Chapter Three

Chapter Three.

 

 

As usual, the boatswain is not in his office. No doubt he is below, in his hammock. He is a sloth, but The Belching Barfsniffer would fall apart without him.

Tacked to the door of the boatswain’s office is the job roster. Cabin Boy runs a finger along the top line. Tuesday. Then he runs his finger down the page. Missy McMicky: Crow’s Nest 2-A. Cabin Boy feels a slight dizzy. He wipes his palms on his breeches. Mast Two is the highest of the masts, and Crow’s Nest 2-A is at the very top, towering over the deck.

Just inside the door of the office, on an end table, lies the boatswain’s copy of The Pirate Manual. It is given to all who sign up to be a pirate, but Cabin Boy has long since lost his copy.

Cabin Boy skims through the table of contents. In no time, he finds what he is looking for: Chapter 6: Climbing the Mast - Tips for Beginners.

He thumbs his way through the book and finds Chapter 5: Keep Your Powder Dry. He turns the page. Chapter 7: Parrots Do Not Make Good Pirates. No chapter six.

He is about to close the book when he notices something scrawled in the margin of the first page of chapter seven. He turns the book to read it. It simply says: Chapter 6. Notes. Never, but never, look down!

Cabin Boy returns the book to the bench. He scratches his head, wondering why the boatswain - if it was the boatswain - thought to write never twice.

If Cabin Boy was not nervous before, he surely is now. Climbing the mast is something Cabin Boy only thinks about late at night in his hammock, when only the creaks and groans of the ship can be heard. He always pulls his blanket about him and tries to think of more pleasant things.