Disclaimer: see chapter 1
----
"So we had a Spaniard on the port side and a Frenchman to starboard," Jack said, moving tankards around to illustrate the scene. "Both screaming insults at each other over our deck, and us caught in the middle."
He paused, swallowed a mouthful of rum, and glanced round at his audience. On this evening, the tavern on the outskirts of Havana was full, and a large crowd of men (and some women) were listening rapt to Captain Jack Sparrow's latest tale of daring piracy.
"We were stuck," Jack continued. "Couldn't go nowhere. They wanted each other, but they wanted us too. Only problem was their captains couldn't decide who they wanted more - t'other ship or the old Pearl. Then, I had me idea. Split up the crew, and take both vessels at once."
"Impossible," opined one man.
"Not so!" said Jack. "I took eight men, Bootstrap over there ..." he gestured across the room, to where Bootstrap was entertaining a couple of pretty girls, "took another seven, an' rest of the crew remained on board. We sneaked off the Pearl over the stern, while our rival naval friends were shouting sweet nothin's at one another. Climbed aboard our chosen prey, and took both ships at once."
There was silence. The listeners looked at each other, and back at Jack who was contentedly sipping rum.
"Just like that?" someone said.
"Just like that, mate," Jack replied, wiping his mouth.
"Impossible," repeated the earlier naysayer. "T'ain't a man alive who could pull that off."
"Ah, you forget one thing," Jack said, leaning over in a conspiratorial manner. "I'm Captain Jack Sparrow ... savvy?"
There was a chorus of laughter, and murmurs of appreciation at the story; and the audience began to disperse. Jack sat and cradled his drink, smiling to himself at the success of the tale. Most of it was true, although he had omitted to mention the bloody fights on board both the French and Spanish ships before they had surrendered to the crew of the Black Pearl.
When all the crowd had gone, in search of more drink or girls or food, nobody was left in that corner of the room save Jack and an old black man with snowy white hair and an eye patch. He was leaning on a cane with a carved, knobbly top, and he was looking very hard at Jack.
Jack nodded in a friendly fashion at him. "Evening, grandad."
"You have luck," the old man said, his voice deep and resonant.
Moving along the bench so he was a little closer to the old man, Jack lowered his voice a fraction. "Not so much as I claim, to be perfectly honest, mate."
"You have luck," the old man insisted. "I see it. For long years I have been looking for one such as you."
"Have you?"
"One to search for treasure," said the old man.
Jack's ears pricked up at the word "treasure".
"Go on," he said, sliding a little closer to the other.
"Near a hundred year ago," the old man began, "Columbus came to these parts; brought blood and death. Men followed him here from de Old World, men like Cortés. Dey killed and dey killed and dey took from them who had lived here long time. De natives, dey got angry."
"Justifiably," said Jack.
"Aye, indeed," the old man agreed. "But dey knew dat de Spanish, dey were stronger. So dey offered a treasure, to stop de killing. Near nine hundred pieces of gold."
"Nine hundred gold pieces?" Jack's eyes gleamed. "That'd be a rare prize, for any man. Could give the old girl an overhaul with that. Send Bootstrap home with enough to keep his lady wife in luxury the rest of her days. You know where it is?"
The old man nodded, his face serious. "I know, capt'in. My father, he was a slave aboard Cortés' ship. He saw the place they left de treasure chest."
"It's in a chest?" Jack checked.
"Of stone," said the old man. "And de gold inside it, 882 pieces. De Aztecs told Cortés dey had paid, and he stopped killing. But ..."
"There's always a but, ain't there?" Jack said. "Go on."
"It was cursed," the old man told him. "Any man who took one of dem pieces would be cursed, punished, forever. So Cortés buried de chest on an island you cannot find if you do not know where it be. Isla de Muerte."
Jack held up a hand. "Wait just a moment there, grandad. You say the treasure's hidden on an island you cannot find, and even if you could find it, there's a curse?"
"Dat's right," the old man said.
