Disclaimer: see chapter 1
----
They had a quick and easy run to Guadeloupe, and put in at Pointe à Pitre to restock on supplies. For the first time, Jack did not have to go ashore to see to the shopping; instead he entrusted Bootstrap Bill with some coins, and stayed aboard the Black Pearl. It was his first time alone on the ship since he had become her captain, and once the boats had bobbed across the harbour to land, he took the opportunity to walk the length of the Pearl, revelling in the fact that she was his. He tided up some stray coils of rope, caressed the rail, and murmured endearments to the ship. Finally, he left his boots by the bottom of the mainmast, and climbed the rigging to the top, where he sat gazing down at the harbour.
After a while, Jack noticed that one of the Pearl's boats was coming back, and reluctantly he descended to the deck and was pulling on his boots as the men boarded the vessel.
They had the first batch of supplies, and unloaded them speedily under Jack's direction, but then hung around twisting hats in hand and looking awkward.
Jack watched them for a few minutes, and when it was obvious none of the pirates would speak, he decided to put them out of their misery. "Got a problem, gents?"
The five men exchanged glances, and then one of them - the name he went by was Rock - spoke up. "Aye, we have."
"Well?" Jack nodded, encouragingly.
"S'like this, J ... captain," Rock said. "We signed up for this vessel on the understanding it were old Flint who was leading it."
"As did I," Jack returned, with a pang at the thought of Flint.
"Well," Rock continued, examining the deck below his feet, "Flint ain't here no more. And we reckoned as how, if summat happened to him, he'd pass on the ship to ... well, to someone ..."
"Not to you," one of Rock's companions put in.
"Mmmm." Jack rested his left elbow in his right hand, and his chin in his left hand. "I see."
"It's not like we don't reckon you're a good cap'n," Rock went on, hesitantly.
"Ah, but it is that you reckon I'm not a good captain," Jack said. "Else, you wouldn't be asking to leave the ship, would you?" Rock and his companions shifted uncomfortably under Jack's dark-rimmed gaze. "Well?" Jack pursued.
"Aye, we'd like to leave," admitted Rock, after another lengthy pause.
"With our share of profits," another man added.
"Then you shall leave, with your shares," Jack said. "Understand this, gentlemen - I don't want any man on my ship who ain't prepared to give his all for me and the rest o' the crew. Now if you'll follow me down to my cabin, I'll give you your coins and you can be on your ways - savvy?"
Silently, Rock and the other pirates followed him, and watched as Jack opened the money chest and counted out their earnings. He gave them each the small pile of gold, and they stowed the money away in pockets and pouches.
"Now," Jack said, "you're welcome to leave the ship. Good luck to you."
They filed back on deck, Jack trailing them, and he watched as they climbed into the longboat and unshipped the oars.
Later on, Bootstrap returned with two more boats of supplies and the rest of the crew. Jack was sitting on the steps leading to the helm, sharpening his sword thoughtfully, but he looked up as his mate and friend approached.
"Got everything I asked for?"
"Aye, sir," Bill replied, briskly. "And change." He passed over the moneybag, distinctly lighter now but not empty, before sitting down next to Jack. "Saw Rock in town," he said, lowering his voice. "And some o' his cronies."
"They left us," Jack said, running his whetstone along the edge of his blade. "I paid 'em and they left."
"Reckon we can sail this thing with 23 men?" Bootstrap asked.
"Easy," said Jack, glibly. "Give 'em more to do, less sitting around drinking rum." He grinned at Bootstrap, and stood up, sliding his sword into its sheath as he did so. "Right, you dogs!" he called, and the crew looked up. "You've one evening here, to do with as you will - spend it with a lass, spend it with a bottle. But I want you all back on board tomorrow morning. We're sailing out of here, and we're going after that merchant that took Flint from us."
The quest to find the merchant ship was somewhat hampered by the fact that nobody, from Jack down to the cabin boy, could remember the vessel's name. But they did remember that it was a small brigantine, heading west, and accordingly Jack ordered that they visit the main ports in the immediate area, before going in the direction of Jamaica and Cuba. On the way, they attacked two other merchants, and escaped clean with a good haul. But their quarry was not docked in the Windwards, and so they set off towards the larger islands in the Caribbean Sea.
Two days distant of Havana, the lookout called down that a ship was on the horizon. Jack took the ship's telescope up to the top of the mainmast to see for himself, and agreed that they had found their prey. He ordered more canvas, as the wind was good, and they began to gain.
