Chapter 3: The Pirates Arrive
"Look! There it is!"
Emerson handed Evelyn his spyglass. As she brought it up to her eye, she saw black sails fluttering in the gusty breeze. She and her brother had searched the shores of Port Nassau for over an hour and of course, the last place they checked was where the ship anchored. This area was densely packed with trees and although there was no dock, it was well concealed. A dinghy was lowered and two figures climbed inside it and began paddling towards shore.
The moon and stars were hidden behind a blanket of black clouds as it had been raining most of the day. The result was that she and Emerson were wet, sticky and muddy. An occasional drip from the wet leaves was the only noise and to Evy, it seemed to shout, "Here we are! Take us to jail!"
"With it being so dark, they'll be hard spotted by the soldiers," Emerson pointed out.
"They'll probably just shoot us first before we get the chance to say anything."
"Not if we don't assault with guns blazing, Evy. This will work. It has to."
Evelyn had the feeling he was saying that more for himself than for her comfort.
"What if they don't believe us?" she asked worriedly.
"You've got the letter from Dad," he said confidently, as though this solved everything. "All we've got to do is give it to Sparrow and make sure they get him out."
She nudged him, nodding her head towards the dingy. The two pirates emerged and trudged up the sandy beach.
"Now's our chance," she barely whispered as the pirates got closer.
"Jack Sparrow!" Emerson yelled.
The pirates scattered and took cover, the sound of swords being drawn and guns being cocked nearly made Evelyn turn around and run, but her father's face kept drifting in and out of her mind.
"We're coming out! Unarmed!" she added.
Evelyn stepped into the clearing, Emerson right at her side.
"Who calls for me?" called a brusque voice.
"My name is Evelyn Dawes and this is my brother Emerson. We're the children of Jameson Dawes," she said with stout bravery, though she certainly didn't feel brave at the moment. "He was to meet you here tonight, but…there was a change of plan."
A tall figure emerged from the shadows with a slightly shorter man in tow. Her breath hitched a little when she saw the barrel of a gun pointed at her chest, but even stranger was the man holding the gun.
"Captain Jack Sparrow, at your service, luv," he said, bowing slightly.
The tiniest of slivers broke through the clouds and the moon allowed her one brief glimpse of the famous pirate. Her eyes widened in surprise. The closer he walked, the more she doubted he knew how to, as he was using the most unusual…swagger, for lack of a better description. It looked as though whatever trinket he took a fancy to, he'd attached it to his person somehow. His mouth seemed to stumble over his words as though he'd already found his own bottle of rum.
Yet there was nothing confused in his deep brown eyes as he stared right into her own, sizing her up. First impressions were always wrong, or bizarre in Sparrow's case. The smell of rum drifted towards her nose. No doubt the bottle would come in handy after all, seeing as how his clothes were apparently drenched in it.
"You look like him," he said, switching his gaze to her brother. "Your father."
Emerson grinned. "To my mum's never-ending annoyance."
"But you don't, darling, 'cept for the eyes," Sparrow said quietly, grinning himself and displaying numerous gold teeth.
"Evy." Emerson nudged her. "Give it to him."
"Give me what?" he asked suspiciously, dark eyes darting back forth between them.
"Would you lower your weapon please?" she asked, still nervous, but managing to keep herself from shaking.
Sparrow considered them a moment longer, and then apparently decided to give his trust. He lowered his gun and waved his hand at the other pirate.
"Mr. Gibbs, lower your weapon, please."
"You think that be wise, Jack?"
"Aye, I think, but be warned, girl. 'arems could always use another lass like yourself."
"You'd sell me to a harem?" she asked in astonishment.
"Aye, but we wouldn't get much compensation for our trouble," he said vaguely, looking her up and down. "You're too willowy."
"You—," she began angrily, but Emerson cut in.
"Could we get to the point please?" Emerson asked pointedly.
"Right, you are," Sparrow said, all business suddenly. "As I was saying, give me what?"
"This message." Evelyn shoved the parchment at him. Sparrow stumbled backwards some from the force of her shove.
"Our father is in jail," she said curtly. "He gave this to me two days ago to give to you…oh, and this too." She brought out the rum.
