Disclaimer: I don't own any of the rights to these characters or to Disney
or to any other big business that could sue me....
Chapter 3
Jack's first thought as he fell out of the boat: It's bloody cold!
Second thought: Did anyone see that?
Rising to the surface, he spat water and looked for Gibbs and the boat. Gibbs had obviously had better luck than he, and had managed to grab the rope and haul himself up.
"Grab hold of the rope, Cap'n! Anamaria says that we're goin, now!" The expression on Gibbs's face looked suspiciously like a grin as he watched the pirate struggle out of the water.
As a cannonball slammed into a part of the figurehead, it disintegrated and fell into the dark water it with a splash. Jack finally reached the rope and hauled himself up on deck. Coughing water, he made his way unsteadily to the front of the ship. The ship rocked as yet another explosion sounded. Shoving Anamaria aside and taking up his position at the wheel, he squinted, trying to decipher who those bloody pirates were that were blowing holes in his ship. All he could make out was a rather large ship, three masts, and a pirate flag. The figure standing in the front caught his attention, though.
The man was dressed in a fine velvet coat, along with a cutlass. What really caught his eye was the gold. The man had heaps of it- chains, ornaments, rings. What a man could do with that kind of riches...The captain stared at the destruction his ship was causing, seeming to revel in the mayhem. One of Jack's crew, a man of about fifty, stared in shock as a cannonball slammed into the deck, spraying splinters into his face. He screamed, clutching his face as wood imbedded itself in his cheek. The figure on the other ship simply stared, stone-faced, as his men continued to fire. Jack's hands tightened on the wheel, unconsciously steering his ship away as he stared.
His expression had long since changed to fury and a cold hatred. He pulled himself up to his full height, trying to see the man's face. Was it someone he knew? He couldn't see the man, since the pirate turned to one of his men and spoke to him. Abruptly, the cannons stopped. Jack's ears were ringing after the onslaught, and now the silence seemed eerie, unusual. He had no chance to ponder the reasons behind the attack, or its end, because the Black Pearl was finally moving, away from that silent figure and his ship.
And as the Black Pearl caught the wind, the man and his ship faded in the distance, soon only a dark smudge against the sea. They did not give chase, though Jack couldn't imagine why. His ship had sustained a lot of damage, and it would have been relatively easy for the bigger ship to overpower them. Perhaps luck was still on his side. Now that that was over, Jack began examining his ship. He had lost only two men, which was unusual in a fight like that. He clenched his hands into fists, the rings biting into his fingers. If he ever got the chance he would avenge their deaths. He had a score to settle with that man. But bigger troubles pushed his personal matters aside. His ship needed work soon. Besides gaping holes in the deck, one mast was gone and water was seeping onto the lower decks.
"Look for land, anything will do. We need to get to bring the Pearl ashore, soon," he muttered to Gibbs.
A young sailor trotted by with a plank, a bucket of glue, and some nails. Jack's hand shot out and halted his progress.
"Sonny, there's no need to be doin' that. Ye've got te wait till we make berth to repair her."
"But, Jac- I mean, captain, there's water a foot deep below decks, sir!"
"Aye, and we'll pray that we don't get any more. There's nothin ye can do now to fix her. And it's Captain, Captain Jack if ye like. But no Jack, savvy?"
"Yes sir, Captain!"
Jack smiled as he watched the eager young man walk over the rail and lean over, trying to catch a glimpse of land. Though outwardly he was calm and collected, his brain churned in turmoil. If the Black Pearl already had a foot of water below decks...well, it would only get worse. Where was land, the one thing he thought he would never long for.
"Now that's what you'd call ironic" "What's that, Jack?" Gibbs looked inquisitively at his captain.
Jack didn't realize he'd spoken aloud.
"Er...nothing much. Just calculating the distance of the nearest port, adding in the wind velocity and sail capacity, and obviously the rate that we're going now. Subtracting, of course, a bit of speed because of the rather prominent holes in the hull. Divide the number by 1/5 and..."
"Sorry, Jack. That don't make much more sense to me than why those pirates attacked us. I ain't such a learned man as yourself." Gibbs smiled ruefully.
"Aye, well, I have decided from my knowledgeable calculations that we shall arrive in precisely six hours...give or take a couple."
Jack's fingers tapped a rhythm on the wheel. The ship creaked. A sudden gust of wind made the sails billow out, a stray rope whipping to and fro. Where was the land?
"Jack, could ye stop doin' that? You're makin' me nervous."
Jack looked down and realized his fingers were tapping at a pace that would have done credit to a musician.
"Sorry, matey. It's just-"
"Aye, I know how you feel. But the Pearl'll be alright. She's weathered worse things than this, I'll warrant."
"What, that scum Barbossa bein' on board?" Jack laughed shortly, nervousness tightening his stomach despite his expression. If they didn't make it...no, he couldn't think like that. That was the way others thought, but not him. Captain Jack Sparrow did not give in to his fear like a coward. Jack Sparrow laughed at fate and trusted in luck.