Before the afternoon was old, they were visibly catching up with the merchant. The cabin boy ran the Jolly Roger flag from the stern, and the grinning skull streamed out behind the Black Pearl, and the pirates loaded the cannon with shot and armed themselves.
Jack went down to his cabin and carefully dressed in his best clothes - waistcoat, clean shirt and coat, with his hat on and sword at his waist. He peered into a grimy mirror, reapplied the kohl around his eyes, and then grinned at his reflection before going back on deck.
Throughout the afternoon, they gained ground. Jack paced the deck, constantly looking through the telescope at the other ship. It too had piled on canvas, but despite this the Black Pearl was faster.
As they got closer, Jack called the crew together and outlined his plan for them. They listened, nodded, and went off to their positions when dismissed. Joining Bootstrap at the helm, Jack fiddled with his rings, and fidgeted from side to side.
"Stand still!" Bill said, after a while, squinting ahead at the merchant ship.
"Can't," said Jack. "And I won't."
"Then stop distracting me," Bill said, turning the wheel slightly to catch better wind. "Captain."
Finally, eventually, they were within range of the merchant ship. Now, Jack could read her name: the Silver Moon. He took a deep breath, drew his sword, and called the order to fire the cannon.
The first shot went wide, but the second was true, hitting the merchant vessel on her port side. She shuddered, and swung around. Calling to fire again, Jack told Bootstrap at the helm to heave to as they came alongside the Silver Moon.
On the poop deck of the other ship, he could see the man with the musket who had fired the fatal shots that killed Captain Flint and Belaying Pin. Already, he was readying his musket to shoot; but this time Jack and his crew knew the risk. Jack pushed his hat down on his head so it would stay on, and cleared his throat.
"Grappling irons!" he called. Ten men picked up the hooked ropes, and threw them accurately to catch on the rail of the other ship. "Board her! Take what you can!" Jack ordered, and pirates went flying through the air to land on the opposite deck. Taking hold of a shroud he had earmarked earlier, Jack gripped his sword and launched himself off the rail of the Pearl.
He landed securely and solidly on the poop deck, and turned. "'Scuse me!" he said, moving forward and prodding the musketeer in the back with the point of his sword.
The man spun on one foot, aiming the musket clear in Jack's face.
"Too close, mate," Jack said. "I'd move before you could pull the trigger."
His opponent's finger tightened on the trigger. "You think?" he said. His voice was low and husky, tinged with a Spanish accent.
"You killed my captain," Jack responded.
"You attacked our ship," the musketeer said.
"But we wouldn't have killed you," Jack pointed out, waving his sword in the other man's face.
"So I should take your word on that?" the man asked.
"Going to fire that thing?" Jack returned, watching his opponent's trigger finger.
It twitched, and tightened, and the musket went off with a deafening bang; but Jack had ducked and brought his sword arm up, using the hilt to knock the musket out of the other man's hands. It went skidding across the deck.
Jack's opponent was now weaponless. He carried no sword, and apparently no knife, and with his musket gone his demeanour changed entirely. Hands up, he backed up to the rail of his ship.
"I can't shoot you now," he pointed out, voice quavering a little.
"But you would again, if you got your hands on that musket," Jack said, tautly. His sword was not wobbling now, instead dead steady against the man's neck. He fixed his gaze on the musketeer. "Wouldn't you?"
"Yes ... yes, I would!" the man said. "You are pirates, you deserve death."
"Captain Flint," Jack replied, "was a good man. A decent man. Never hurt a soul without due cause. Didn't pretend to be anything he wasn't. He did not deserve to die like that."
The other man laughed, weakly. "Does it make a difference how he died?" he said.
"Matters to me," Jack said. "Matters to my crew. Know this, mate - you signed your own death warrant when you fired that shot."
The man's face was a sickly pale colour now, and his hand shook as he held it out in supplication. "Might I ... might I know the name of my executioner?"
"It's Jack Sparrow," said Jack. "Captain Jack Sparrow."
"Then make it quick," the man said, "Captain Sparrow."
Jack nodded, without smiling. "I will."
He tightened his fingers on the hilt of his sword, and pulled it away from the man's neck before driving it back, hard, into his chest. Blade met flesh with a sickening squelch, an expression of surprise crossed the musketeer's face, and he slumped to the deck even as Jack pulled the sword out.
Jack bent, and wiped his blade on the dead man's coat. "That's for Flint," he said, and turned away.
