Pirates of the Caribbean 03 The Pirate Chase Read Online Free PDF Page A

from the mill wheel and grindstone. Everything smelled of wheat and barley, scents Jack associated more strongly with ale than with bread."Thank goodness it's ye!" Arabella said. "We heard rustle in the brush and thought the worst. We thought it was pirates.""This proves," Jack said, ducking down beside them and breathing heavily, "that you should always go with your initial instinct.""You mean--" Fitzwilliam began."They were right on my tail, in fact. Two pirates and Captain Louis himself. But I seem to have lost them in the brush, tha nks to my expert maneuvering."
    "Ha. Thanks to our saving you!" Fitzwilliam scoffed."Whatever you want to believe, mate. So, how did you two wind up here anyway? Shouldn't you be back at the dock by now?"
    "Well," Fitzwilliam began, "first my golden watch was stolen."
    "Stolen?" He stared at them both. "How did you manage to get anything stolen in a town with no people?"
    "One person," Fitzwilliam interjected, holding up a gloved finger. "As it turns out, this is a town with one person."
    "A thief" Arabella added. Then she set about explaining just why Puerto San Judas was deserted in the first place. “I suppose we have to look on the bright side," Jack said at last. "We've all avoided Left-Foot Louis, we now know for certain that the Sword and the sheath--even separately--have certain unknown but intriguing powers. All we have to do is lie low, find a way to procure the parchment--""What is this about a parchment?" Fitzwilliam asked. "Whatever does a scrap of paper have to do with our situation?"Jack shrugged. "I'm a mite unclear on that point myself, mate. But let's burn that bridge when we get to it, shall we?"Fitzwilliam frowned. "I do not think that is the proper use of the metaphor.""Oh, yes, this is a perfect time for an English lesson. Can we conjugate verbs next?" Jack said sarcastically.At that moment, the door of the mill swung open, and Louis walked in. He'd found them after all! Jack, Arabella, and Fitzwilliam all ducked lower, their chins almost scrap ing the floor. They could hear several boots thumping on the mill's floor; Louis hadn't come alone. “This must be my lucky day!" Louis's voice boomed. "The parchment is just up the hill, the Sword in my hands, the sheath so close I can smell it--"Arabella and Fitzwilliam looked at Jack, concerned. Jack made a face at them, then angled his head between two barrels so that he could get a glimpse of what was going on in the mill. From the sounds of pushing and struggle, apparently some kind of a scuffle was taking place."--and best of all," Louis finished, "we have finally found our missing sailors."The pirates laughed as the two grave-digging thugs dragged forward--Jean and Tumen! Jack's eyes grew wide."We aren't the sailors you're looking for!" Jean protested. His face was t aut with fear, but he shouted bravely at the pirates. "You're crazy, all of you!"
    "Let us go," Tumen said, more quietly. If he was frightened, too--and surely he had to be--he did not show it. The pirate ignored Tumen and threw the boys to the ground. Then he tied their hands behind their backs.Next to Jack, Arabella gasped. Fitzwilliam grabbed her hand, like that was going to help anything. Jack rolled his eyes.Louis paced along the floor, his two left feet making each step irregular. "I could kill you both with just a wave of my blade," he said grimly, holding out the Sword of Cortes. Jack realized that the pirate could simply make his fellow adventurers vanish in the blink of an eye, just as he'd done to the rest of the town. "But," Louis continued, "you interfered with a heist before, and I promised that the second time you meddled in my plans--and that would be today, in case you're wondering--that you'd die slowly and painfully. And, after all--" He leaned close to Jean and Tumen's faces. "--I'm nothing if not a man of my word."Jack sighed. "Well, I suppose this means a rescue is in order," he whispered."A rescue?" Fitzwilliam asked. "You can not mean