Chapter 9: The Fight for the Chest

Chapter 9: The Fight for the Chest

Captain Jack Sparrow sat in a rowing boat, holding his bottle of earth. Elizabeth and Norrington were sitting opposite him. Pintel and Ragetti were rowing the boat toward Isla Cruces.

“You’re rowing too fast,” Pintel said to his one-eyed friend.

“You’re rowing too slowly,” Ragetti answered. “We don’t want the Kraken to catch us.”

Jack was nervous when he heard the monster’s name. Then they heard a sudden noise in the water and the two pirates rowed the boat faster.

When they reached the beach, Jack jumped out of the boat. He checked that the letters were still in his jacket pocket. Then he placed the jacket and the bottle of earth at the end of the boat.

“Guard the boat,” he ordered Pintel and Ragetti.

Jack put the Compass into Elizabeth’s hands and they walked up the beach. Norrington followed them. They came to an old church.

“Do people live here?” Norrington asked.

“No,” Elizabeth answered.

“Do you know this place?” he asked, surprised.

“I’ve heard stories about it,” Elizabeth said. “A religious man came to the island and brought illness and death. All the people died. The man went crazy and killed himself.”

Elizabeth looked down at the Compass and continued to walk. Suddenly, the Compass point began to move wildly.

“We’ve found the place!” she said.

Jack drew an X in the sand with the toe of his boot.

“Make a hole here,” he said to Norrington.

At the same time, the Flying Dutchman arrived near Isla Cruces and Davy Jones noticed the rowing boat.

“They’re here,” he said angrily. “And I can’t step on land again for ten years!”

“Can we do the job for you?” Maccus asked him.

“I’ll punish you if you fail!” Jones promised. “Take the ship down below the ocean,” he ordered his men.

Maccus called out, “Down, down.”

In seconds, the Flying Dutchman ship disappeared below the waves and moved toward Isla Cruces.

Pintel and Ragetti were sitting on the beach and looking out at the ocean. The water began to move-something was coming toward them! They jumped to their feet. Then they ran to tell Jack.

Jack watched Norrington as he made a deep hole in the sand. Jack was worried and he wanted to find the chest quickly.

Suddenly, Norrington hit something.

“It’s the chest!” Jack said and jumped into the hole.

They lifted out the chest and Jack quickly broke open the lock. Inside were a long white dress, dried flowers, and old love letters. Jack pushed them away-and found a box. He lifted the box out of the chest. It was tightly locked, but he could hear a noise inside it.

“The heart!” Elizabeth said. “It’s real!”

Norrington was surprised. “You were right,” he said to Jack.

“I’m often right,” Jack said. “But people are still surprised.”

“With good reason,” a voice said.

The group turned and saw Will Turner. He was running toward them in wet clothes.

Elizabeth ran to him. “Will-you’re all right!” She put her arms around his neck.

Jack looked worried. “How did you get here?” he asked Will.

“With difficulty,” Will said. “But I want to thank you, Jack. You tricked me onto that ship-to pay Jones…”

“What?” Elizabeth said, looking at Jack.

”… and then I met my father.”

“That’s OK,” Jack said nervously.

“Everything you said to me… every word was untrue?” Elizabeth said. She looked angrily at Jack.

“Yes.”

Then the happy smile left Jack’s face. Will was on his knees next to the chest. He held the key in one hand, and his father’s knife in the other.

“What are you doing?” Jack asked.

“I’m going to kill Jones,” Will answered.

In a second, Jack was pressing his sword against Will’s neck.

“You can’t do that, William,” Jack said. “Who will stop the Kraken if Jones is dead? Now, give me the key, please.”

Will quickly pushed away Jack’s sword. He jumped up and took Elizabeth’s sword.

“I keep my promises,” he said, facing Jack. “I’m going to free my father.”

But suddenly, Norrington pulled out his sword and turned to Will. “You can’t keep the key. Sorry.”

Jack looked at Norrington and smiled. “You’re going to help me!” he said, happily.

Norrington pointed his sword quickly toward Jack.

“No,” he said. “Lord Beckett wants that chest. He’ll make me a commodore again if I give it to him.”

The three men began to fight.

“Will,” Jack said urgently. “Norrington can’t keep the chest! Believe me!”

Will looked at him. “I don’t believe anything that you say,” he shouted.

“Don’t listen to him,” Norrington said. “Jack just wants Elizabeth for himself.”

The three men jumped back, and continued to fight.

“Guard the chest,” Will told Elizabeth.

“No! Adult men talk about their problems. They don’t fight!” Elizabeth shouted, but the men weren’t listening.

Ragetti stood in the trees and watched the fight.

“What’s happening?” Pintel asked.

He stood next to Ragetti and they both looked at the chest.

Ragetti tried to explain. “Each man wants the chest. Mr. Norrington hopes to give it to Lord Beckett. Then Beckett will free him. Jack wants to sell the chest to Beckett and save himself. And Turner thinks it will help his cursed old father.”

“How sad,” Pintel said. “That chest is clearly very important.”

He looked at Ragetti, and then the two men walked quietly toward the chest.

Elizabeth fell to the sand and closed her eyes. “Maybe they’ll think I’m sick. Then they’ll stop fighting,” she thought.

She didn’t move for a long time. When she opened her eyes, she saw Pintel and Ragetti. They were running away with the chest.

They were running away with the chest.

She jumped to her feet.

“Shall I tell Will or follow the chest?” she asked herself The three men were still fighting. She decided to follow the chest.