----
They had a quick and easy run to Guadeloupe, and put in at Pointe à Pitre to restock on supplies. For the first time, Jack did not have to go ashore to see to the shopping; instead he entrusted Bootstrap Bill with some coins, and stayed aboard the Black Pearl. It was his first time alone on the ship since he had become her captain, and once the boats had bobbed across the harbour to land, he took the opportunity to walk the length of the Pearl, revelling in the fact that she was his. He tided up some stray coils of rope, caressed the rail, and murmured endearments to the ship. Finally, he left his boots by the bottom of the mainmast, and climbed the rigging to the top, where he sat gazing down at the harbour.
After a while, Jack noticed that one of the Pearl's boats was coming back, and reluctantly he descended to the deck and was pulling on his boots as the men boarded the vessel.
They had the first batch of supplies, and unloaded them speedily under Jack's direction, but then hung around twisting hats in hand and looking awkward.
Jack watched them for a few minutes, and when it was obvious none of the pirates would speak, he decided to put them out of their misery. "Got a problem, gents?"
The five men exchanged glances, and then one of them - the name he went by was Rock - spoke up. "Aye, we have."
"Well?" Jack nodded, encouragingly.
"S'like this, J ... captain," Rock said. "We signed up for this vessel on the understanding it were old Flint who was leading it."
"As did I," Jack returned, with a pang at the thought of Flint.
"Well," Rock continued, examining the deck below his feet, "Flint ain't here no more. And we reckoned as how, if summat happened to him, he'd pass on the ship to ... well, to someone ..."
"Not to you," one of Rock's companions put in.
"Mmmm." Jack rested his left elbow in his right hand, and his chin in his left hand. "I see."
"It's not like we don't reckon you're a good cap'n," Rock went on, hesitantly.
"Ah, but it is that you reckon I'm not a good captain," Jack said. "Else, you wouldn't be asking to leave the ship, would you?" Rock and his companions shifted uncomfortably under Jack's dark-rimmed gaze. "Well?" Jack pursued.
"Aye, we'd like to leave," admitted Rock, after another lengthy pause.
"With our share of profits," another man added.
"Then you shall leave, with your shares," Jack said. "Understand this, gentlemen - I don't want any man on my ship who ain't prepared to give his all for me and the rest o' the crew. Now if you'll follow me down to my cabin, I'll give you your coins and you can be on your ways - savvy?"
Silently, Rock and the other pirates followed him, and watched as Jack opened the money chest and counted out their earnings. He gave them each the small pile of gold, and they stowed the money away in pockets and pouches.
"Now," Jack said, "you're welcome to leave the ship. Good luck to you."
They filed back on deck, Jack trailing them, and he watched as they climbed into the longboat and unshipped the oars.
Later on, Bootstrap returned with two more boats of supplies and the rest of the crew. Jack was sitting on the steps leading to the helm, sharpening his sword thoughtfully, but he looked up as his mate and friend approached.
"Got everything I asked for?"
"Aye, sir," Bill replied, briskly. "And change." He passed over the moneybag, distinctly lighter now but not empty, before sitting down next to Jack. "Saw Rock in town," he said, lowering his voice. "And some o' his cronies."
"They left us," Jack said, running his whetstone along the edge of his blade. "I paid 'em and they left."
"Reckon we can sail this thing with 23 men?" Bootstrap asked.
"Easy," said Jack, glibly. "Give 'em more to do, less sitting around drinking rum." He grinned at Bootstrap, and stood up, sliding his sword into its sheath as he did so. "Right, you dogs!" he called, and the crew looked up. "You've one evening here, to do with as you will - spend it with a lass, spend it with a bottle. But I want you all back on board tomorrow morning. We're sailing out of here, and we're going after that merchant that took Flint from us."
The quest to find the merchant ship was somewhat hampered by the fact that nobody, from Jack down to the cabin boy, could remember the vessel's name. But they did remember that it was a small brigantine, heading west, and accordingly Jack ordered that they visit the main ports in the immediate area, before going in the direction of Jamaica and Cuba. On the way, they attacked two other merchants, and escaped clean with a good haul. But their quarry was not docked in the Windwards, and so they set off towards the larger islands in the Caribbean Sea.
Two days distant of Havana, the lookout called down that a ship was on the horizon. Jack took the ship's telescope up to the top of the mainmast to see for himself, and agreed that they had found their prey. He ordered more canvas, as the wind was good, and they began to gain.
