CHAPTER FIVE THE QUEEN ANNE’S REVENGE
Johnny was very surprised when he laid his eyes on the majestic vessel. The wooden hull, which had been worn out and wrinkled up by bad weather, was as black as the impeding night. The bow had a smoothed shape, reinforced by a ram coming out of the water partially. A hundred pirates were waiting along the ship’s sides and their grim faces didn’t forebode anything good.
“Let the hoists down!”, someone shouted aloud.
The launch had just boarded on the port side.
Two pulleys with harpoons came down from the mainmast. Hardraker grasped one of them and tied it to a bollard. He waited for the second one to get to its place, then he signalled by a powerful whistle. The pirates pulled the launch up, together with all the people on board.
As soon as the
