The Black Pearl raced along the waves, clipping the foamy tips with its
prow and sending clouds of iridescent spray into the salty air. A light
wind was blowing at just the perfect latitude and the sea was nearly flat
under the bright midday sun.
Jack Sparrow stood at the helm with both hands on the wheel. His black hair whipped behind him with the wind and the sun glanced off his bronzed skin. In his black eyes there was a wild gleam. His crew of pirates ran up and down the ship's deck, adjusting the ropes and the sails as they went. The Pearl's only female pirate, Anamaria, glibly climbed the rigging and waved her battered leather hat in the air at the ship behind them.
The British St. Charles.
It was a genuine English frigate of undoubted speed, painted the traditional brown and black with flowing white sails.
On deck, Officer Carlisle peered pompously out through his spyglass. Reams of striped-shirted sailors milled speedily about in a fashion similar to the Pirates aboard the Pearl, adjusting the sailing velocity of their ship with the adjustment of the sails.
"Is she at her full speed?" an Officer shouted down at the leftenant on the lower deck.
"Nearly!" the latter returned.
Officer Carlisle smiled ostentatiously as he continued to watch the activities of the Pearl through his spyglass.
Jack Sparrow dug into his pocket and brought out a spyglass of his own and unfolded it with a lash of his hand.
"These hair nets think they can outwit Captain Jack Sparrow," he grinned as he looked back at the British ship.
"Slow 'er down!" he shouted at his crew. Without questioning his logic they did as they were told.
The St. Charles came looming stiffly behind them.
"These Pirates think they can outwit his Majesty's Royal Navy," Carlisle remarked with a pitying look at the second Officer Davies at his right. Davies nodded glibly. "We're gaining speed!" called the leftenant from below. "-- knots!"
"Excellent," said Carlisle as he folded his telescope. "We have them now."
The frigate was closing fast on the Pearl. Jack steadied the wheel of his ship and glanced behind him. The stern of his ship was now only a galleon's length ahead of the prow of the St. Charles. Aboard the British frigate the sailors were working busily, and Carlisle had a gleam in his eye.
"And really bad eggs," hummed Jack uncertainly, for no reason.
Breathing heavily, Mr. Gibbs came running up to Jack.
"Should we open the topsail now?" he asked eagerly. Jack looked at him.
"Aye."
Mr. Gibbs dashed to the rail and shouted the command at the crew. Anamaria threw up one fist and five of the pirates shimmied up the rigging to the top of the middle mast to unfold the dormant topsail.
"Release the topsail!" shouted the green backed parrot as he dived between the ropes.
"Let her fly!" Jack roared above the noise of the sea. On command the topsail was loosed and its corners were tied firmly down to provide plenty of leverage for the ship. Instantly the Black Pearl gained inches, then feet, then meters of water to lie in the space between it and the St. Charles as it caught the wind in the added sail.
"She's opened her topsail, sir," called the British leftenant to Carlisle. The Officer surveyed the scene shrewdly with his spyglass.
"Well, open ours then," he commanded.
"Aye sir," the leftenant saluted.
"She's opened her topsail, Captain!" shouted Marty from the deck of the Pearl. Jack turned and watched the creamy white sail at the top of the Charles being gently unfurled. It spread open with the wind like a napkin. Jack snorted.
"They'll never catch us in that old sieve."
Gibbs hurried back up to Jack at the wheel of the ship.
"Not to contradict yer subliminal self, Cap'n, but t'other ships' gainin' on us again," he said. Jack looked affronted.
"I didn't say nothin'," Gibbs murmured repentantly. He cast a worried glance over Jack's shoulder at the approaching enemy before retreating to the lower deck. "Its dreadful bad luck being chased," he confided to Marty, who nodded solemnly. Anamaria came by and overheard them.
"Perhaps it's bad luck," she said haughtily. "But only if'n ye have no chance to escape."
Gibbs crossed his arms over his chest.
"Well," he said. "We don'."
"Yes we do," said Anamaria emphatically and pointed to the third mast where two sails sat still tightly rolled up.
"Aye," Gibbs said excitedly. "I didn't see that. What a blasted fool I am."
"Gotta be aware," put in Marty, who had known about the sails the whole time but hadn't been bright enough to point it out.
Anamaria leaned over the side of the ship to look at the St. Charles, which was rapidly gaining on them. Gibbs joined her in the watch, grinning evilly.
"They can't see the sails," he said, "and they've already got all of theirs out already."
"Jack's done it again," said Anamaria admiringly.
