thundercloud,
Heâs the high seasâ worst rapscallion,
But heâll help you pinch it from the crab,
Within sight of the red cross galleon.â
Isis sighed. âI havenât got a clue what any of that means,â she said. âI never do.
Explain, Professor Smartypants!â
âWell, it mentions a Spaniard,â Tom said. âMost of the Caribbean islands were ruled by the Spanish. Not sure about the rest, but it sounds like weâve got to look for a man with a hairy, scary face! Maybe the red cross means weâll find him at a hospital.â
Tom, Isis and Cleo set off walking towards the busy harbour.
âWhatâs a ârapscallionâ?â Isis asked.
âMy grandad uses that word,â Tom said. âI think it means that weâre after a bad guy.â
Before theyâd gone far, they crossed paths with a young man. He was running so fast that he almost crashed right into them.
âWatch it!â Tom said.
The young man adjusted the red scarf that was tied around his long dark hair. He wore the same kind of breeches and shirt as Tom and Isis, except that his were covered in stains.
âSorry!â he said, frowning. âWhatâs a pair of nippers doing in a dangerous hole like New Providence?â
âIs that where we are?â Tom asked. He had heard about New Providence in his history books. It was a famous pirate port.
The young man nodded. âOf course! You two need to get yourselves home sharpish, before you run into trouble.â
âOh, we canât,â Tom said, thinking fast. âWeâve been, er⦠shipwrecked. Our parents were lost at sea, but we clung to some wood and floated to this island.â
Isis pulled a sad face and sniffed, adding, âWe donât have a home to go back toâ¦â
The young man held out his hand. âSalmagundiâs the name. Sal for short. Iâm sorry to hear about your troubles.â
Tom shook Salâs hand. âIâm Tom, this is Isis, and her cat, Cleo.â
âListen,â Sal said, leaning in. His tanned face made his green eyes look slightly wild. âNot everyone here on New Providence is nice. So stick by me, OK? Iâll take you to the Jolly Barnacle Inn. I do the cooking there. But one day Iâm going to be a pirate.â
Tom and Isis exchanged excited glances.
He straightened up and peered at the sun. âBut weâd better hurry, because if I donât get a move on, Iâll be getting fifty of the ownerâs best.â
âBest what?â Isis asked.
âFifty lashes. With a whip!â
âOuch!â said Isis, wincing.
As Tom, Isis and Cleo followed Sal into the port, Tom saw that the row of shops wasnât very pretty close-up. There was broken glass in the window frames and rotten vegetables all over the ground.
âYuck!â he said to Isis. âWhat a pong.â
Isis nodded, holding her shirt over her nose.
They arrived at the Jolly Barnacle Inn, with its sign hung crookedly over the door. As soon as they stepped inside, a finely dressed pirate with the most rotten teeth Tom had ever seen hurled a bar stool at another mean-looking, muscly man.
âAre you sayinâ I look like a girl?â the elegant pirate said. He cocked his pistol and fired it at the ceiling, so that plaster showered down.
The muscly pirate laughed heartily. âYou look so much like a woman, they wonât let you back on your own ship with the real men!â He smacked the pistol out of the first pirateâs hand.
âIâll slit your gizzard for that!â the first pirate cried, drawing his cutlass.
Crumbs
, Tom thought.
Talk about overreacting
.
Tom, Isis, Cleo and Sal edged past the fighting pair.
âNever insult a pirate if you value your life,â Sal advised them.
He led them to an empty table in the corner. âSit here, and try to stay out of everyoneâs way,â he said.
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