Chapter 3: Gamble, Lie, Steal
Jane is shaken awake at dawn by Mr. Gibbs. The Isla de Muerta is swathed in a thick, mysterious fog. Jane wears her old cloak over her shirt, sash, and breeches to keep off the chill. Jack takes along a bottle of rum for the same purpose.
He helps her into a yawl with exaggerated courtesy, and when she is out of hearing Gibbs murmurs, "Ten shillings, Captain. I'll be spendin' it in Tortuga 'afore the month's out."
Jack makes a face at him. "Don't get your hopes up, mate. As soon as the curse is lifted, she'll be keeping my bed warm. And I'll be eleven shillings richer!"
He hops down into the boat, leaving Gibbs to ponder where that other shilling came from.
They row the yawl into a cave. It is dark except for the lantern Jane is holding and the occasional shaft of light from a hole in the ceiling. Jack rows slowly, memories drifting back toward the day he arrived here with young Will Turner.
He breaks the silence by saying, "What did you bring along the pistol for?"
Jane looks up sharply. "I just thought this might be dangerous. Pirate treasure, and all that."
Jack snickers. "Look around, luv! We raided this cave and spent the money months ago. Where'd ye get it anyway?"
"I won it in a card game in Tortuga."
"No ye didn't," he replies, grinning at her expression of surprise. "Gibbs told me he gave it to you in case any unwanted attentions were bestowed upon you. But you haven't been experiencing anything of that sort, have you?"
"No," she answers, miffed. "If you knew that, why did you as me?"
"Simply to see what you would say. Now that I know you're a pathological liar, we should get along famously." He winks cheekily and she furiously blushes in the dark, muttering curses under her breath.
They finally arrive at the main chamber of the cave, where, Jane supposed, the big swordfight must have taken place while the navy and the cursed pirates battled outside. She dismissed this thought as quickly as it entered her mind. Pathological liar indeed! Well, it takes one to know one.
Jack scrambles over the rocks and through puddles to a great stone chest with a very solemn, determined expression on his face. Jane follows, intensely curious. With a grunt, he slides the lid off the chest, and there it lies. Eight hundred and eighty-two pieces of gold engraved with a skull design. Both stand reverently for a moment, until Jack reackes in and snatches a piece. Jane would swear the temperature dropped ten degrees. An unusual breeze blew through the chamber, carrying a sound somewhere between a squeak and a snarl. Jack jumped and his eyes were suddenly haunted with fear. He spun around abruptly and glared about the cave muttering, "Monkey . . ."
Jane took advantage of his distraction to pick up a medallion and examine it. Before she could return it, Jack began to slowly turn around. Therefore, Jane Shilling did what any less-than-honest, quick-thinking woman in her situation would do. She stuffed the medallion down her shirtfront and out of his sight.
Once they are out of the cave, Jane points out another ship anchored next to the Black Pearl. It is much smaller and in far worse condition. She points it out to Jack, and he cranes his neck around her shoulder to see.
"Bloody hell! It's Ana Maria! What the devil could she want? Listen, Janet," he says, voice dropping low as if the female pirate were lurking behind a nearby rock, "you are NOT to say anything about the Royal Henry. If she asks what I was doing in the cave, tell her I was counting the treasure of Cortez to make sure none was missing. Savvy?"
Jane raises her eyebrows innocently. "You want me to lie to her?"
He flashes a grin. "Told ye we'd get along famously."
"We would if you shared that bottle."
"Ahh, a woman after me own heart."
Jane is shaken awake at dawn by Mr. Gibbs. The Isla de Muerta is swathed in a thick, mysterious fog. Jane wears her old cloak over her shirt, sash, and breeches to keep off the chill. Jack takes along a bottle of rum for the same purpose.
He helps her into a yawl with exaggerated courtesy, and when she is out of hearing Gibbs murmurs, "Ten shillings, Captain. I'll be spendin' it in Tortuga 'afore the month's out."
Jack makes a face at him. "Don't get your hopes up, mate. As soon as the curse is lifted, she'll be keeping my bed warm. And I'll be eleven shillings richer!"
He hops down into the boat, leaving Gibbs to ponder where that other shilling came from.
They row the yawl into a cave. It is dark except for the lantern Jane is holding and the occasional shaft of light from a hole in the ceiling. Jack rows slowly, memories drifting back toward the day he arrived here with young Will Turner.
He breaks the silence by saying, "What did you bring along the pistol for?"
Jane looks up sharply. "I just thought this might be dangerous. Pirate treasure, and all that."
Jack snickers. "Look around, luv! We raided this cave and spent the money months ago. Where'd ye get it anyway?"
"I won it in a card game in Tortuga."
"No ye didn't," he replies, grinning at her expression of surprise. "Gibbs told me he gave it to you in case any unwanted attentions were bestowed upon you. But you haven't been experiencing anything of that sort, have you?"
"No," she answers, miffed. "If you knew that, why did you as me?"
"Simply to see what you would say. Now that I know you're a pathological liar, we should get along famously." He winks cheekily and she furiously blushes in the dark, muttering curses under her breath.
They finally arrive at the main chamber of the cave, where, Jane supposed, the big swordfight must have taken place while the navy and the cursed pirates battled outside. She dismissed this thought as quickly as it entered her mind. Pathological liar indeed! Well, it takes one to know one.
Jack scrambles over the rocks and through puddles to a great stone chest with a very solemn, determined expression on his face. Jane follows, intensely curious. With a grunt, he slides the lid off the chest, and there it lies. Eight hundred and eighty-two pieces of gold engraved with a skull design. Both stand reverently for a moment, until Jack reackes in and snatches a piece. Jane would swear the temperature dropped ten degrees. An unusual breeze blew through the chamber, carrying a sound somewhere between a squeak and a snarl. Jack jumped and his eyes were suddenly haunted with fear. He spun around abruptly and glared about the cave muttering, "Monkey . . ."
Jane took advantage of his distraction to pick up a medallion and examine it. Before she could return it, Jack began to slowly turn around. Therefore, Jane Shilling did what any less-than-honest, quick-thinking woman in her situation would do. She stuffed the medallion down her shirtfront and out of his sight.
Once they are out of the cave, Jane points out another ship anchored next to the Black Pearl. It is much smaller and in far worse condition. She points it out to Jack, and he cranes his neck around her shoulder to see.
"Bloody hell! It's Ana Maria! What the devil could she want? Listen, Janet," he says, voice dropping low as if the female pirate were lurking behind a nearby rock, "you are NOT to say anything about the Royal Henry. If she asks what I was doing in the cave, tell her I was counting the treasure of Cortez to make sure none was missing. Savvy?"
Jane raises her eyebrows innocently. "You want me to lie to her?"
He flashes a grin. "Told ye we'd get along famously."
"We would if you shared that bottle."
"Ahh, a woman after me own heart."