Sparrow's eyes glazed for a second as he stared at the bottle. He reached for it, but she snatched it back just in time.
"Aren't you going to read the message?" she asked through narrowed eyes.
"Yes, yes," he said impatiently, "but be a good lass and give us the rum."
Evelyn took a step back. "Not until you read the message."
Sparrow cocked his head to the side, smirking at her. "I won't read your message until you give me the rum. Savvy?"
"Absolutely not," she said, stubbornly shaking her head. "First the message. Then the rum."
"Why can't you just tell me what's in the message while giving me the rum? Kill two birds with one stone, eh?"
"Because I didn't read it," she snapped at him.
"Evy, just give him the rum," Emerson said in exasperation.
"I will not! Read the message, Jack Sparrow! That is of course, assuming you can read."
"Funny, girl, and it's Captain Jack Sparrow, if you please, luv."
"You're wasting time!" Emerson said to her angrily.
Evelyn eyed them both murderously. "Fine!" She uncorked the bottle and held it out to the side. "Read the message first or the ground is the only one who gets the rum."
"You wouldn't dare," Sparrow said in shock.
"Wouldn't I?" she said nastily, tilting the bottle over.
Sparrow fingered the trigger of his gun, apparently contemplating whether or not to shoot her. Barely two drops fell before Sparrow was yelling for all of Nassau to hear.
"All right, all right! I'll read your bloody message, you little demon!"
Evelyn couldn't help the smug smile that stretched across her face. "Thank you." She put the cork back. Sparrow's eyes followed her every move as though he didn't trust her to keep the bottle full.
He unrolled the scrap of parchment and read its contents quickly. The demeanor of the pirate changed as rapidly as the wind. He approached Mr. Gibbs. They heatedly discussed, in whispers, the letter and occasionally, Sparrow would glance back at Evelyn and her brother.
Evelyn and Emerson glanced at one another. He nodded once to her as though understanding her thoughts. Together, they strode over to the pirates.
She cleared her throat. "Excuse me?"
The pirates' conversation ceased immediately and both heads turned to stare at her.
"Yes, darling, what is it?" Sparrow smiled down at her in a patronizing sort of way.
"What are you going to do about my father? He's going to be hanged tomorrow unless you and your crew do something to stop it tonight. There's also the fact that Tarrington the double crossing Navy officer, sounds like a dangerous man. He should be stopped so he doesn't hurt anyone," she said in one breath.
Sparrow leaned over her, kohl-rimmed eyes mistrustful. "Didn't you just say you 'adn't read the letter, girl?"
"I didn't read the letter," she insisted again. "He told me that last night when I snuck into the jail."
"So then, what business it is of yours what my man and I discuss?"
"You happen to be discussing our father, Captain Sparrow," answered Emerson. "It is our business."
"Exactly," she said in agreement. "Were anything to go wrong, our loss would be far greater than yours."
Sparrow stroked his goatee thoughtfully. "Very well, Miss Dawes. Our business is your business."
"Good," Evelyn said with relief, feeling they were finally getting somewhere. "What do we do?"
Sparrow and Gibbs laughed at what they thought was a great joke. "We? Miss Dawes, you will not be tailing along behind us. Springing a mate from jail is not like your little tea parties. Savvy?"
Her chest tightened in anger. For one wild second, she nearly broke the rum bottle over his head, but restrained herself with difficulty. She took a step towards him, close as she dared, nearly nose to nose and tilted her head up to look him right in the eye.
"Captain Sparrow, I don't care whether you want us to 'tail along' or not. My brother and I will be going. Shoot us if you really want to stop us. Then you can explain to our father and mother why you murdered their only children…savvy?"
Sparrow said nothing, but then suddenly grinned. "You 'ave a lovely mouth, Miss Dawes. Pity it's never closed long enough for a man to kiss it."
Evanna Dawes had the left the inn the minute her children disappeared into the night with every intent to see what they were up to. She expected to find them with their father, but was even more shocked when she saw Captain Jack Sparrow instead. It had been years since she'd seen the pilfering scum.
