already out of the cell, searching the iron hooks along the corridor wall for keys to the other cells so they could free the rest of the crew. Jean and Catastrophe Shane hurried after them. They were halfway down the corridor when Jean felt something brush against his legs.
Thinking it was a horribly large insect, he jumped sideways. But when he looked down, he saw the puppy sitting at his feet, wagging its tail.
“Oh, no,” Jean said. “No, no. You stay here. With your family. I’m very busy escaping right now!” He turned to go, and the puppy bounced to its paws and followed him. “Puppy! Stay here!”
Nothing Jean said had any effect. The puppy stuck close to Jean’s boots all the way down the corridor as they opened cell after cell. They even opened cells that didn’t contain pirates. The scoundrels who leaped out and ran to freedom could be criminals of any kind. Barbossa hoped that in the madness of a full-scale prison escape, the guards would be less concerned with one particular gang of pirates.
Finally Jean got worried that the puppy would be accidentally trampled by the stampede of escaping prisoners. As they headed for the nearest stairs, Jean scooped the puppy up in his arms and ran, too.
They rounded the top of the stairs and burst into a courtyard. To everyone’s surprise, the courtyard was already teeming with pirates and guards, swords flashing in the moonlight as they fought.
“Chevalle’s pirates!” Billy exclaimed in surprise, recognizing the French style of pirate garb on the men around them.
“And Jack!” Jean cried, astonished to see his captain dancing through the battle toward them.
“That’s Captain Jack, remember!” Jack sang out, skillfully deflecting a knife that was aimed at his ribs. “’Allo, lads! I’m here to save the day…as usual, I might add.”
“So you decided to grace us with your presence,” Barbossa said snidely. “How lucky for us.”
“I know, isn’t it?” Jack said, completely missing the sarcasm. “Care to join in?” He pirouetted and whacked a guard over the head, then flipped another one into a pile of hay.
“We were escaping just fine without you,” Barbossa pointed out, but there was no more time for chitchat, as a trio of guards came sprinting at them. Jean stuffed the puppy into his shirt, hoping it would be all right there. It squirmed and wriggled and poked him a little with its claws, but eventually curled up and fell asleep against Jean’s chest while the pirate slashed about with his sword.
The pirates fought their way to the main prison gate, where Chevalle and four of his men were busy destroying the locks and the mechanism for lowering the portcullis.
“ Zat ought to keep them busy!” Chevalle cried with relish as a long iron chain clattered to the ground. “I’d like to see them keep my men trapped in here now! Ha-ha!”
“ Capitaine Chevalle,” Barbossa said gravely, tipping his hat to the French Pirate Lord. “I’m an admirer of your work. Your attempt to steal from that Swiss bank…it was truly inspired.”
“Why, merci beaucoup ,” Chevalle said, preening. He looked Barbossa up and down. “What an elegant hat you have.”
Jack snorted and rolled his eyes. But Barbossa ignored this. “ Merci , Chevalle,” he said. He tossed his head so the feathers swished through the air. “So nice to meet a Pirate Lord with… taste .”
As they leaped into battle side by side, Jack grumbled under his breath about how their blue ostrich feathers were bobbing ridiculously. If he hadn’t been so busy battling prison guards, he might have snuck up and sliced off a few more of them while Chevalle was distracted.
Jean found himself fighting back-to-back with Jack. He raised his sword to parry a thrust from a guard and felt the blow ricochet down his arm.
“Jack!” he cried through the sounds of battle. “How did you get Chevalle to help you rescue us?”
The French Pirate Lord overheard Jean. He raised his
Thinking it was a horribly large insect, he jumped sideways. But when he looked down, he saw the puppy sitting at his feet, wagging its tail.
“Oh, no,” Jean said. “No, no. You stay here. With your family. I’m very busy escaping right now!” He turned to go, and the puppy bounced to its paws and followed him. “Puppy! Stay here!”
Nothing Jean said had any effect. The puppy stuck close to Jean’s boots all the way down the corridor as they opened cell after cell. They even opened cells that didn’t contain pirates. The scoundrels who leaped out and ran to freedom could be criminals of any kind. Barbossa hoped that in the madness of a full-scale prison escape, the guards would be less concerned with one particular gang of pirates.
Finally Jean got worried that the puppy would be accidentally trampled by the stampede of escaping prisoners. As they headed for the nearest stairs, Jean scooped the puppy up in his arms and ran, too.
They rounded the top of the stairs and burst into a courtyard. To everyone’s surprise, the courtyard was already teeming with pirates and guards, swords flashing in the moonlight as they fought.
“Chevalle’s pirates!” Billy exclaimed in surprise, recognizing the French style of pirate garb on the men around them.
“And Jack!” Jean cried, astonished to see his captain dancing through the battle toward them.
“That’s Captain Jack, remember!” Jack sang out, skillfully deflecting a knife that was aimed at his ribs. “’Allo, lads! I’m here to save the day…as usual, I might add.”
“So you decided to grace us with your presence,” Barbossa said snidely. “How lucky for us.”
“I know, isn’t it?” Jack said, completely missing the sarcasm. “Care to join in?” He pirouetted and whacked a guard over the head, then flipped another one into a pile of hay.
“We were escaping just fine without you,” Barbossa pointed out, but there was no more time for chitchat, as a trio of guards came sprinting at them. Jean stuffed the puppy into his shirt, hoping it would be all right there. It squirmed and wriggled and poked him a little with its claws, but eventually curled up and fell asleep against Jean’s chest while the pirate slashed about with his sword.
The pirates fought their way to the main prison gate, where Chevalle and four of his men were busy destroying the locks and the mechanism for lowering the portcullis.
“ Zat ought to keep them busy!” Chevalle cried with relish as a long iron chain clattered to the ground. “I’d like to see them keep my men trapped in here now! Ha-ha!”
“ Capitaine Chevalle,” Barbossa said gravely, tipping his hat to the French Pirate Lord. “I’m an admirer of your work. Your attempt to steal from that Swiss bank…it was truly inspired.”
“Why, merci beaucoup ,” Chevalle said, preening. He looked Barbossa up and down. “What an elegant hat you have.”
Jack snorted and rolled his eyes. But Barbossa ignored this. “ Merci , Chevalle,” he said. He tossed his head so the feathers swished through the air. “So nice to meet a Pirate Lord with… taste .”
As they leaped into battle side by side, Jack grumbled under his breath about how their blue ostrich feathers were bobbing ridiculously. If he hadn’t been so busy battling prison guards, he might have snuck up and sliced off a few more of them while Chevalle was distracted.
Jean found himself fighting back-to-back with Jack. He raised his sword to parry a thrust from a guard and felt the blow ricochet down his arm.
“Jack!” he cried through the sounds of battle. “How did you get Chevalle to help you rescue us?”
The French Pirate Lord overheard Jean. He raised his
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