Chapter 3
Jack's first thought as he fell out of the boat: It's bloody cold!
Second thought: Did anyone see that?
Rising to the surface, he spat water and looked for Gibbs and the boat. Gibbs had obviously had better luck than he, and had managed to grab the rope and haul himself up.
"Grab hold of the rope, Cap'n! Anamaria says that we're goin, now!" The expression on Gibbs's face looked suspiciously like a grin as he watched the pirate struggle out of the water.
As a cannonball slammed into a part of the figurehead, it disintegrated and fell into the dark water it with a splash. Jack finally reached the rope and hauled himself up on deck. Coughing water, he made his way unsteadily to the front of the ship. The ship rocked as yet another explosion sounded. Shoving Anamaria aside and taking up his position at the wheel, he squinted, trying to decipher who those bloody pirates were that were blowing holes in his ship. All he could make out was a rather large ship, three masts, and a pirate flag. The figure standing in the front caught his attention, though.
The man was dressed in a fine velvet coat, along with a cutlass. What really caught his eye was the gold. The man had heaps of it- chains, ornaments, rings. What a man could do with that kind of riches...The captain stared at the destruction his ship was causing, seeming to revel in the mayhem. One of Jack's crew, a man of about fifty, stared in shock as a cannonball slammed into the deck, spraying splinters into his face. He screamed, clutching his face as wood imbedded itself in his cheek. The figure on the other ship simply stared, stone-faced, as his men continued to fire. Jack's hands tightened on the wheel, unconsciously steering his ship away as he stared.
His expression had long since changed to fury and a cold hatred. He pulled himself up to his full height, trying to see the man's face. Was it someone he knew? He couldn't see the man, since the pirate turned to one of his men and spoke to him. Abruptly, the cannons stopped. Jack's ears were ringing after the onslaught, and now the silence seemed eerie, unusual. He had no chance to ponder the reasons behind the attack, or its end, because the Black Pearl was finally moving, away from that silent figure and his ship.
And as the Black Pearl caught the wind, the man and his ship faded in the distance, soon only a dark smudge against the sea. They did not give chase, though Jack couldn't imagine why. His ship had sustained a lot of damage, and it would have been relatively easy for the bigger ship to overpower them. Perhaps luck was still on his side. Now that that was over, Jack began examining his ship. He had lost only two men, which was unusual in a fight like that. He clenched his hands into fists, the rings biting into his fingers. If he ever got the chance he would avenge their deaths. He had a score to settle with that man. But bigger troubles pushed his personal matters aside. His ship needed work soon. Besides gaping holes in the deck, one mast was gone and water was seeping onto the lower decks.
"Look for land, anything will do. We need to get to bring the Pearl ashore, soon," he muttered to Gibbs.
A young sailor trotted by with a plank, a bucket of glue, and some nails. Jack's hand shot out and halted his progress.
"Sonny, there's no need to be doin' that. Ye've got te wait till we make berth to repair her."
"But, Jac- I mean, captain, there's water a foot deep below decks, sir!"
"Aye, and we'll pray that we don't get any more. There's nothin ye can do now to fix her. And it's Captain, Captain Jack if ye like. But no Jack, savvy?"
"Yes sir, Captain!"
Jack smiled as he watched the eager young man walk over the rail and lean over, trying to catch a glimpse of land. Though outwardly he was calm and collected, his brain churned in turmoil. If the Black Pearl already had a foot of water below decks...well, it would only get worse. Where was land, the one thing he thought he would never long for.
"Now that's what you'd call ironic" "What's that, Jack?" Gibbs looked inquisitively at his captain.
Jack didn't realize he'd spoken aloud.
"Er...nothing much. Just calculating the distance of the nearest port, adding in the wind velocity and sail capacity, and obviously the rate that we're going now. Subtracting, of course, a bit of speed because of the rather prominent holes in the hull. Divide the number by 1/5 and..."
"Sorry, Jack. That don't make much more sense to me than why those pirates attacked us. I ain't such a learned man as yourself." Gibbs smiled ruefully.
"Aye, well, I have decided from my knowledgeable calculations that we shall arrive in precisely six hours...give or take a couple."
Jack's fingers tapped a rhythm on the wheel. The ship creaked. A sudden gust of wind made the sails billow out, a stray rope whipping to and fro. Where was the land?
"Jack, could ye stop doin' that? You're makin' me nervous."
Jack looked down and realized his fingers were tapping at a pace that would have done credit to a musician.
"Sorry, matey. It's just-"
"Aye, I know how you feel. But the Pearl'll be alright. She's weathered worse things than this, I'll warrant."
"What, that scum Barbossa bein' on board?" Jack laughed shortly, nervousness tightening his stomach despite his expression. If they didn't make it...no, he couldn't think like that. That was the way others thought, but not him. Captain Jack Sparrow did not give in to his fear like a coward. Jack Sparrow laughed at fate and trusted in luck.
