A Pirate and His Wolf (Pirates of the Caribbean)

Chatper 14

On the Interceptor, things were not going as planned. Gibbs peered over the railing, looking back at the Pearl, which was steadily gaining on them. He looked up to the sails, "Hands aloft to loose t'gallants! With this wind at her stern, she'll carry every sail we've got!"

Elizabeth appeared from below and looked at the crew, who were racing back and forth across the deck. "What's happening?" she asked, Anamaria, who was at the helm.

"The Black Pearl! She's gaining on us," Anamaria replied, looking behind her at the black ship.

Elizabeth paused before saying, "This is the fastest ship in the Caribbean!"

Anamaria and Gibbs exchanged dark looks, "You can tell them that after they've caught us." She shook her head at the young girl's remark and focused on steering the ship away.

"We're shallow on the draft, right?" Elizabeth said, heading over to the railing and peering out ahead.

Anamaria looked intrigued, "Aye."

"Then can't we lose them amongst those shoals?" Elizabeth proposed, pointing to some rocks a little way from their current position. She remembered the hours she had spent ebbing away at the pages of the Navy's sailing manuals.

Gibbs grinned, "We don't have to outrun them long, just long enough!"

Anamaria ran the plan through her head, fixated on one problem. The weight of the ship was slowing them down. She looked out at the crew, who were waiting for her command, "Lighten the ship, stem to stern!"

Gibbs nodded, "Anything we can afford to lose... See that it's lost!" He and Elizabeth hurried around, untackling the barrels, and pushing them off the boat.

On the Black Pearl Jack paced up and down the length of the small cell. "Apparently there's a leak," Jack said, attempting to ignore a wave of cold water that had sloshed into his boots.

Zachary looked up at him with a faint smile. "We'll get out of here, eventually." He winced as he placed his hand cheek since it still hurt.

Jack sat down next to him, "You're being quite positive." he said, sounding slightly downtrodden. "For someone with who can't control his beastie," he added.

From the top deck, they heard Barbossa yelling orders. "Haul on the mainbrace! Make ready the guns! An run out the sweeps."

Zachary and Jack exchanged dark looks as they heard the sounds of the gun ports opening. "I hate hearing him give orders on my ship."

"I hate him period," Zachary growled, turning to look out of the small hole in the wall, and looking out to the sea. Bobbing in the water, he saw barrels, crates, and other things that were once at home on the Interceptor. "They're lightening the ship," he said to Jack, moving out of the way to let him see.

Back on the Interceptor, the crew continued to throw things over the railings. Will quickly appeared, having heard the commotion and stopped Cotton before he could untackle a cannon, "We're gonna need that."

He quickly appeared next to Gibbs and Elizabeth, looking past the pair at the Pearl, which was extremely close, and noticed the cannons and oars appearing on either side. Anamaria grimaced, "It was a good plan... up 'till now," she said to Elizabeth, who turned to Gibbs and Will.

Will looked at the three of them, "Gibbs! We have to make a stand. We must fight. Load the guns!"

Anamaria looked at him with incredulity, "With what?"

Will waved his hands, "Anything. Everything! Anything we have left."

Gibbs turned around and began yelling at the crew to stop throwing stuff overboard. "Load the guns. Take a shot and language. Nails and crushed glass! With a will!" The crew began to stuff cannons with various things such as cutlery, empty rum bottles, and Gibbs' canteen. "The Pearl is going to luff up on our port quarter. She'll rake us without ever presenting a target!"