She didn't hear everything because she was hiding a fair distance away, but surmised that Jameson was in jail again and had enlisted his innocent children in helping him to escape, as well as condemning them to eternal imprisonment by involving them with Jack Sparrow.
"Curse the day I married into piracy," she whispered to herself as her children left with Sparrow and the other pirates.
They were headed for town, no doubt the jail. Evanna rose from her hiding place and continued her pursuit, desperate to save her children.
"What about the rum, darling?" inquired Sparrow as they walked. He snapped his fingers at her expectantly.
She batted his hand away. "You get your bloody rum when my father is free."
"'old on, missy! That was never part of the agreement. You said I could 'ave the rum if I read your letter," he said agitatedly. "And I read your letter."
"I said you could have the rum, but I didn't say when did I?" she explained matter-of-factly.
Sparrow glared evilly. She glared right back. "You just earned yourself a place in a 'arem, missy. I 'appen to know of a nice one that only beats their women every other day."
"Sister dear," whispered Emerson into her ear. "Seeing as the captain is our only ally, do you really think you should be so rude to him?"
"Yes!" she whispered with vehemence. "I'm not an insipid child that he can push around just because he's a pirate."
Emerson chuckled softly. "You know, I think you'd make a better pirate than me."
"That's not funny. My aspirations are above taking advantage of the innocent," she said, throwing a sidelong glance at Sparrow, who had moved away from her.
The jail was just ahead. Sparrow signaled for them to stop, then motioned for them to put their heads together. "This should be easy now that we've got the expert liar here," he said looking at Evelyn.
"What do you mean?" she demanded.
"You, Miss Dawes and your dear brother will see to it that the Royal officers are sufficiently distracted, allowing me enough time to slip inside and spring our mate free."
"How on earth am I supposed to do that?" she asked in shock.
"Like I said, luv, lying seems to be your talent. I'm sure your pretty little 'ead can think of something."
Minutes later Evelyn and Emerson approached the jail. "I can't believe I'm going to do this."
"Well, it should be easy enough to convince them since we are his children."
The Royal Officer sharpened his stance as they approached and sidestepped in front of the entrance, barring their passage. "It's late to be paying a visit, you two."
"Yes, sir, of course. Please forgive us, but my sister here…" Emerson nodded towards Evelyn who immediately covered her face in her hands and began to cry, or least, pretend to.
"Father…" she said, anguished.
"Our father is to be hanged come morning. Please, sir, may we share some last moments with him to pray for his condemned soul?"
The officer looked uncertain, glancing over his shoulder at the entrance to the jail. He turned back to them. "I'm sorry, young sir, but I've strict orders not to let anyone in past dark."
Evelyn began to sob even harder and raised her wet eyes to the officer. "Please, sir. This will be the last time we can see him because I could not bear to witness his ex…his e-execution."
This cemented the ploy. "Very well, miss," he said gently. "But no more than ten minutes. That's all I can offer."
Evelyn gasped and threw her arms around the man who gave a frightened squeak. She turned him away from the entrance. It was enough to allow Sparrow to sneak quietly inside. His boots never made a sound on the dirt. "Oh, bless you sir! You will surely be honored for such genteel compassion." She took his hand and clutched it to her heart.
The officer looked pleased with himself. "All right, get on with you. And you can make it fifteen minutes."
Emerson shook his hand. "Thank you, kindly, my good man. There was never a better solider in the Royal Navy."
Once inside, Emerson could barely stifle his laughter. "Dad will be so proud of your performance when I tell him."
"I feel awful. That poor man," she whispered, wiping away her faux tears. "But the added five minutes should give Sparrow plenty of time if he doesn't bungle everything up."
Sure enough, the pirate was busy at work on the cell door when she and her brother arrived.
"Evy, my angel! Emerson, good lad. You've both done it!" cried Jameson joyfully.
"How much time did you get us?" asked Sparrow as he extracted a knife from his boot and inserted it into the lock along with another long object and wiggled it about.
"Fifteen minutes," Emerson answered proudly. "Evy here nearly had the man crying with her."