Gulping down rum, Jack laughed, his gold teeth glinting in the firelight. "Nah, mate, I won't be believing that. I believe in gold. I believe in greed. I believe in freedom - I believe in me ship. But not curses and suchlike. There's an old seaman's belief that sailing with a lass brings bad luck - me, I've sailed with one more years than I haven't, and the Black Pearl's the fastest and the luckiest ship in the Caribbean, savvy?"
The old man clasped his hands on the top of his cane, and looked hard at Jack. "Dat's why I'm telling you this, capt'in. You have luck. Maybe you are the man to collect the treasure of Cortés."
"So where is it?" Jack asked.
Drawing a compass case from his pocket, the old man placed it on the table. "Open dat."
Jack took the case and flipped it open, studying the compass inside. "Doesn't point north."
"Sou'-sou'-east, from here," said the old man. "Straight to de Isla de Muerte. Only he who knows where it be can find it. Follow dat compass, Capt'in Sparrow, and you will find de island. Seven days sailing from here; ten from Isla de Tortuga - wherever you might be, follow de compass. It stands out of de sea, bare rock. On de island, there be a cave, and in de cave, de treasure of Cortés."
Feeling in his coat pockets, Jack pulled out a tattered and stained chart. "Where on here, grandad?"
The old man bent over the parchment, searching, and finally his thin forefinger landed on a speck in the sea, equidistant from Cuba, Jamaica, and the mainland coast. "Dere."
"You're sure? You're certain?"
"Sure and certain, capt'in."
Jack found a knife from his belt and skewered the chart where the island was supposed to be, so that a distinct cross-shaped mark was left. "Thank you," he said, sincerely. "Not often treasure comes along so handy-like."
"You have to find it first," the old man reminded him. "And den risk de curse. You are ready for that, Capt'in Sparrow?"
Grinning, Jack nodded. "Always ready for anything, me, mate."
"Be ready," the old man cautioned.
Jack closed the compass and attached it to his sword belt by the cord hanging from the case. "Got you. Thanks." He looked down at the chart, memorised the position of the Isla de Muerte, and rolled up the parchment. When he looked up again, the old man had gone.
Bootstrap was none too happy to be dragged out of the tavern by his captain. "I was enjoying meself," he protested, slightly drunk.
"You're a married man," Jack reminded him. "And soon you'll be heading home to fair Elsie with a pocket full o' gold."
"Mad," Bill said. "Mad, mad, mad."
"Isla de Muerte," Jack said. "882 pieces of solid Aztec gold, mate. There for the taking, and I," he touched his fingers to his chest, leaning in to Bill's face, "I'm the one that's going to be taking it. Me and my crew."
"Like I said, mad," Bootstrap repeated. "What're you blabbering on about, Jack?"
Jack told him the story.
"If it's cursed, then we shouldn't be chasing it," said Bootstrap, at the end.
"It's not cursed," Jack said. "That'll be a mere ruse, a way of making sure old Cortés didn't snag the booty and run off with it. They didn't want him using it, did they? What sort of revenge would that be? Tell a bunch of gullible Spaniards that summat's cursed, they'll believe you."
"Tell a daft pirate that there's gold hidden on an island I've never heard of, and he believes that," grumbled Bill. "Give it up, Jack. This place don't exist, and the gold's a myth. Let's go and have another drink."
"Tomorrow," said Jack, "we sail for Tortuga. I promised Anamaria I'd drop her off there before goin' anywhere else. In Tortuga, we restock and set off. I'm finding this treasure, William Turner, with you or without you - savvy?"
"You won't find it," Bill said.
"Then if we don't find it, we'll find somethin' else," Jack pointed out. "There'll be ships in the area, same as anywhere else in the Caribbean. You've till Tortuga to decide whether you're coming - if not, you can leave the ship same as any other man who doesn't want to follow me."
Bootstrap sighed. "Pulling rank on me now."
"Well," said Jack, "I am your captain."
"Tonight, just be Jack Sparrow," Bill said, "and come and have another drink. Be the captain in the morning."
