Captain Jack Sparrow wanted to get closer. He wanted to come onto his ship, brandish his swords and his pistols, and reclaim what was rightfully his. He knew that there was no way that he could do that now, with only a small knife and a porpoise for back-up. No, that would never do. Still, it chilled his blood to think that, aboard his ship, a group of Spaniards were hauling sails, drinking his rum, and sleeping in his bunks.
"I'll be damned if I ever let someone apart from me captain my own ship!" Jack roared. He dared himself to get only a little closer, just far enough that he could see what was happening. Jack was caught off guard by a tug on his sleeve. It was Sylvie, warning him not to go any farther. Jack shook her off impatiently and paddled a hundred feet nearer.
"Dumb fish!" Jack muttered, and Sylvie gave a bleat of indignation. Jack winced at the sound and apologized. "Didn't mean it like that, love. I'm sure you're quite smart."
Still, Jack got closer to the Pearl. It was still many miles out, he saw, and knew that he could never get that far out without a boat and oars. Jack thought it over. He could do the responsible thing, which was to go back to his camp, wait, and build a signal fire. Or he could rush back to the shore just long enough to create a makeshift raft and face the thieves head on.
Now, if you know Jack Sparrow at all, you know which path he decided to take. Within the hour, he was ripping up his extra clothes and smearing a sticky sort of sap he found on the ground to secure loose pieces of driftwood together. Jack admired his handiwork and topped it off with two flat-headed sticks as paddles. He took off what was left of his shirt and wrapped it around two pieces of boiled bird and a some coconut meat. He filled a flask with fresh water (so he wouldn't be forced to gag on the salty stuff in the ocean) and began to push everything into the water. With a running start, he landed on it and began to paddle.
"Enemy ship, sir." One of the crew informed Will. "Shall we run up the black sails and take her?" He had a hopeful gleam in his eye.
"As you wish," Will replied briskly, and the young man to whom he was talking to rushed off to prepare the guns.
Will turned on his heel and went out to the main deck. Every one as getting ready for a fight. "Come up on her right side and give her hell until she surrenders!" He turned to the senior gunmen. "Give her a wide left and a wide right and if she's not handing herself over by then, give her one near the masts and then minimal damage till she's ours!"
"Aye!" the senior gunman replied. "Take her if we can; sink her if we must!" This brought cheers from the rest of the crew.
The man at the wheel turned the Flipper around and steered her toward the other ship. They got just within firing range and sent off a cannon to the left of the other ship. It didn't give up, but instead sent a 9-pounder into the Flipper's side.
The enraged pirates forgot all orders and instead sent round after round of 18 -pounders at the enemy. When the captain on the other side finally surrendered, removing his flags and offering his swords, everyone on the Pearl hooted with happiness.
Will commanded the Flipper to pull in next to the battered ship. When they were close enough, they sent out the hooks and boarded the vessel and got a nasty surprise. The man giving up his swords to Will turned out not to be the captain. The real captain was lurking in the shadows of the ship with about 100 members of the crew. They screamed and hurried out, brandishing their swords and pistols.
Taken off guard, the pirates of the Flipper were not ready for battle. They fumbled with their weapons, but two men were already dead before they others were locked in combat.
Will dueled fiercely with the captain- the real captain- on the main deck, in the middle of all the confusion. The captain took a swipe at Will's stomach. Fortunately, Will managed to spin out of the way so that the cutlass didn't make contact with him. Unfortunately, it stabbed the person behind him, who gave out a single gasp of pain and crumpled to the ground, bleeding profusely. Will came up behind the man in charge and attacked him. When they realized that they were evenly matched, Will used a trick he had learned from Jack: he pulled out his gun and trained it on the man in front of him. The captain surrendered, letting his pistols and swords clatter to the ground and smirked at Will.
"Put that away, boy. You don't know how to use it," he sneered. Will closed his eyes and was about to pull the trigger when a bullet flew through the air and lodged itself through the enemy's chest. The wounded pirate fell to his knees, gaping at the bloody hole, and finally managed to squeak out a swear word or two before the light left his eyes and he was dead.
"Good work," Will turned to compliment the person who had saved him, but saw no one except for the half-dead crewmember on the ground behind him. Will looked closely at the body and saw that it was holding a gun. Will let out a gasp of surprise and shock as he looked down. With the hat coming off his rescuer, he could see a mass of sandy brown hair escaping and falling down their shoulders.
"Only a little bit more," Jack told himself as he paddled out to the sea towards the Black Pearl. He had passed the rock ages ago, where Sylvie had left him, deciding to stay back. Jack had shrugged, but now wished that he had pushed her a little more to come with him; he could've used the company. Now all he had to do was sing and whistle and hope that he would reach his ship soon.
"Ship boy so lonely, away from all held dear
Now ye must gaze at the water, all calm and clear
For he knows that his love is forever the sea
If he could stay there forever, how happy he'd be"
Jack paused and gazed out in front of him. He still had many miles to go before he would reach his beloved Pearl. he cleared his throat and launched into another verse of Ship boy's Heartsong:
"He slacked off his duties, for he didn't care.
He was to the sea as a bird was to the air.
His officer intended to punish him badly.
But his heart softened when the ship boy looked at him sadly."
Jack went on to the chorus:
"Ship boy, with your heart so dear!
Dance along for many a year!
Oh! Oh! At home in the sea!
Ship boy! Oh Ship boy! Your soul is with thee!"
Jack, glad that no one could hear him sing, started to rock mournfully with the raft as he called out:
"He wants to dance and swim with the fishes!
These are the ship boys' fondest last wishes!
And so the merciful captain took out his shiv.
And said 'You were a good lad, but no longer shall you live.' "
Tears cam to Jack's kohl-lined eyes as he finished song:
"The captain plunged his knife into the ship boy.
The ship boy saw what he was doing and was full of joy.
They bound the dead body and threw it to the ocean floor.
And the poor ship boy shall lie in the ocean forever more"
Jack wiped his eyes on his sleeve. Even when he was a young boy, this was the only song that would make his cold, hard pirate heart melt. Singing had passed the time well; the pirate captain was nearing his ship and was only a couple of miles off, by the looks of things.
He traveled in silence for a little while, stopping only to eat his bird meat and scarf down some coconut. As the sun slipped below the horizon, Jack was only a few hundred yards from the massive ship. He could see the dark-skinned pirates aboard, climbing in the rig, drinking, and gambling.
They'll never notice a small raft out here in the darkness, Jack thought, but was tragically mistaken.
"El enemigo abajo," he heard one of them say.
"El sir, señor." Another Spaniard replied curtly. Jack brought his boat closer to the Pearl and tied it up with a stray piece of cloth from his lunch rag. He then proceeded to scale the side and throw himself over the and onto the main deck.
A bright light flashed in his face, illuminating the red scarves around the neck of the Spanish pirates, and before Captain Jack was aware of what was happening, a net was thrown over him, shackles bound his hands behind his back, and Jack Sparrow was trapped.