The storm faded after another couple hours, and we got into thick fog. The Graveyard of Ships – it's always foggy here. All the crew was leaning on the starboard rail, silently watching the sharks and ruins in the water there. Cotton's parrot was sitting on the bow singing, "Dead men tell no tales."
Gibbs said, "It puts a chill to the bones how many honest sailors have been claimed by this passage."
The crew started milling about a bit, but I stayed where I was. Then I overheard Will talking to Mr. Gibbs. Will asked, "How is it that Jack came by that compass?"
"Not a lot's known about Jack Sparrow fore he showed up in Tortuga with a mind to go after the treasure of the Isla de Muerta. That was before I met him, back when he was captain of the Black Pearl."
"What? He failed to mention that."
"He plays things a bit closer to the vest now. And a hard-learned lesson it was. See, three days out on the venture, the first mate comes to him and says everything's an equal share. That should mean the location of the treasure, too. No, Jack gives up the bearings. That night, there was a mutiny. They marooned Jack on an island and left him to die, but not before he'd gone mad with the heat."
"Ah. So that's the reason for all the…" Will did an impression of Jack's swaying posture.
"Reason's got nothin' to do with it. Now, Will, when a pirate's marooned, he's given a pistol with a single shot. One shot. Well, that won't do much good hunting nor to be rescued. But after three weeks of a starving belly and thirst, that pistol starts to look real friendly." He imitated a pistol with his hand and put it to his head. "But Jack escaped the island and he still has that single shot. Oh he won't use it, though, save on one man. His mutinous first mate."
"Barbossa."
"Aye."
"How did Jack get off the island?"
"Well, I'll tell ye. He waded out into the shallows and he waited there three days and three nights till all manner of sea creatures came acclimated to his presence. And on the fourth morning, he roped himself a couple a sea turtles, lashed 'em together and made a raft."
"He roped a couple of sea turtles?"
"Aye, sea turtles."
"What did he use for rope?" At this last question, Gibbs was stumped.
Jack walked up to them and said, "Human hair, from my back." Gibbs nodded, then Jack said to the crew, "Let go the anchor!"
They said in unison, "Aye, Captain, aye!"
"Young Mr. Turner, Jane, and I are to go ashore."
"Captain," Gibbs asked, "What if the worst should happen?"
"Keep to the code."
"Aye, the code."
When we got to the point, Jack stopped rowing and got out his scope. He examined the deck of the Pearl a bit.
"Is she there?" Will asked.
"No," Jack answered.
"Where is she?"
"It's begun."
We rowed into the caves and as we went, Will asked, "What Code is Gibbs to keep to if the worst should happen?"
"Pirate's Code. Any man who falls behind, is left behind," Jack answered.
"No heroes amongst thieves, eh?"
"You know, for having such a bleak outlook on pirates you're well on your way to becoming one. Sprung a man from jail, commandeered a ship of the fleet, sailed with a buccaneer crew out of Tortuga. And your completely obsessed with treasure."
We got out of the boats and Will said, "That's not true. I am not obsessed with treasure."
"Not all treasure is silver and gold, mate." We watched the other pirates from a little space off to the side.
Captain Barbossa began, "Gentleman, the time is come! Our salvation is nigh! Our torment is near an end."
"Elizabeth," Will said.
Barbossa continued, "For ten years we've been tested and tried, and each man jack of you here has proved his mettle a hundred times over and a hundred times again!"
Ragetti shouted, "Suffered I have!"
"Punished we were, the lot of us. Disproportionate to our crime! Here it is. The cursed treasure of Cortés himself. Every last piece that went astray we have returned, save for this!" he pointed at the medallion around Elizabeth's neck.
"Jack!" Will said.
"Not yet," Jack replied, "We wait for the opportune moment."
Barbossa still went on, "881 we found, but despaired of ever finding the last."
Jack got up and we followed him as Will asked, "When's that? When it's of greatest profit to you?
"May I ask you something?" Jack asked. "Have I ever given you reason not to trust me? Do us a favor. I know it's difficult for you, but please stay here, and try not to do anything stupid."