"Ah, like father like daughter, eh?" he said appreciatively. He turned to Sparrow. "Thanks, Jack. I don't know how I can repay you."
"'ow about with your share of the treasure, mate?"
"Well, I don't know about going that far," he said, as Jack muttered a curse. The knife broke off in the lock.
"That was me favorite knife," he said despairingly.
"Oh, try this instead." Evelyn yanked out a pin from her hair.
Sparrow grabbed it without so much as a thanks, still whining about his knife.
"We've been through a lot together. I killed me first man with that knife."
Evelyn stared at him, appalled. "I can only imagine how terrible a loss that must be," she said sarcastically.
"The bloke 'ad a knife of his own, luv. It was self-defense."
"Yes, I'm sure it was," she said, grimacing.
"Uh, Jack?" Emerson asked. "Why don't you just use the keys?"
He rolled his eyes. "Brilliant idea, Mr. Dawes. I don't know why I didn't think of that first."
"The keys left with the captain of the guards when the shift changed, Emerson," informed their father. "They're not about to leave it with lesser ranking men overnight."
"Our time's nearly up," Evelyn warned them.
"Almost got it," Sparrow said.
"Jack, where's Gibbs?" Emerson asked.
"Outside keeping watch. 'e's to fire a shot to warn us if anyone's coming." Suddenly, the cell door sprang open. "Still got it," Sparrow said, appreciatively eying his greasy hands.
Jameson Dawes enveloped both his children and whispered his thanks. He kissed Evelyn on the forehead. "Did your mother find out?"
"We don't think so, but she's suspicious nonetheless," she said.
"Hopefully I'll be gone by the time she does find out."
Evelyn and Emerson glanced at each other in disappointment. They had expected that Dad would be gone as soon as he came back. It was the usual routine after all.
"I 'ate to break up this lovely family moment, but we must leave," Sparrow informed them.
Just then, an alarm bell sounded. Each distinctly heard shouts from outside.
"PIRATES BE HERE!"
"Terrific," muttered Evelyn, just as a shot echoed across the stone walls.
"That'll be Gibbs." Sparrow took the lead, hurrying past the yells of the prisoners, marching right up to the entrance guard, who turned one second too late. He aimed a punch at the guard's head, dropping him like a sack of grain.
There was nothing for it. They would be caught. At least twenty or more British soldiers approached at a run. The Pearl must have been spotted for another group of soldiers broke off from the main, heading for the shore.
"Uh, Jack," Jameson began.
"Split up!" he cried.
They needed no further instruction. One group went to the left, the other to the right. Evelyn ran hard, disappearing into the thicket of trees. She turned around looking for her father and brother, but to her dismay, they were not there. Just as she started to panic, gunshots blasted apart the bark of the trees. A hand closed over her mouth and pulled her down to the ground just as she'd been about to scream.
"You trying to get yourself killed, girl?" hissed Sparrow. "Do us a favor and keep your mouth shut."
Not but a second later, five soldiers burst threw the trees, bayonets clearing the path for them. Evelyn and Sparrow ducked further down, barely breathing. One soldier stopped as his four comrades carried on. He pivoted about, eying the foliage around him. Evelyn ducked down as the bayonet swept over their heads. Sparrow squeezed her hand, as though to make sure she kept absolutely still.
Something had spooked the guard because he wouldn't move from his spot. It was as though he knew they were there, but couldn't see them. They were running out of time. Surely his comrades would return to see why he'd stopped and then they'd be caught.
Without thinking or understanding why she did it, her fingers closed over a rock by her feet. She lobbed into the air over the guard's head. It landed with a crack up ahead. The guard jerked in the direction of the sound, giving Sparrow just what he needed.
He lunged at the guard and knocked him to the ground. They fell into a cluster of bushes. There was a scuffle, a grunt of pain, and then…silence. Evelyn stood up slowly and stared into the darkness. There were no approaching footsteps so she hurried forward to where Sparrow had disappeared.
To her shock, he was digging through the soldier's pockets as he lay on the ground.
"Jack Sparrow!"
"Keep your voice down, you little strumpet. And it's Captain, Captain Jack Sparrow."