Marty looked closer at the incoming frigate. "But when's he goin' a loose the sails? T'other ship's comin' terrible close."
On the deck of the Charles, Officer Carlisle was grinning inanely. At last, he thought, they would catch the legendary Jack Sparrow. He, Richard Carlisle, would be the one who finally brought the wily Pirate to justice. Then, of course, it would be the name of Carlisle that would become legendary, not the rapscallion Sparrow. He chuckled gleefully at the thought. All the while his ship inched closer and closer to the rear of the Black Pearl.
All of the pirates were leaning over the sides of their ship, pretending to be calm as their enemy closed in at an impossible proximity. Even Anamaria looked up at Jack in disconcerted anticipation when after many suspenseful minutes he still showed no sign of giving orders to release the sails.
Carlisle was in his element. He saw deification as right around the corner. He would be sent to England perhaps and knighted. Everywhere he went he would be hailed as the man who caught Jack Sparrow. Tension built up inside him as he waited for his ship to come in range of the Pearl, when he would swing the frigate around and engage in combat with the pirate ship.
Finally Jack motioned for his crew to make their way to the masts and prepare to undo the rigging that anchored the sails. In full haste they did this, and waited each hidden in expectation of the moment.
Finally...
"He's in our hands!" roared Carlisle.
Jack made his command and the sails were opened to full. Wind filled them instantly and within minutes the Pearl had gained successful leverage.
"What?" cried Carlisle. Turning furiously to the leftenant, "Speed this ship up!"
The Pearl was racing farther and farther away. Carlisle felt his nerve slip slowly away.
"I can't sir!" the leftenant was saying.
"Why not?"
"She's going as fast as she can, sir!"
Crazily, Carlisle turned his bloodshot eyes into his spyglass and looked back at the Pearl. With full sails blazing, the ship was soaring off into the sunset. Jack turned back and waved his hat cheerfully at them amid hearty shouts and jeers from the pirate crew.
From the lookout Marty shouted grandly, "It was lovely to have sailed with his Majesty's Navy!"
Carlisle folded the spyglass. Feeling a little sick to his stomach he watched as the pirate ship grew smaller and smaller in the distance before fading away completely on the horizon.
============================================
A/N: I apologize for a murdering of any nautical terminology but I'm not as well versed in it as I'd like to be. Please bear with me: I'm learning!
Jack Sparrow stood at the helm with both hands on the wheel. His black hair whipped behind him with the wind and the sun glanced off his bronzed skin. In his black eyes there was a wild gleam. His crew of pirates ran up and down the ship's deck, adjusting the ropes and the sails as they went. The Pearl's only female pirate, Anamaria, glibly climbed the rigging and waved her battered leather hat in the air at the ship behind them.
The British St. Charles.
It was a genuine English frigate of undoubted speed, painted the traditional brown and black with flowing white sails.
On deck, Officer Carlisle peered pompously out through his spyglass. Reams of striped-shirted sailors milled speedily about in a fashion similar to the Pirates aboard the Pearl, adjusting the sailing velocity of their ship with the adjustment of the sails.
"Is she at her full speed?" an Officer shouted down at the leftenant on the lower deck.
"Nearly!" the latter returned.
Officer Carlisle smiled ostentatiously as he continued to watch the activities of the Pearl through his spyglass.
Jack Sparrow dug into his pocket and brought out a spyglass of his own and unfolded it with a lash of his hand.
"These hair nets think they can outwit Captain Jack Sparrow," he grinned as he looked back at the British ship.
"Slow 'er down!" he shouted at his crew. Without questioning his logic they did as they were told.
The St. Charles came looming stiffly behind them.
"These Pirates think they can outwit his Majesty's Royal Navy," Carlisle remarked with a pitying look at the second Officer Davies at his right. Davies nodded glibly. "We're gaining speed!" called the leftenant from below. "-- knots!"
"Excellent," said Carlisle as he folded his telescope. "We have them now."
The frigate was closing fast on the Pearl. Jack steadied the wheel of his ship and glanced behind him. The stern of his ship was now only a galleon's length ahead of the prow of the St. Charles. Aboard the British frigate the sailors were working busily, and Carlisle had a gleam in his eye.
"And really bad eggs," hummed Jack uncertainly, for no reason.
Breathing heavily, Mr. Gibbs came running up to Jack.
"Should we open the topsail now?" he asked eagerly. Jack looked at him.
"Aye."