Before the afternoon was old, they were visibly catching up with the merchant. The cabin boy ran the Jolly Roger flag from the stern, and the grinning skull streamed out behind the Black Pearl, and the pirates loaded the cannon with shot and armed themselves.
Jack went down to his cabin and carefully dressed in his best clothes - waistcoat, clean shirt and coat, with his hat on and sword at his waist. He peered into a grimy mirror, reapplied the kohl around his eyes, and then grinned at his reflection before going back on deck.
Throughout the afternoon, they gained ground. Jack paced the deck, constantly looking through the telescope at the other ship. It too had piled on canvas, but despite this the Black Pearl was faster.
As they got closer, Jack called the crew together and outlined his plan for them. They listened, nodded, and went off to their positions when dismissed. Joining Bootstrap at the helm, Jack fiddled with his rings, and fidgeted from side to side.
"Stand still!" Bill said, after a while, squinting ahead at the merchant ship.
"Can't," said Jack. "And I won't."
"Then stop distracting me," Bill said, turning the wheel slightly to catch better wind. "Captain."
Finally, eventually, they were within range of the merchant ship. Now, Jack could read her name: the Silver Moon. He took a deep breath, drew his sword, and called the order to fire the cannon.
The first shot went wide, but the second was true, hitting the merchant vessel on her port side. She shuddered, and swung around. Calling to fire again, Jack told Bootstrap at the helm to heave to as they came alongside the Silver Moon.
On the poop deck of the other ship, he could see the man with the musket who had fired the fatal shots that killed Captain Flint and Belaying Pin. Already, he was readying his musket to shoot; but this time Jack and his crew knew the risk. Jack pushed his hat down on his head so it would stay on, and cleared his throat.
"Grappling irons!" he called. Ten men picked up the hooked ropes, and threw them accurately to catch on the rail of the other ship. "Board her! Take what you can!" Jack ordered, and pirates went flying through the air to land on the opposite deck. Taking hold of a shroud he had earmarked earlier, Jack gripped his sword and launched himself off the rail of the Pearl.
He landed securely and solidly on the poop deck, and turned. "'Scuse me!" he said, moving forward and prodding the musketeer in the back with the point of his sword.
The man spun on one foot, aiming the musket clear in Jack's face.
"Too close, mate," Jack said. "I'd move before you could pull the trigger."
His opponent's finger tightened on the trigger. "You think?" he said. His voice was low and husky, tinged with a Spanish accent.
"You killed my captain," Jack responded.
"You attacked our ship," the musketeer said.
"But we wouldn't have killed you," Jack pointed out, waving his sword in the other man's face.
"So I should take your word on that?" the man asked.
"Going to fire that thing?" Jack returned, watching his opponent's trigger finger.
It twitched, and tightened, and the musket went off with a deafening bang; but Jack had ducked and brought his sword arm up, using the hilt to knock the musket out of the other man's hands. It went skidding across the deck.
Jack's opponent was now weaponless. He carried no sword, and apparently no knife, and with his musket gone his demeanour changed entirely. Hands up, he backed up to the rail of his ship.
"I can't shoot you now," he pointed out, voice quavering a little.
"But you would again, if you got your hands on that musket," Jack said, tautly. His sword was not wobbling now, instead dead steady against the man's neck. He fixed his gaze on the musketeer. "Wouldn't you?"
"Yes ... yes, I would!" the man said. "You are pirates, you deserve death."
"Captain Flint," Jack replied, "was a good man. A decent man. Never hurt a soul without due cause. Didn't pretend to be anything he wasn't. He did not deserve to die like that."
The other man laughed, weakly. "Does it make a difference how he died?" he said.
"Matters to me," Jack said. "Matters to my crew. Know this, mate - you signed your own death warrant when you fired that shot."
The man's face was a sickly pale colour now, and his hand shook as he held it out in supplication. "Might I ... might I know the name of my executioner?"
"It's Jack Sparrow," said Jack. "Captain Jack Sparrow."
"Then make it quick," the man said, "Captain Sparrow."
Jack nodded, without smiling. "I will."
He tightened his fingers on the hilt of his sword, and pulled it away from the man's neck before driving it back, hard, into his chest. Blade met flesh with a sickening squelch, an expression of surprise crossed the musketeer's face, and he slumped to the deck even as Jack pulled the sword out.
Jack bent, and wiped his blade on the dead man's coat. "That's for Flint," he said, and turned away.