Captain Peanut Butter will continue his tale.

The Monday after the funeral, I said my goodbyes and returned to the meeting location on the coast. As expected, Jonas was waiting with a rowboat. The Jellyfish was anchored offshore. We climbed into the boat and started rowing toward The Jellyfish. I heard cannon fire, and a cannonball hit the front of our rowboat, shattering it and sending us both into the water.

When I surfaced, I saw a ship in the distance sailing toward The Jellyfish. I waved off The Jellyfish.

“Hoist the anchor. Make sail!” Barrelhoop shouted.

I knew Jonas and I would never make it to the ship in time. The tide was too strong. So we swam back to shore and watched helplessly as The Jellyfish finally got underway.

The Jellyfish is as swift as they come, but the other ship was already moving quickly toward them. Jonas and I watched helplessly as The Jellyfish faded from sight with the other ship in hot pursuit.

“Do think it was the navy, Cap’n?”

“It is hard to say. Without a spyglass, I couldn’t see their flag.”

“What will we do now?”

“We will wait here for their return. And pray that they do.”

Barrelhoop will tell the tale of what was happening onboard The Jellyfish.

When the Captain waved us off, the crew got The Jellyfish underway in record time. We had no choice. A ship was firing on us, and we was sittin’ ducks. We picked up speed, but the ship was closing in. I knew it would be a close race.

“Make her run swift, Lads! We’re sailing for our lives,” I shouted.

For four hours, we sailed up the coast as fast as the wind would take us. But the other ship stayed always within sight. Then Scar Arm shouted, “Ship! Two ships! To the bow.”

I grabbed my spyglass and looked. Both ships were flying the black. Pirates. We were being run into a trap.

There was nothing to do but raise the white. We would have to surrender or die. If we was lucky, they would let us continue as part of the crew on one of the ships—a slightly better fate than capture by the navy and certain death.

We were boarded by several armed pirates from one ship while the other two ships kept cannons trained on us.

A pirate with crow-black hair asked, “Which one of ya be Captain Peanut Butter?”

“I’m the Captain of this ship,” I replied.

“Not for long, Peanut Butter,” the pirate replied. “Put him in irons.”

I was placed in irons and dragged to the center of the deck. Then knocked down onto my knees.

The black-haired pirate said, “My name is Captain Raven Lock. I will be taking command of this ship. If you are smart men, you will become part of my crew and live. You will be treated as equals under the pirate code.”

Before we could answer, another pirate boarded the ship. I recognized him as the English privateer turned pirate, Henry Jennings. He said, “What’s this? Where is Peanut Butter?”

“Right here,” Raven Lock said and pulled my hair to show my face.

“That’s not Peanut Butter.”

Raven Hook hit me in the face and said, “You lied to me, scurvy dog.”

“I didn’t lie. I only said I was Captain of the ship.”

He hit me again.

Jennings walked over to me and said, “Alright, Captain. Where is Peanut Butter? The truth. Unless you fancy walking the plank.”

“We was picking him up when you fired on us. Your shot hit his rowboat, and he swam back to shore.”

Jennings held my gaze for a time and then said, “Alright, lads. Let’s go pick up Captain Peanut Butter.”

I was kept in irons. The ships started sailing back to the meeting spot.

“What is your name, Captain?” Jennings asked.

“Barrelhoop.”

“Very well, Barrelhoop. You lead us back to Captain Peanut Butter, and I will let you live.”

“Why do you want Captain Peanut Butter? You already have The Jellyfish.”

“The Jellyfish is a prize, for sure. But Captain Peanut Butter is a bigger prize. He is going to earn me a pardon from the King.”

“I don’t understand.”

“King George is offering a pardon to any pirate who turns in a known pirate captain to Lord Archibald Hamilton. And I am going to turn in Peanut Butter. I have grown old and weary of pirating. I have enough gold. I wish to retire to my plantation.”

“You could turn me in instead.”

“You would sacrifice yourself for Peanut Butter? Why?”

“He would do the same for me.”

“I am counting on it. I respect your loyalty, but you are not a true captain. And you are not known. I need Peanut Butter.”

We sailed back along the coast for a few hours, and night fell. Clouds hid the stars and moon, so we anchored for the night.

I tried to get some sleep, but I couldn’t stop thinking ’bout how I let Captain Peanut Butter and the crew down. Scar Arm crept over to me and whispered, “I am going to warn the Captain.”

“How?”

“I will jump overboard and swim to shore.”

“It’s too far. You’ll drown.”

“When I was a lad, I lived on an island. There was a lass I fancied on the next island over. I regularly swam a half mile to see her. I won’t drown.”

“Godspeed.”

A few moments later, I heard a splash.

Scar Arm will take the telling of his actions that night.

Swimming to shore was easy enough. But I had no idea how I would get to Captain Peanut Butter in time. I started walking down the shoreline. Fate was kind, and I saw a cottage with a light in the window. I was relieved when I saw the stable next to the cottage.

Inside the stable, I found a good horse and led it out. Then I rode like the wind for the Captain. I knew I was taking a risk, riding while barely able to see. The horse could have tripped at any time, but I had no choice. I had to get to the Captain and warn him. So I rode.

With luck, I made it to the meeting spot well afore dawn. The Captain and Jonas were both there. Jonas was asleep, and the Captain was keeping watch. I yelled out, “Captain. The Jellyfish has been captured. You are in danger.”

After I stop and dismounted, the Captain said, “Tell me everything.”

I told him the whole sorry tale.