"Are you sure you can trust him to that?" I asked so Will couldn't hear.
"No, but it's the only choice I've got."
Barbossa was really into his speech now, "And who among us has paid the blood sacrifice owed to the heathen gods?"
"Us!" the pirates shouted.
"And whose blood must yet be paid?"
"Hers!" they shouted.
"You know the first thing I'm gonna do after the curse is lifted? Eat a whole bushel of apples." The pirates were chanting now.
"Begun by blood. By blood undone."
We were in yet another part of the cave, and I heard footsteps behind us. Jack and I turned around and I felt an oar smash into the side of my head. Everything went black, and stayed black. I couldn't hear anything over the throbbing in my head which was gradually worsening and getting louder from all the loud noise from the outside. I felt that sound more than I heard it. Then, suddenly, I couldn't feel anything nor think anything. I was completely unconscious. I woke up not much later to hear pirates shouting, "Where are the oars?" I opened my eyes to find myself lying on the cave floor next to Jack, who was just beginning to get up. I got up, too, swaying a bit, and I leaned against the cave wall. Jack was holding onto the oar that Will hit us with, and we walked a little ways. Ragetti and Pintel spotted us first. "You!" Ragetti shouted, pointing at Jack.
"You're supposed to be dead!" Pintel added.
"Am I not?" Jack asked. He looked at himself and shrugged. He turned around and tried to walk the other way, but more pirates came and surrounded us with swords, daggers, and guns out. He turned back toward Pintel and Ragetti, but they too and more pirates had also gotten out their weapons. "Palulay," Jack stuttered. "Palu-li-la-la-lulu. Parlili. Parsnip, parsley, partner, partner."
Ragetti thought a moment then said, "Parley?"
"That's the one! Parley! Parley!"
"Parley?" Pintel looked at Ragetti then back at us. "Damn to the depths whatever mudd'n head thought up parley!"
"That would be the French. Latin-based of course. Inventors of mayonnaise."
"I like mayonnaise," Pintel added.
"Shame about the French, really. Obsessed with raisins. Humiliated grapes, really. Think about it."
"Don't know."
"Terrific singers the French," he whistled and made a motion with his hand as though cutting something, "Eunuchs, all of 'em."
"That's not right," another pirate said.
"I used to date a eunuch," Pintel added.
"I'll get me coat," Jack turned but was stopped once again.
Barbossa walked through and the pirates made a path for him. "How the blazes did you get off that island?"
"When you marooned me on that godforsaken spit of land, you forgot one very important thing, mate. I'm Captain Jack Sparrow."
"Well, I won't be making that mistake again. Gents, you all remember Captain Jack Sparrow."
"Aye," they agreed.
He continued, "Kill him."
"The girl's blood didn't work, did it?"
"Hold your fire! You know whose blood we need."
"I know whose blood you need."
He nodded. "Boys, take them away. Find the oars, get back on the Pearl, and I trust Jack will give us directions to the child of Mr. Turner, Aye?"
"Aye," Jack answered.
We were each grabbed and taken on board. Barbossa gave some more orders, then said, "Jack, come with me. And Jane, make yourself useful." He left, and Jack followed him.
After they were inside the captain's cabin I turned around to find the entire crew standing in front of me. "Hello, boys," I said. I took one step back and they stepped forward. "You need something? Whatever it is I can't give it to you. And if any of you so much as thinks about getting within two feet of me, it's a sword through your belly." I drew my sword and waved it around threateningly.
Most of them laughed and one man said, "You know you can't kill us."
"I never said that a sword in your belly would kill you, but it still hurts, aye?"
They stopped laughing and went to their positions. There were enough crew members already that they were already taking care of everything, so I had nothing to do. I noticed no one was in the crow's nest, so I climbed up and sat down, bored out of my mind. Twenty minutes later, I looked up to see the Interceptor come into view. The cabin's door opened and I climbed down to the deck. Barbossa took out his scope and looked through it at the other ship. Jack came in front of him when I approached and he said, "I'm having a thought here, Barbossa. What say we run up a flag of truce, I scurry over to the Interceptor, and I negotiate the return of your medallion, aye? What say you to that?"