He pulled out a pouch, gave it a shake, and smiled in satisfaction at the jingling coins within, pocketing it quickly.
"He's not dead is he?"
"Of course not. I'm not stupid, you know. Don't answer that!" he said suddenly, as though reading her mind. She'd just been about to argue that remark.
He stood up to leave. "Where's me 'at?" Sparrow dropped to all fours to search for his hat.
"You can't just steal his money," Evelyn argued.
"'e's unconscious, luv. It's not like 'e was using it."
"What if his family is starving?"
"Well, it's your fault that they'll miss their supper, luv. I knocked 'im out because you distracted him."
Evy stared at him in dismay. It was her fault. Suddenly, she felt about as treacherous as the pirate crawling around on the ground in front of her.
"Don't worry, luv. I'm sure payday's just round the corner. Aha!" he cried in triumph, finding the scuffed tri-corner hat and plunking it onto his head. He grabbed her hand. "Now come on."
He started to pull her, but she ground her feet into the muddy ground. "You're going the wrong way."
"And I suppose you know the right one?"
"As a matter of fact, I do. I know a short cut."
Evelyn stomped past him to take the lead. In less than five minutes, she'd led him to the edge of a small cliff with about a twenty-foot sloping drop. After all the rain, it was covered in gooey mud. Up ahead was the Black Pearl. With a grin of relief, she saw her father and brother heading for the dinghy.
"This is your short cut?" he asked, eying the edge of the cliff with hesitation.
She smirked. "Not afraid of heights are you, Captain?"
"Course not!" he said quickly. "But 'ow do we get down, darling? You got wings underneath that shirt?"
"No, you dolt. Can't you see the vines?" She pointed to a cluster of thick, jungle-looking vines. "We can lower ourselves down that way."
"All right. Ladies first."
"Give me your hand," she said, sticking hers out. "I need something to brace myself on."
He complied and she grabbed it. She stretched out over the cliff towards the vines, managing to secure one on her first try.
"You seem to know what you're doing, Miss Dawes."
"Emerson and I used to play here when we were children. Now pull me back."
It was too good to be true. A bullet whizzed by and took a hunk of tree with it. Sparrow lost his balance while trying to duck and fell over the side of the cliff, pulling Evelyn with him. They slid, face first, all twenty, muddy feet and came to a stop.
Sparrow got to his feet, groaning and wiping the mud off his face. Evelyn did the same, but whimpered in pain when she put her weight on her ankle.
"What's wrong?" he asked.
"Nothing," she lied, trying and failing to walk. She grabbed onto Sparrow as she fell.
"Now's not the time for sport, luv, though, I must admit, mud suits you." He winked roguishly at her.
She shoved him off, regretting it immediately as she fell back down into the mud. With tremendous effort, she pulled herself with what was left of her dignity and limped forward, biting her lip against the pain. Suddenly, however, she was lifted off the ground as Sparrow gathered her up in his arms and hurried toward the dinghy as fast as he could.
"Can't 'ave you slowing me down."
"It wasn't my fault that we fell," she argued.
"The cliff was your idea in the first place," he shot back. "And for a girl so thin, you weight a lot," he huffed. "Jim!"
"Evy! Jack!" cried Jameson. "Thank God! I thought we'd lost you both."
Sparrow rudely dumped Evelyn onto the sand.
"Ow!" she cried, glaring daggers at him. Her dad reached down to help her to her feet. She put her arm around his waist to help steady herself.
"Jim, mate, we 'ave to get out of 'ere. The soldiers aren't far behind."
"Sweetheart, I don't think you or your brother can stay behind," he said, throwing Sparrow a furtive glance.
"What?" cried Evelyn. "I'm not getting on that ship!"
"If you stay here, the soldiers will arrest you and your brother. I'm not going to let that happen."
"Evy, I think he's right," said Emerson, who didn't seem upset at all by this news.
"But we can't just leave! What about Mum?"
"She'll be fine. She knew nothing about this," he coaxed.
"I don't mean to rush your debate, but…" Sparrow let his words hang in warning.
"Look, we'll think of something later," said Jameson, shunting her on board the dinghy.