----
"So we had a Spaniard on the port side and a Frenchman to starboard," Jack said, moving tankards around to illustrate the scene. "Both screaming insults at each other over our deck, and us caught in the middle."
He paused, swallowed a mouthful of rum, and glanced round at his audience. On this evening, the tavern on the outskirts of Havana was full, and a large crowd of men (and some women) were listening rapt to Captain Jack Sparrow's latest tale of daring piracy.
"We were stuck," Jack continued. "Couldn't go nowhere. They wanted each other, but they wanted us too. Only problem was their captains couldn't decide who they wanted more - t'other ship or the old Pearl. Then, I had me idea. Split up the crew, and take both vessels at once."
"Impossible," opined one man.
"Not so!" said Jack. "I took eight men, Bootstrap over there ..." he gestured across the room, to where Bootstrap was entertaining a couple of pretty girls, "took another seven, an' rest of the crew remained on board. We sneaked off the Pearl over the stern, while our rival naval friends were shouting sweet nothin's at one another. Climbed aboard our chosen prey, and took both ships at once."
There was silence. The listeners looked at each other, and back at Jack who was contentedly sipping rum.
"Just like that?" someone said.
"Just like that, mate," Jack replied, wiping his mouth.
"Impossible," repeated the earlier naysayer. "T'ain't a man alive who could pull that off."
"Ah, you forget one thing," Jack said, leaning over in a conspiratorial manner. "I'm Captain Jack Sparrow ... savvy?"
There was a chorus of laughter, and murmurs of appreciation at the story; and the audience began to disperse. Jack sat and cradled his drink, smiling to himself at the success of the tale. Most of it was true, although he had omitted to mention the bloody fights on board both the French and Spanish ships before they had surrendered to the crew of the Black Pearl.
When all the crowd had gone, in search of more drink or girls or food, nobody was left in that corner of the room save Jack and an old black man with snowy white hair and an eye patch. He was leaning on a cane with a carved, knobbly top, and he was looking very hard at Jack.
Jack nodded in a friendly fashion at him. "Evening, grandad."
"You have luck," the old man said, his voice deep and resonant.
Moving along the bench so he was a little closer to the old man, Jack lowered his voice a fraction. "Not so much as I claim, to be perfectly honest, mate."
"You have luck," the old man insisted. "I see it. For long years I have been looking for one such as you."
"Have you?"
"One to search for treasure," said the old man.
Jack's ears pricked up at the word "treasure".
"Go on," he said, sliding a little closer to the other.
"Near a hundred year ago," the old man began, "Columbus came to these parts; brought blood and death. Men followed him here from de Old World, men like Cortés. Dey killed and dey killed and dey took from them who had lived here long time. De natives, dey got angry."
"Justifiably," said Jack.
"Aye, indeed," the old man agreed. "But dey knew dat de Spanish, dey were stronger. So dey offered a treasure, to stop de killing. Near nine hundred pieces of gold."
"Nine hundred gold pieces?" Jack's eyes gleamed. "That'd be a rare prize, for any man. Could give the old girl an overhaul with that. Send Bootstrap home with enough to keep his lady wife in luxury the rest of her days. You know where it is?"
The old man nodded, his face serious. "I know, capt'in. My father, he was a slave aboard Cortés' ship. He saw the place they left de treasure chest."
"It's in a chest?" Jack checked.
"Of stone," said the old man. "And de gold inside it, 882 pieces. De Aztecs told Cortés dey had paid, and he stopped killing. But ..."
"There's always a but, ain't there?" Jack said. "Go on."
"It was cursed," the old man told him. "Any man who took one of dem pieces would be cursed, punished, forever. So Cortés buried de chest on an island you cannot find if you do not know where it be. Isla de Muerte."
Jack held up a hand. "Wait just a moment there, grandad. You say the treasure's hidden on an island you cannot find, and even if you could find it, there's a curse?"
"Dat's right," the old man said.
