the deal with "espero" and "Sparrow"? I have noticed, during my English teaching career, that Spanish speakers from Spain sometimes have difficulty saying an English word that starts with S, without adding an E in front of it. "Look at all the esnow," for example, or "I went to the estore." It's just an idiosyncrasy that some Spanish-speakers have when they are learning English. I imagined that when the Spanish attackers were saying an English word like "Sparrow," it might have come out sounding more like a Spanish word.

El Gavilón means "the hawk." Hawks eat sparrows. It seemed appropriate.