2007 Printable Manual - Texas State Library and Archives ...

2007 Texas Reading Club Manual
LONG JOHN: Answer me or I’ll have my crew feed you to the crocodiles.
HOOK: (with alarm) Crocodiles? There are crocodiles here? Very well, I am Captain Hook,
famous, ferocious pirate. You’ll forgive me if I don’t shake hands.
LONG JOHN: Captain Hook? Well, shiver me timbers! I’ve heard of you. Got in a tangle with a
mite of a lad and lost your hand to a crocodile, as I recall.
HOOK: Yes, Peter Pan. A sneaky, irritating brat. I don’t want to talk about him. And if you see
anything that looks like a shiny mosquito, swat it! It’s his pesky fairy, Tinker Bell. And who
might you be?
LONG JOHN: My name is Long John Silver. Welcome aboard the Hispaniola. I arrived as a
cook. But now I be the captain, don’t you see? I know about sneaky, unreliable boys. I had my
own troubles with young Jim ‘awkins on the way to Treasure Island.
SMEE: Captains, sirs, I hear footsteps. Some of the others have arrived.
BLACKBEARD: (on one side of the group) Avast, ye swabs! Make way for Blackbeard, the
biggest, baddest, boldest buccaneer that ever bounded the waves!
CAPT. JACK: (on the opposite side of the group from Blackbeard) Not to mention the most
boring braggart.
BLACKBEARD: What? Who said that? Prepare to walk the plank and make the long trip to
Davy Jones’ locker.
CAPT. JACK: Allow me to introduce myself. Calico Jack Rackham. My ship is “The
Treasure.” Good name for a pirate ship, eh?
BLACKBEARD: Why, you scurvy knave! I’ll carve you into bleeding bits of blubbering beef!
CAPT. JACK: Like I said, boring.
HOOK: Excuse me for interrupting, but, um… Blackbeard, your beard appears to be on fire.
BLACKBEARD: On fire? Oh, no, no, I just tie bits of smoldering cork in it to make it look that
way. See? The smoke always scares my enemies witless.
LONG JOHN: Aargh! It is a nice fashion touch. I wish I’d thought of that meself.
BLACKBEARD: (politely) Why, thank you, Long John. (changes mood) But right now my
cutlass would like to have a word with that upstart Rackham who just insulted me!
LONG JOHN: Belay that, Blackbeard. We have work to do.
HOOK: Yes, we gathered here today to reconfirm the Pirates’ Code.
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