Gulping down rum, Jack laughed, his gold teeth glinting in the firelight. "Nah, mate, I won't be believing that. I believe in gold. I believe in greed. I believe in freedom - I believe in me ship. But not curses and suchlike. There's an old seaman's belief that sailing with a lass brings bad luck - me, I've sailed with one more years than I haven't, and the Black Pearl's the fastest and the luckiest ship in the Caribbean, savvy?"
The old man clasped his hands on the top of his cane, and looked hard at Jack. "Dat's why I'm telling you this, capt'in. You have luck. Maybe you are the man to collect the treasure of Cortés."
"So where is it?" Jack asked.
Drawing a compass case from his pocket, the old man placed it on the table. "Open dat."
Jack took the case and flipped it open, studying the compass inside. "Doesn't point north."
"Sou'-sou'-east, from here," said the old man. "Straight to de Isla de Muerte. Only he who knows where it be can find it. Follow dat compass, Capt'in Sparrow, and you will find de island. Seven days sailing from here; ten from Isla de Tortuga - wherever you might be, follow de compass. It stands out of de sea, bare rock. On de island, there be a cave, and in de cave, de treasure of Cortés."
Feeling in his coat pockets, Jack pulled out a tattered and stained chart. "Where on here, grandad?"
The old man bent over the parchment, searching, and finally his thin forefinger landed on a speck in the sea, equidistant from Cuba, Jamaica, and the mainland coast. "Dere."
"You're sure? You're certain?"
"Sure and certain, capt'in."
Jack found a knife from his belt and skewered the chart where the island was supposed to be, so that a distinct cross-shaped mark was left. "Thank you," he said, sincerely. "Not often treasure comes along so handy-like."
"You have to find it first," the old man reminded him. "And den risk de curse. You are ready for that, Capt'in Sparrow?"
Grinning, Jack nodded. "Always ready for anything, me, mate."
"Be ready," the old man cautioned.
Jack closed the compass and attached it to his sword belt by the cord hanging from the case. "Got you. Thanks." He looked down at the chart, memorised the position of the Isla de Muerte, and rolled up the parchment. When he looked up again, the old man had gone.
Bootstrap was none too happy to be dragged out of the tavern by his captain. "I was enjoying meself," he protested, slightly drunk.
"You're a married man," Jack reminded him. "And soon you'll be heading home to fair Elsie with a pocket full o' gold."
"Mad," Bill said. "Mad, mad, mad."
"Isla de Muerte," Jack said. "882 pieces of solid Aztec gold, mate. There for the taking, and I," he touched his fingers to his chest, leaning in to Bill's face, "I'm the one that's going to be taking it. Me and my crew."
"Like I said, mad," Bootstrap repeated. "What're you blabbering on about, Jack?"
Jack told him the story.
"If it's cursed, then we shouldn't be chasing it," said Bootstrap, at the end.
"It's not cursed," Jack said. "That'll be a mere ruse, a way of making sure old Cortés didn't snag the booty and run off with it. They didn't want him using it, did they? What sort of revenge would that be? Tell a bunch of gullible Spaniards that summat's cursed, they'll believe you."
"Tell a daft pirate that there's gold hidden on an island I've never heard of, and he believes that," grumbled Bill. "Give it up, Jack. This place don't exist, and the gold's a myth. Let's go and have another drink."
"Tomorrow," said Jack, "we sail for Tortuga. I promised Anamaria I'd drop her off there before goin' anywhere else. In Tortuga, we restock and set off. I'm finding this treasure, William Turner, with you or without you - savvy?"
"You won't find it," Bill said.
"Then if we don't find it, we'll find somethin' else," Jack pointed out. "There'll be ships in the area, same as anywhere else in the Caribbean. You've till Tortuga to decide whether you're coming - if not, you can leave the ship same as any other man who doesn't want to follow me."
Bootstrap sighed. "Pulling rank on me now."
"Well," said Jack, "I am your captain."
"Tonight, just be Jack Sparrow," Bill said, "and come and have another drink. Be the captain in the morning."