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could see a large, dark shape through the misty
rain—that would be the Happy Trader , the pirate’s most
likely target.
    Keeping to the
shadows Larry silently picked his way along the quay towards the
jetty. The first few work sheds he passed were empty. The next was
closed up tight. The next seemed empty too but he thought he heard
a scuffling noise within and so, cautiously entered to investigate.
He walked on soft wood shavings and rounded the upturn hull of a
fishing boat as his eyes adjusted to the dark. The scuffling noise
had come from the rear of the shed but he couldn’t see anyone.
    ‘Who-Who-Who’s
there?’ an anxious voice whispered.
    Larry jumped
with surprise but didn’t run. It was Assam Tortoise; the one who
owed the Windrush , the fast little skiff he and Larry had
borrowed yesterday to chase pirates. Assam was upside down, his
legs waving in the air. His head was twisting about frantically on
a long, thin neck as he tried to see. Someone had placed him
shell-first in the top of an open barrel so he couldn’t right
himself.
    ‘Who-Who-Who’s
there, I say!’
    Larry took a
step closer so he was in Assam’s line of sight.
    ‘Is that you
L-L-Larry?’ said Assam, peering at Larry with one fearful eye. ‘Oh,
thank goodness, it is you. There are p-p-pirates! P-P-Pirates, I
say! They did this to me Larry. I’ve been stuck here for hours. I
can’t move! Please help me.’
    Larry pushed
the barrel with one foot. It hardly moved. He pushed again, harder
this time. The barrel rolled on its edge, pivoted sideways and fell
with a crash. Assam withdrew his legs and head before he hit. His
tough shell bounced off the floorboards and rolled him the right
way up. Shiny nails spilled noisily from the barrel, which rolled
to a stop against the hull of the upturned boat.
    ‘Th-Th-Thank
you, Larry,’ said Assam looking around nervously. ‘We should hide.
They p-p-probably heard that.’
    Larry looked
at the floorboards.
    Realisation
dawned on Assam’s leathery face. ‘Larry, you w-w-were lucky the
first time. I heard about the cheeses. Very heroic b-b-but I’ve
seen these dogs! They should not be trifled with. The whole
t-t-town should run and hide in the hills until the p-p-pirates are
gone. They’re still out there somewhere so we should hide!’
    Larry turned
away and left the work shed without looking back.
    ‘Larry! Be
reasonable, you’re y-y-young, they’re p-p-pirates! You don’t need
to be a hero, leave that to others. Being young is a good excuse,
the best. They won’t b-b-blame you. Larry!’
    The misty rain
was easing as Larry turned onto the jetty and walked towards the Happy Trader . There were boats here of all sizes. They were
gently bumping against the jetty in the swell, ropes swinging
indolently. There were no people about, though it was usually busy
in the mornings. The threat of pirates in the Gulf would have
stopped the fishing fleet from sailing overnight, so there were no
fish to unload. And the riot in Town Square would keep everyone in
their beds and stables.
    Larry loved
the sea and took every opportunity to sail. If he was to ever find
his parents it would be somewhere across the sea, maybe even
outside the Gulf on the other side of the Southern Icewall.
Flossy’s map had shown a sea on the other side dotted with islands.
His parents could be on one of them. If they were he would find
them and bring them home. But first the pirates needed to be
stopped. He clenched his fists. He would stop them.
    Larry had an
idea.
    Just in front
of the Happy Trader was a fishing boat with a large boom
that could be made to swing out over the water. The boom, so
positioned, made it easy to haul a net full of wriggling fish from
the sea. The same principle could be applied to haul a net full of
wriggling pirates from the jetty. It would be difficult and risky
but he might just be able to set things up so that it would work.
He didn’t know how much time he had and he wasn’t even sure