Mr. Gibbs dashed to the rail and shouted the command at the crew. Anamaria threw up one fist and five of the pirates shimmied up the rigging to the top of the middle mast to unfold the dormant topsail.
"Release the topsail!" shouted the green backed parrot as he dived between the ropes.
"Let her fly!" Jack roared above the noise of the sea. On command the topsail was loosed and its corners were tied firmly down to provide plenty of leverage for the ship. Instantly the Black Pearl gained inches, then feet, then meters of water to lie in the space between it and the St. Charles as it caught the wind in the added sail.
"She's opened her topsail, sir," called the British leftenant to Carlisle. The Officer surveyed the scene shrewdly with his spyglass.
"Well, open ours then," he commanded.
"Aye sir," the leftenant saluted.
"She's opened her topsail, Captain!" shouted Marty from the deck of the Pearl. Jack turned and watched the creamy white sail at the top of the Charles being gently unfurled. It spread open with the wind like a napkin. Jack snorted.
"They'll never catch us in that old sieve."
Gibbs hurried back up to Jack at the wheel of the ship.
"Not to contradict yer subliminal self, Cap'n, but t'other ships' gainin' on us again," he said. Jack looked affronted.
"I didn't say nothin'," Gibbs murmured repentantly. He cast a worried glance over Jack's shoulder at the approaching enemy before retreating to the lower deck. "Its dreadful bad luck being chased," he confided to Marty, who nodded solemnly. Anamaria came by and overheard them.
"Perhaps it's bad luck," she said haughtily. "But only if'n ye have no chance to escape."
Gibbs crossed his arms over his chest.
"Well," he said. "We don'."
"Yes we do," said Anamaria emphatically and pointed to the third mast where two sails sat still tightly rolled up.
"Aye," Gibbs said excitedly. "I didn't see that. What a blasted fool I am."
"Gotta be aware," put in Marty, who had known about the sails the whole time but hadn't been bright enough to point it out.
Anamaria leaned over the side of the ship to look at the St. Charles, which was rapidly gaining on them. Gibbs joined her in the watch, grinning evilly.
"They can't see the sails," he said, "and they've already got all of theirs out already."
"Jack's done it again," said Anamaria admiringly.
Marty looked closer at the incoming frigate. "But when's he goin' a loose the sails? T'other ship's comin' terrible close."
On the deck of the Charles, Officer Carlisle was grinning inanely. At last, he thought, they would catch the legendary Jack Sparrow. He, Richard Carlisle, would be the one who finally brought the wily Pirate to justice. Then, of course, it would be the name of Carlisle that would become legendary, not the rapscallion Sparrow. He chuckled gleefully at the thought. All the while his ship inched closer and closer to the rear of the Black Pearl.
All of the pirates were leaning over the sides of their ship, pretending to be calm as their enemy closed in at an impossible proximity. Even Anamaria looked up at Jack in disconcerted anticipation when after many suspenseful minutes he still showed no sign of giving orders to release the sails.
Carlisle was in his element. He saw deification as right around the corner. He would be sent to England perhaps and knighted. Everywhere he went he would be hailed as the man who caught Jack Sparrow. Tension built up inside him as he waited for his ship to come in range of the Pearl, when he would swing the frigate around and engage in combat with the pirate ship.
Finally Jack motioned for his crew to make their way to the masts and prepare to undo the rigging that anchored the sails. In full haste they did this, and waited each hidden in expectation of the moment.
Finally...
"He's in our hands!" roared Carlisle.
Jack made his command and the sails were opened to full. Wind filled them instantly and within minutes the Pearl had gained successful leverage.
"What?" cried Carlisle. Turning furiously to the leftenant, "Speed this ship up!"
The Pearl was racing farther and farther away. Carlisle felt his nerve slip slowly away.
"I can't sir!" the leftenant was saying.
"Why not?"
"She's going as fast as she can, sir!"
Crazily, Carlisle turned his bloodshot eyes into his spyglass and looked back at the Pearl. With full sails blazing, the ship was soaring off into the sunset. Jack turned back and waved his hat cheerfully at them amid hearty shouts and jeers from the pirate crew.
From the lookout Marty shouted grandly, "It was lovely to have sailed with his Majesty's Navy!"
Carlisle folded the spyglass. Feeling a little sick to his stomach he watched as the pirate ship grew smaller and smaller in the distance before fading away completely on the horizon.
============================================
A/N: I apologize for a murdering of any nautical terminology but I'm not as well versed in it as I'd like to be. Please bear with me: I'm learning!