فصل 26

CHAPTER 26

CAP’N SMEE

THE LINE OF MOLLUSK CHILDREN, bound together by rope tied to their waists, trudged along the jungle path. They were herded by scowling Scorpion warriors, who shouted at the children in a tongue they did not understand, shoving them, jerking them brutally to their feet if they fell. Some of the children were crying; some were too shocked to cry, and moved numbly forward with vacant faces.

Shining Pearl, daughter of Fighting Prawn, was neither crying nor numb. She was watching the Scorpion warriors and studying the rope that bound her to the boy in front of her and the boy behind. The rope formed simple slipknots around their waists. The knots were drawn tightly now, but Shining Pearl thought she could free herself. If the rope goes slack, even for a few seconds….

She knew this path well, far better than her captors did; she had learned its twists and turns during endless games of chase. Just ahead, it took a long bend to the left.

The closest Scorpion warrior was about fifteen yards ahead of her. Shining Pearl kept an eye on him. In a moment, because of the bend in the path, he wouldn’t be able to see her.

“Ssss!” she hissed softly, calling to the boy in front of her, whose name was Green Stone. He glanced back, stumbling as he was dragged forward by the rope connecting him to the girl just ahead.

Shining Pearl held her finger to her lips, then beckoned for Green Stone to edge back toward her. He pointed to the taut rope pulling him forward. Shining Pearl leaned back for an instant, tugging him, and he nodded to show he understood. She held up her hand to make sure he waited for a moment. Again, he nodded.

Finally the path began its slow curve. The warrior disappeared around the bend.

“Now!” she hissed.

Green Stone dug in his heels, nearly pulling the girl ahead of him off her feet. The rope behind him slackened for just an instant, and in that instant, Shining Pearl pulled the slipknot open, sucked in her stomach, and lifted the loop over her head. She dropped to the path, rolled under a giant leaf, and watched as the rope pulled taut again, leaving a gap where she had been.

Praying that the Scorpions wouldn’t notice that gap, Shining Pearl lay perfectly still until the line had passed and the callused feet of the last Scorpion warrior had disappeared around the bend. She lay still a few minutes more to be sure, listening as the cawing and jeering of the jungle birds finally returned. On hands and knees, she crept deeper into the jungle, staying away from the paths.

For the moment, she was safe. But where should she go? The Scorpions were swarming around the village; if she stayed on this side of the island, she would surely be caught. That left the other side of the island.

The pirate side.

What about the pirates? she wondered. Had the Scorpions attacked them, too? The more she thought about it, the more unlikely it seemed. The Scorpions would have used all their force to defeat the Mollusks. They might not even know that the pirate camp existed.

Would it be safer on that side of the island? It was a very dangerous place: the pirates were cutthroats, and as if they weren’t bad enough, Mister Grin, the giant crocodile, was usually lurking near their camp, hoping to make a meal of Captain Hook. Fighting Prawn had told Shining Pearl many times that she must never cross the mountain to the pirate side.

But her father was helpless now—the entire tribe was, except for Shining Pearl. Of all the Mollusks, she alone could act. And the more she thought about the situation, the clearer it became: if she had any hope of fighting back against the Scorpions, she would need the help of the ruthless men on the other side of the mountain.

Shining Pearl took a deep breath. Then she began to climb.

Smee stood on the beach, gasping and dripping seawater. The other six pirates stood five yards away, also dripping, staring at Smee, waiting.

They were lucky to be alive. After watching Hook and the boys disappear into the churning, bubbling water, Smee and the others had clung to the overturned canoe, lifting their legs as high as they could, terrified that at any moment they, too, would be sucked below.

Instead, the sea had quieted, and the canoe had drifted from the spot. The pirates had talked about swimming back to the beach where they had stolen the canoe, but they were not good swimmers, and this side of the island was crawling with red-painted, spear-carrying warriors. So they had clung to the canoe, hoping for the best. Their hopes were rewarded as the current carried them, slowly, around the north side of the island, bringing them close enough to a point where, with much flailing and sputtering, they were able to swim to shore.

Now, on the beach, the other pirates were all looking at Smee. It bothered him, facing five and a half pairs of eyes (one of the men wore an eye patch).

“What are you looking at?” Smee said.

“We’re looking at you,” said one of the men, whose name was Hurky.

“I can see you’re looking at me,” said Smee. “But why are you looking at me?”

“We’re waitin’ for orders,” said Hurky.

“Ah,” said Smee. He resumed gasping. Then he frowned. “Wait a minute,” he said. “Orders from who?”

“From you,” said Hurky.

Smee was so taken aback by this that he literally took a step back. “From me?” he sputtered. “I don’t give orders. Cap’n gives orders.”

“Smee,” said Hurky. “If the cap’n is givin’ any orders right now, it’s to a fish. He’s gone, Smee. You was first mate. You’re next in line. You’re the actin’cap’n now. So we’re waitin’on your orders.”

The other five men nodded in agreement and continued to stare expectantly at Smee. He could feel the weight of all eleven eyes. He rubbed his bare forehead with both hands. He was trying to think, but thinking was the one thing Smee had always found hardest to do. He had spent most of his life doing it as little as possible.

“Cap’n Smee,” said a voice. Cap’n Smee. It sounded bizarre to Smee. He peeked out between his hands; he saw the voice had come from a man named Boggs.

“What is it?” he said reluctantly.

“I was thinking,” said Boggs, “that it might be a good idea to go to the fort.”

“The fort?” said Smee.

“Aye, Cap’n. The fort.”

Smee frowned, thinking about it. “The fort,” he said.

“Aye, Cap’n.”

“We should go to the fort,” said Smee.

“So that’s your order then, Cap’n?” said Hurky.

“What is?” said Smee.

“That we should go the fort,” said Hurky.

“Yes,” said Smee. “I believe it is. Follow me, men.”

He began walking. The men hesitated.

“Cap’n Smee,” called Hurky.

“What?” said Smee, stopping.

“The fort is the other way.”

“Ah,” said Smee. He turned around and started walking in the opposite direction.

“Follow me, men,” he said again.

And one by one, the men fell in behind, following Acting Captain Smee.