Page 9 - My FlipBook

Chapter Three

An hour later, the parrots flew up from the trees. They formed a huge, bright
flock, with Neptune at its head.

On silent wings, without a single squawk, they glided downwards to the pirates’

camp. They settled in the trees on every side. The pirates were too busy chopping logs
and making fires to notice them.

Captain Snatchit didn’t see them either. He was busy tucking into roast monkey.
Neptune took a deep breath. Then he began to screech.

But this wasn’t an ordinary parrot’s screech. This was pirate language.

“Drop your scabby weapons, you yellow-bellied earwig-eating toads!” he
shrieked. “Or I’ll chop you into more slices than a cucumber!”

“Who’s that?” Captain Snatchit’s mouth fell open.
Then hundred of parrots joined in from all sides, screaming at the tops of their

voices.
“Scram, you horrible lot, or we’ll pickle your eyeballs and toast your toes for

breakfast!”

The pirates stared around wildly. They could hear hundreds of vicious pirate
voices all around– yet there was no-one to be seen!

“There’s no-one here, Cap’n!” they quavered, terrified.
“Walk the plank, fish-food!” screeched the parrots, hidden in the trees. “Go jump

in the scabby sea, you turnip-headed twits!”

“Who is it? Who’s there?” cried Captain Snatchit.
“We’re the ghosts of a hundred hideous heartless pirates, you knobbly-nosed

nincompoop!”
Captain Snatchit’s eyes bulged. “Ghosts? We’re on a haunted island! I’m off!”

And he sprinted to the lifeboat.

At once the other pirates all raced after him. They tumbled into the boat on top of
each other, swearing and cursing. No-one wanted to be left behind.

“Row, you jabbering jellyfish! Row!” yelled Captain Snatchit.
The boat pulled away from shore. The sound of the pirates’ curses slowly faded.

At last the lifeboat was a distant black smudge on the deep blue sea.