Emerson climbed in followed by Gibbs. Sparrow and her father took hold of the dinghy and pushed it out into the water. Sparrow climbed in and just as her father was about to do so, they heard a cry.
"Stop!"
Evelyn turned to see her mother emerging from the greenery behind. "Mum?!"
"Evanna!?" cried Jameson in shock, eyes big as saucers.
"Just what do you think you're doing?" she screeched, stopping at water's edge. She was not looking at her children, but at her husband. "You've gotten them to break you out of jail. Do you have any idea what you've just done to their future?"
"Evanna, this is not the time to argue!" he shouted back.
The sound of heavy boots came crashing through the trees. Sparrow was rowing hard. The dinghy was halfway to the ship by now. Evy and Emerson watched in fear as the soldiers neared their parents. Dad stood looking undecided about what to do.
"Well?" yelled their mum impatiently. "What are you going to do?"
Evanna screamed as he suddenly threw her over his shoulder. Evelyn watched in shock as her dad ran into the water with their mother bouncing around on his shoulder. She continued to yell and beat on Dad's back all the way until he tossed her into the water.
"Jimmy!" shrieked Evanna in a voice most unlike her own. "You know I can't swim!"
He put his arm around her and paddled toward the Pearl. Shots struck the water all around them. Evelyn nearly leapt from the boat herself to help her mother, but Emerson pulled her back.
"Dad's got her. She'll be all right."
Once the dinghy reached the Pearl, they took turns climbing up the rope ladder that had been dropped for them. Evelyn winced with each step up, but gritted her teeth and kept going. Sparrow stood in the middle of his deck, shouting orders in a surprisingly authoritative tone. The pirates rushed about, hoisting anchors and Evy lurched, grabbing on the rail as the ship began to move. She anxiously glanced over the side. Her mother and father were climbing the rope as the pirates heaved the dinghy up.
The Black Pearl left the Port of Nassau, bullets flying and taking chunks out of the wood, Sparrow yelling to his crew to hurry lest his precious ship be damaged further.
The last two passengers fell over the side onto the deck. Dad stood up and helped Mum to her feet, but she shoved him off, wet clothing leaving a puddle as she stormed over to her children.
"I can't believe the two of you! My own children subjecting themselves to criminal behavior…and you!" She jabbed Jameson in the chest. "How dare you ask—even consider endangering your own children."
"Hold on—," he started in protest.
"Mum, they were going to hang him tomorrow!" Emerson said angrily.
"Oh? Piracy finally caught up with you, eh?" she asked, as though the death of her husband meant little.
Sparrow sashayed over. "They were not part of our agreement, Jim so I'll definitely be taking your share of the treasure as payment for their passage."
"Jack, they would have tarred and feathered my children if we'd left them behind. What I was supposed to do?"
"Wave good-bye?" he asked indifferently.
"You!" spat Evanna acerbically. "Of all the no-good, absolutely disgusting people. Jack Sparrow, you'll pay for this!"
"Captain Jack Sparrow, darling. This was not my doing. You have your bloody husband and children to thank for this mess. Now I've got more passengers than I wanted, and no rum, I might add," he said, throwing Evelyn a nasty look.
"Well, Jack, you'll just have to take us back to Nassau."
"You can't go back to Nassau, Evanna," said Jameson, displaying very little patience. "I don't know if you'll ever be able to go back now."
"You can't mean that we're stuck here?" Emerson asked in disbelief, though with a smile.
"You'll be safer with us," he said reasonably.
"Safer? With pirates?" Evanna chuckled. "I'd rather be on a deserted island with cannibalistic pygmies than on a ship with pirates."
"Don't tempt me, my dear," he said through gritted teeth.
"I'm not your dear, you dense braggart! In case you've forgotten, I haven't been your dear in ten years and I'm not about to start now!"
"STOP! Stop yelling!" Evelyn cried, near tears. "For once, would you both shut up!"
Evelyn limped her way past them, hoping to find a place on the ship her parents wouldn't be, but stopped suddenly, having remembered something.
"As promised," she said shakily, fighting back tears and shoving the rum into Captain Sparrow's hand.
