Swan of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl

Chapter Five: Tortuga

I was sitting on the stairs leading to the upper deck, listening to Will talk about his childhood. I never knew much about Will as a child, only that my sister and I had found him floating in the ocean on the voyage from England when I was fifteen. It had been hours since we had commandeered the Interceptor, and were sailing calmly against the smooth water.

"When I was a lad living in England," Will said, sharpening a sword, "my mother raised me by herself. After she died, I came out here, looking for my father."

"Is that so?" Jack replied, not really interested at all.

"My father, Will Turner. At the jail, it was only after you learned my name that you agreed to help. Since that was what I wanted, I didn't press the matter." Will said, "I'm not a simpleton, Jack. You knew my father." I followed the two of them up the small stairs and up onto the upper deck.

"I knew 'im. Probably one of the few that knew him as William Turner. Everyone else just called him Bootstrap or Bootstrap Bill." Jack said. Bootstrap? What a strange nickname, I wondered why everyone called him that.

"Bootstrap?" I asked.

"Good man. Good pirate. I swear you look just like him." Jack carried on to Will, steering the ship. I gasped. Pirate, Will's father was a pirate? But then that explained the pirate medallion that Elizabeth found on him as a boy.

"It's not true." Will said, angrily. "He was a merchant sailor. A good, respectable man who obeyed the law."

"He was a bloody pirate, a scallywag." Jack answered, rolling his eyes, clearly annoyed. I was sorry for Will but I had to agree with Jack. His father was a pirate. But I didn't say anything, he'd be so upset. Will took out his sword.

"My father was not a pirate."

"Put it away, son, it's not worth you getting beat again." Jack said, calmly.

"You didn't beat me, you ignored the rules of engagement. In a fair fight, I'd killed you." Will retorted. So that's what happened yesterday in the Blacksmiths.

"Then that's not much incentive for me to fight fair, then, is it?" Jack swung the wheel around so one of the sails connected with Will, swinging him out, hanging over the sea. I gasped and looked urgently and Jack who ignored me.

"Now, as long as you're just hanging there, pay attention. The only rules that really matter are these ― what a man can do and what a man can't do." Jack said. "For instance, you can accept that your father was a pirate and a good man or you can't. But pirate is in your blood, boy, so you'll have to square with that someday. Now, me for example, I can let you drown but I can't bring this ship into Tortuga with only her." Jack gave a quick gesture in my direction. I started to protest but Jack held up his hand to stop me. "Savvy. So..." He swung Will back on board and pointed a sword at him, "can you sail under the command of a pirate?" Jack flipped the sword around, offering it to Will, who was lying on the deck flat on his back. "Or can you not?" Will took the sword and asked.

"Tortuga?" Jack grinned at him, showing off his golden teeth.

"Tortuga."

After a couple of sleepless nights, we arrived in Tortuga, a town on the edge of a small island. We leave the Interceptor in the harbour and walk into the crowded streets. There were large woman flirting with ugly men who were lying under rum barrels with their mouths open wide. People ran around with guns shooting in random directions and drunk men broke empty rum bottles on other people's heads knocking them out. It was chaos. I'd never seen such an uncivilised and unhygienic place before.

"More importantly, it is indeed a sad life that has never breathed deep this sweet, proliferous bouquet that is Tortuga. What do you think?" Jack questioned.