Pirates of the Caribbean 02 The Siren Song (6 page)

Free.Freedom was what Jack treasured most. It is why he cou
ldn't be enslaved by the mer
maids' song. It was also what he had just bartered away.The evil cackling resounded through the cavern as a Green-tail's head emerged from the water. Up close, Jack could clearly see the scales on her face. She reached out and led Jack to the funnel of the whirlpool that had brought Jack to their lair. The Green-tail blew Jack a mocking kiss, then guided him back into the whirlpool where he was instantly sucked back up to the surface. He popped his head out of the water and quickly found the Barnacle.He turned to catch one more glimpse of Isla Sirena, but it was already vanishing. He felt the deep, sudden pain of regret. He knew the next time he saw the island, he would be imprisoned there, possibly forever. He swallowed hard and dragged hims
elf back aboard the Barnacle.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Once he was back on his boat, Jack saw that things were, as he had hoped, back to normal."Help!" Arabella screamed. "Jack, where are you?""Untie us!" Fitzwilliam yelled."Jack, help us! Somebody knocked us out and tied us up," Jean hollered.Constance mewed and hissed, and Tumen struggled silently.Jack stepped into the view of his crew and began to
untie them.
"Jack!" Arabella cried. "You're alive!" "What has happened here?" Fitzwilliam
asked. “OH
, just the usual mayhem," Jack said. "Nothing to fret about. It's all over now. Captain Jack has set everything right. And now we'll all need to set this ship back on course.""Why are we tied to the mast? Who did this to us?" Fitzwilliam demanded to know."It was for your own safety," Jack said, explaining no further and quickly untying the tangled ropes that held his crew. "Now we must find our bearings. I believe we are far off course.""Tumen and I will check the charts and our sightings," Jean said. Tumen nodded, and together they went to the helm and began studying the instruments.Jack gaz
ed down at Constance. The cat
stared up at him. "I'm tempted to keep this one tied up," he said."Oh, no, you won't!" Jean said. "She is as much a member of this crew as the rest of us.""Oh, all right," Jack relented. He knelt down and loosened the rope around the cat. She quickly scrambled to the prow to keep watch over the sea."We're both wet," Arabella said to Jack, gazing down at her still-damp dress. "Why?""I had some business underwater," Jack said."What abou
t me?" Arabella asked."You
were looking for something you thought might be found in the sea. I persuaded you otherwise.""Oh.""We're having trouble finding our course
," Jean called from the helm.
"Why am I not surprised," Jack mumbled."You!" Fitzwilliam pointed at Jack accusingly. "You have gotten us off course, you have tied us to a mast, and you almost had us killed, first by a notorious pirate and then by a raging sea beast.""Don't forget the mermaids," Jack said."What mermaids do you speak of?" Fitzwilliam asked."Never mind that," Jack said. "Now, please make your point and make it quickly.""My point is," Fitzwilliam began, "that this mission is a sham. You are not . . .""... a captain ... I know, I know . . ." Jack finished for him.Fitzwilliam opened the chest on the deck where the crew kept their most precious treasures, including the scabbard that belonged to
the Sword of Cortes. He waved
the scabbard in Jack's face and said, "For all we know there is absolutely nothing different about this scabbard than any other!" Fitzwilliam angrily threw the scabbard to the deck. The crew watched in wonder as the scabbard spun around--and gained momentum instead of losing it. It began to waver a bit and then steadied itself in one direction. Jack and Fitzwilliam looked at each other."Okay . . ." Jack said, pulling out his compass, which, like everything else on the ship, was again in working order. "Well, the scabbard is not pointing north . . ."". .. but it is pointing in a consistent direction . . ." Arabella said. Each time she tried to move the scabbard it sprang back to the position it had set itself in."... which can onl
y mean ..." Fitzwilliam said.
". . . the scabbard is acting as a compass . . ." Tumen added."... and there's only one thing I can think of it could be pointing toward . . ." Jean said."The Sword of Cortes!" Jack shouted triumphantly. "Crew . . . set a thataway sort of course! We are about to become very rich, very powerful . . ." He paused and thought for a moment, then he smiled and f
inished, "... and very free."
Captain's
Log: I
am now one of the few men ever to match wits with the Siren's mermaids and live to tell the tale. This bit about returning to them to give up my freedom has me a little concerned. Though no entirely. After all, I am Captain Jack Sparrow, and Captain Jack Sparrow can find his way out of any mess. So, for now, we're back on course thanks to my brilliance, clever, quick-thinking action to throw the sheath of the Sword of Cortes to the ground, which, I know, would cause it to act as a compass. Now there is nothing to stand between us and finding Lewis ... and the sword.--Ca
ptain Jack Sparrow.

Don't miss the next volume in the continuing adventures of Jack Sparrow and the crew of the mighty Barnacle.Vol. 3: The Pirate ChaseJack and company are hot on the trail of Left-Foot Louis. But chasing down a fierce seafarer is challenging, even for Jack's formidable crew. And to top it all off, Arabella has a personal score to settle with Louis, but doing so could jeopardize the entire mission!