Pirates of the Caribbean: The Price of Freedom

etrieve his effects. “I think he was killed not long after he spoke to me,”
he said, quietly, pulling on his waistcoat, then his coat. “I think
someone else heard what he was saying, and felt threatened.”
Teague walked over to stand beside him, and also lowered his
voice. “Who was in The Drunken Lady? Who might have heard what he
was saying?”
Jack shrugged. “I heard him from half the taproom away, crowded
as it was. Anyone might have heard him ranting.”
Captain Teague blew out his breath unhappily, but said no more.
Instead he gestured to his men, and they picked up the body. Jack and
Teague picked up lanterns to light their way, and the little party started
back toward Troubadour in silence.
Jack walked along, holding his coat closed across his chest,
remembering Tommy’s insistence that the man he’d seen was “the
devil.” Every so often, he shivered.
Jack blinked, realizing that the sun had moved while he’d been lost in
memories. His brief shore leave was over. He sighed, feeling
loneliness wash over him like a wave. If only Esmeralda were here, to
share this beautiful beach with him.…
He wondered what she was doing at the moment. So far, he
hadn’t seen a single ship during their passage to the Bahamas, and,
frankly, he hoped that would continue. But if a ship appeared in the
circle of his spyglass, he hoped it would be Venganza. Jack smiled
slightly. She’d have a lot more trouble catching the Wench than she
did Fair Wind, he thought.
Rising to his feet, he executed another perfect dive, then began
swimming back to shore, and his clothes.
The remainder of the Wicked Wench’s first voyage under Jack
Sparrow’s command passed without incident. Jack learned every
nuance of his ship’s rigging, how she moved, how best to take
advantage of the wind. He drilled and pushed his crew to speed up the
time they took responding to orders, and was rewarded with greater
efficiency.