Ragetti looked around. He grinned a little.
"S'a beach, Pintel!"
"I know it is!"
"There'll be water! Look, there's a stream, it is water!"
Ragetti fell to his knees by the stream and took a noisy slurp, immediately spitting it back out and coughing.
"It's all salty!"
Pintel sighed "Too near the sea, you wanna go further up."
They moved further upstream and knelt down, drinking deeply. Ragetti looked up at Pintel with respect.
"How d'you know these things?" he asked.
"What fings?"
"Things like, not drinkin' the water, down at the sea?"
Pintel tapped his bald head. "Because I 'ad an education, I did."
"Did you?" asked Ragetti.
"I did my lad."
"Oh. You never told me that." Ragetti grinned a mouthful of brown teeth. He rubbed water on his face, only succeeding in spreading the filth around and making his moustache more unruly than ever. There was a faint pop and his wooden eye parted company with its socket, landing in the stream.
"Oh no! My eye, catch it, my eye!" he panicked, flailing around in the water with his hands. He just couldn't get a hold of it, and it began its journey towards the sea.
"Hang on mate, I've got it!" Pintel cried as he plunged into the stream. He emerged coughing and spluttering a moment later, and in one hand clutched Ragetti's errant prosthetic.
Ragetti snatched at the eye gratefully, shaking water out of the fork holes. He looked up to thank Pintel and burst out laughing at his sodden friend.
"Shut up!" shouted Pintel and Ragetti stopped laughing abruptly.
"Thanks Pintel." he said plaintively. "I dunno what I'd do without you."
Pintel muttered angrily and stamped off into the forest. Ragetti wiped his eye on his filthy shirt, slotted it into place and hastened to catch up.
They walked in silence through the trees for a while, Pintel steaily drying in the heat. After a while they both started to think about finding food. It was Ragetti who mentioned it first.
"There anything to eat?" he asked.
"How should I know?" came the grumpy reply.
"I just thought, what with your education and everything, you might know what we could eat..."
"For your information, I 'ave been keeping BOTH eyes open- "
"There's no need for that!"
"-AND I 'ave discerned that there are monkeys in this 'ere forest." Pintel continued. "Our only problem would be the catchin' of one."
"We gonna eat monkey then?" said Ragetti.
"S'meat, isn't it?"
Ragetti nodded. " I could catch a monkey."
Pintel looked at him witheringly. "And 'ow would you do that?"
"Make poison darts." was the prompt reply. "From frogs..." This last sounded less certain.
"Darts. From frogs."
"Yeah..."
"And where did you get that one from?"
"Some bloke with a stupid haircut told me once. Said 'e'd been in the army."
"And did 'e tell you just 'ow you're supposed to get a frog sharp enough to kill a monkey?"
"...no Pintel. Sorry." Ragetti looked down.
"Well. Since your advice seems to be lackin', we need a plan." said Pintel, looking up as a chittering form passed overhead.
"We could throw stones-"
"No more advice from you!"
Silence for a moment. Then-
"Go get some stones then."
Ragetti rushed to obey. He came back with an armful and dumped them at his feet. Pintel picked up the largest. He drew back his hand and let it fly at the nearest monkey. It missed by quite a large margin. He swore and bent down to pick up another.
Another, and another, and another, the monkeys evaded them all. Frustrated, Ragetti grabbed a stone of his own. Unfortunately, due to his complete lack of depth perception his missile hit a tree trunk and ricocheted off it, hitting him in the forehead. He fell backwards in a heap.
Pintel looked down at him. "Bloody hell, mate."
Several hours later, the pirates were sitting down to a meal of vaguely edible looking leaves. Ragetti chewed thoughtfully.
"At least we can eat again."
Pintel hit him.
"S'a beach, Pintel!"
"I know it is!"
"There'll be water! Look, there's a stream, it is water!"
Ragetti fell to his knees by the stream and took a noisy slurp, immediately spitting it back out and coughing.
"It's all salty!"
Pintel sighed "Too near the sea, you wanna go further up."
They moved further upstream and knelt down, drinking deeply. Ragetti looked up at Pintel with respect.
"How d'you know these things?" he asked.
"What fings?"
"Things like, not drinkin' the water, down at the sea?"
Pintel tapped his bald head. "Because I 'ad an education, I did."
"Did you?" asked Ragetti.
"I did my lad."
"Oh. You never told me that." Ragetti grinned a mouthful of brown teeth. He rubbed water on his face, only succeeding in spreading the filth around and making his moustache more unruly than ever. There was a faint pop and his wooden eye parted company with its socket, landing in the stream.
"Oh no! My eye, catch it, my eye!" he panicked, flailing around in the water with his hands. He just couldn't get a hold of it, and it began its journey towards the sea.
"Hang on mate, I've got it!" Pintel cried as he plunged into the stream. He emerged coughing and spluttering a moment later, and in one hand clutched Ragetti's errant prosthetic.
Ragetti snatched at the eye gratefully, shaking water out of the fork holes. He looked up to thank Pintel and burst out laughing at his sodden friend.
"Shut up!" shouted Pintel and Ragetti stopped laughing abruptly.
"Thanks Pintel." he said plaintively. "I dunno what I'd do without you."
Pintel muttered angrily and stamped off into the forest. Ragetti wiped his eye on his filthy shirt, slotted it into place and hastened to catch up.
They walked in silence through the trees for a while, Pintel steaily drying in the heat. After a while they both started to think about finding food. It was Ragetti who mentioned it first.
"There anything to eat?" he asked.
"How should I know?" came the grumpy reply.
"I just thought, what with your education and everything, you might know what we could eat..."
"For your information, I 'ave been keeping BOTH eyes open- "
"There's no need for that!"
"-AND I 'ave discerned that there are monkeys in this 'ere forest." Pintel continued. "Our only problem would be the catchin' of one."
"We gonna eat monkey then?" said Ragetti.
"S'meat, isn't it?"
Ragetti nodded. " I could catch a monkey."
Pintel looked at him witheringly. "And 'ow would you do that?"
"Make poison darts." was the prompt reply. "From frogs..." This last sounded less certain.
"Darts. From frogs."
"Yeah..."
"And where did you get that one from?"
"Some bloke with a stupid haircut told me once. Said 'e'd been in the army."
"And did 'e tell you just 'ow you're supposed to get a frog sharp enough to kill a monkey?"
"...no Pintel. Sorry." Ragetti looked down.
"Well. Since your advice seems to be lackin', we need a plan." said Pintel, looking up as a chittering form passed overhead.
"We could throw stones-"
"No more advice from you!"
Silence for a moment. Then-
"Go get some stones then."
Ragetti rushed to obey. He came back with an armful and dumped them at his feet. Pintel picked up the largest. He drew back his hand and let it fly at the nearest monkey. It missed by quite a large margin. He swore and bent down to pick up another.
Another, and another, and another, the monkeys evaded them all. Frustrated, Ragetti grabbed a stone of his own. Unfortunately, due to his complete lack of depth perception his missile hit a tree trunk and ricocheted off it, hitting him in the forehead. He fell backwards in a heap.
Pintel looked down at him. "Bloody hell, mate."
Several hours later, the pirates were sitting down to a meal of vaguely edible looking leaves. Ragetti chewed thoughtfully.
"At least we can eat again."
Pintel hit him.