"Now, you see, Jack, that's exactly the attitude that lost you the Pearl. People are easy to search when they're dead." He closed his scope and said to the first mate, "Lock him in the brig. And Jane, too, come to think of it."
The first mate grabbed us both by the arms and dragged us down to the brig and locked us in a cell. "Apparently there's a leak," Jack said.
There was a hole in the side of the hull that Jack looked through, then there was a jerk as the ship made a hard turn to port, and I almost fell on top of Jack but gained my balance back just in time. He looked through the hole again, and then he let me look. We were coming up right alongside the Interceptor now. Shouts and cannons sounded and a cannon shot right at us. We got out of the way just in time, and now there was a foot-wide hole. "Stop blowing holes in my ship!" Jack shouted.
"The damage is bad enough already," I said.
He picked up something out of the water, "It's Gibbs' flask."
"Look! The door's broken!" I pointed at the door. The cannon fire had gone straight through the lock and the door swung open with a light push. We ran up to the deck and stepped up onto the rail. A man swung past us and we took his line. We swung over to the Interceptor, which I noticed was now quite a mess. The main mast had fallen and there were numerous holes.
When we landed on the opposite deck, Gibbs exclaimed, "Jack!"
Jack handed him his flask saying, "Bloody empty." We looked for Elizabeth, and once we found her Jack asked, "Where's the medallion?"
"Wretch!" she shouted.
She tried to hit him, but he grabbed her hand to stop her, but it was her bandaged hand. "Ah, where is dear William?"
"Will!" She ran to find him.
A screech sounded and Barbossa's monkey ran across the mast to the Pearl. "Monkey!" Jack shouted and ran after it. I threw a couple of pirates overboard and fought a couple more, but the Interceptor crew was captured and two men grabbed me by each arm and dragged me back onto the Pearl.
Barbossa, holding up the medallion, shouted, "Gents, our hope is restored!"
The pirates cheered and tied us to the mast. Pintel walked around us with his pistol out saying, "If any of you so much as thinks the word 'parley,' I'll have your guts for garters." I noticed that there was one missing soul here: Will.
Elizabeth lifted up the ropes binding her far too loosely and ran toward the rail. Suddenly, the Interceptor blew up and she ran up to Barbossa, trying to attack him, and shouted, "You've got to stop it! Stop it!"
"Welcome back, miss. You took advantage of our hospitality last time. It holds fair now, you return the favor." He threw her at the crew who started grappling for her like starving dogs for a piece of meat.
Then a young man climbed up the side of the ship and stood on the rail. "Barbossa!" Will shouted.
Elizabeth saw him and said, "Will."
Will cocked his gun, pointed it at Barbossa, and then said, "She goes free."
"What's in your head, boy?" Barbossa asked. Clearly he didn't recognize the family resemblance at the moment.
"She goes free."
"You've only got one shot and we can't die."
"Don't do anything stupid," Jack prayed.
"I wouldn't count on it, Jack," I said.
"You can't," Will still pointed his pistol at Barbossa, but then placed it under his chin, "I can."
"Like that," Jack whispered.
"Who are you?" Barbossa asked.
Jack decided to step in, "No one. He's no one. A distant cousin of my aunt's nephew twice removed. Lovely singing voice, though. Eunuch."
"My name is Will Turner," Will interrupted, "My father was Bootstrap Bill Turner. His blood runs in my veins."
Ragetti pointed at him and shouted, "He's the spitting image of old Bootstrap Bill come back to haunt us!"
"On my word, do as I say, or I'll pull this trigger and be lost to Davy Jones' locker."
"Name your terms, Mr. Turner," Barbossa ordered.
"Elizabeth goes free."
"Yes, we know that one. Anything else?"
"And the crew, the crew are not to be harmed."
"Agreed."