The Beagle made a half-hearted attempt to outrun the pirates, but it was clearly a hopeless task, and the captain began preparing for boarding.
“Jake, Edwin, Tim: get the muskets and take your positions. Fire on my command only. Do you understand me?”
“Yes, sir,” they said, sombre, and vanished below. As one of the lieutenants passed out swords to the rest of the frightened dogs, Tortoise realised how young they all were.
“Listen up,” the captain shouted. “They’re pirates. We’re not going to fight unless we’re given no choice. We’ll let them board. Keep your swords sheathed and do not resist, not unless they attack first. That’s an order. Otherwise we’ll all be fishfood.” He didn’t need to state the obvious; it was written on everyone’s faces. “If they do attack, give no quarter, because none will be given to us.”
Gecko turned to the young scientist, who had refused a sword. “Please untie us. We’re both good in a fight, and if we live you have our word that we’ll give ourselves up.”
“I’m really sorry, but I’m afraid I can’t do that,” the white dog said. “The captain is in charge of all non-scientific matters. If we survive, I promise I’ll have a word with him in private and we’ll see what we can do.”
“I understand,” Gecko said, turning at once to Tortoise. “Come on, let’s find a safe spot to see what happens.”
#
The pirate ship cruised closer like a shark. A galleon with four masts and cannons bristling from her side, she was large and built for business.
Tortoise could make out the bandannaed crew readying themselves by the closest side of the ship, a huge plank of wood raised in the air, and hear them jeering and singing. The flag flying from the tallest mast was, he could now see, black, with a white, nondescript skull above two crossed bones. Fixed to the front of the ship was a magnificent black statue of a rearing horse. The horse had two wings, a single horn emerging from its brow, and three eyes outlined in white. It was the most frightening and wonderful thing Tortoise had ever seen.
The two ships surged through the grey waves of the sea. The sun shone.
The grappling hooks arced through the air, across the gap, and crashed onto the deck of the Beagle. The ropes grew taut as the sharp hooks bit into the wood of the deck and the side and pulled the two ships together.
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With perfect timing, the plank fell, connecting the ships, and with a huge roar (“Victory and Death!”) the pirates boarded the Beagle.
#
The bird who jumped aboard first was an enormous, broad-shouldered parrot. She had beautiful glossy feathers and a huge red crest that made her look dangerous and exciting. She glanced around, taking in the circle of frightened dogs, and lowered her cutlass.
“Take it easy lasses and lads!” she shouted as the other pirates boarded behind her. “I have a feeling this is going to be a boring one.”
The pirates were the most diverse group Tortoise had ever seen. There was a rhino, a sheep, a weasel, a buffalo, a rooster, a mouse, a zebra… and was that a—?
“I’m Polly,” the lead pirate declared as her crew fanned out around her, cutlasses at the ready, eyes glinting. “Yes, that Polly. Captain Polly, Scourge of the Seven Seas, etcetera, etcetera. You can quail if you like. Who’s in charge of this here ship?”
“We mean you no harm, sir,” the captain said quickly, stepping forward.
“Good,” Polly said. “Then you won’t mind giving me everything I want.”
There was a muffled click, and everyone turned to see Jake pointing a musket. It had misfired.
Jake didn’t know what to do. He cursed like a sailor. He tried firing again, and then threw down the musket and desperately began pulling out his sword.
Polly strode across the deck and with a single swift stroke of her cutlass she chopped off his hand.
#
Jake whimpered quietly on the deck.
“You did a very stupid thing and you lost your hand,” Polly said, firmly wrapping the young dog’s stump in bandage. The two crews stood awkwardly around them. “You’ll have to decide if that was a fair trade. If you live long enough.
“But you listen to me and you listen to me good. You’re afraid now, and in pain, but soon enough you’re going to get a nice hook and be able to tell everyone that you lost your hand in a fight with Captain Polly. And everyone here right now is going to say it was one of the best and fairest fights they have ever seen. They will swear it until they’re blue in the face and if one of them ever snitches they’ll be getting a personal visit from me.
“Unfortunately for you,” she continued, “every crazy seadog and lime-juicer who hears about how you almost took out Captain Polly is going to want to test their mettle against you. So, starting from today, you’re going to have to train. And I mean train like you’ve never trained before. And if you live, you’re going to become known as the kindest and fairest swordsman who ever lived. And if you don’t become known as the kindest and fairest swordsman who ever lived, you will be getting a personal visit from me. And I will be correcting my mistake. Permanently. Do you understand?”
Jake stared in shock.
Polly leaned closer. “I said: do you understand?”
The young dog took a deep breath and nodded. “Yes, sir.”
Polly stood up and looked around. “Does everyone here understand?”
A mutter went through the gathered crews of the two ships.
“Do you understand?” Polly barked, looking for her next victim.
“Yes, sir!” everyone responded.
“Good,” Polly said. “As you can see, I’m a great believer in survival of the fittest. Now,” she said, turning to the crew of the Beagle, “bring me all your dog biscuits, or I’ll toss every last one of you scurvy dogs into the drink.”
##
Next episode: Captain Polly