“H old on tight!” yelled Esmeralda. “We have to tack! Release the windward jib sheet and keep your head down!”
“What?” screeched Trundle, clinging on for dear life as the little skyboat heeled over and made a tight curve around a chunk of floating rock. “I don’t know what that means!”
“I do!” shouted Jack. “Leave it to me!”
He snatched hold of a rope and raced from one side of the skyboat to the other, dragging the long boom along behind him. The sail snapped and emptied of wind, falling slack against the mast.
The skyboat stalled in the air, throwing Trundle forward so he bumped his nose on the mast. “Ow!” he yelped. “Steady on!”
“Well done, Jack!” yelled Esmeralda. “Now transfer the sail!”
Jack raced back, almost trampling on Trundle on the way.
“Hey! Careful!” Trundle yelped, ducking as the boom came sweeping back over his head.
The wind caught it, and they were off again, darting like an arrow through the rock-strewn sky.
“Nice going, Jack!” howled Esmeralda. “That’ll show ’em!”
Trundle peered over the stern of the skyboat. For a few moments, all he could see was the fast-receding chunk of rock, but then a fearful sight hove into view: a great ironclad pirate windship, its bloodred sails billowing and straining, its hull bristling with cannon.
“They’re still coming!” howled Jack.
“I’ll jibe ’em till their eyes spin!” shouted Esmeralda. “We’ll fill the sail on a new tack, then we’ll run before the wind!”
“But that will mean going straight into the middle of the Goills!” shouted Jack, sounding alarmed.
“I know!” hollered Esmeralda. “That’s the whole point!”
Clutching on to the mast, the wind whistling about his ears, Trundle turned to look ahead. His legs buckled and his prickles stiffened with fear at the sight that met his eyes.
The whole sky ahead of them teemed with massive rocks and boulders, and with great fists and crags of stone that stretched out in all directions.
This was the dreaded Goills—a scattering of sky rubble into which no sane sailor would ever venture. Trundle had read about the place in books, but he had never imagined being taken into it.
Especially not by a reckless Roamany girl who was more than half out of her mind! They’d be driven onto the rocks by the vicious whip of the wind. They’d be smashed to fragments.
Esmeralda leaned hard on the tiller, and the tall sail filled with wind. Ropes strained. The mast creaked. The boom shuddered.
A lump of rock the size of a house loomed up straight ahead. Trundle huddled down and closed his eyes tight. He felt the skyboat swerve to one side, and when he looked again, the rock was behind them and they were racing through the Goills like a feather on the wind.
“You’re crazy!” yelled Trundle.
“I’m brilliant!” shouted Esmeralda, her eyes gleaming.
“She’s both!” hollered Jack. He laughed wildly, pointing back. “Look at ’em! They daren’t follow us! We’ve done it, we’ve outrun ’em!” And he fell on his back in the keel and waggled his legs in the air.
He was right. The Iron Pig had come about, its red sails quivering as they lost the wind. The pirate ship was too big and unwieldy to venture into the Goills.
A figure stood at the bows of the dreadful ship, and a voice came howling across the air to them. “This ain’t over, you scurvy snippets! Run while you can! We’ll feast on your livers yet!”
Filled with a sudden angry courage, Trundle got to his feet, hanging on to the mast with one hand, shaking his fist and yelling at the top of his voice.
“Come on, you cowards! What’s wrong? Scared of a few pebbles, are you?” He took a deep breath. “You can’t sail for toffee!” he bellowed into the wind.
“Don’t taunt the pirates,” warned Esmeralda. “They have long memories, Trundle, and they’re not going to give up.”
Trundle looked uneasily at her. “But we’re safe now, aren’t
“What?” screeched Trundle, clinging on for dear life as the little skyboat heeled over and made a tight curve around a chunk of floating rock. “I don’t know what that means!”
“I do!” shouted Jack. “Leave it to me!”
He snatched hold of a rope and raced from one side of the skyboat to the other, dragging the long boom along behind him. The sail snapped and emptied of wind, falling slack against the mast.
The skyboat stalled in the air, throwing Trundle forward so he bumped his nose on the mast. “Ow!” he yelped. “Steady on!”
“Well done, Jack!” yelled Esmeralda. “Now transfer the sail!”
Jack raced back, almost trampling on Trundle on the way.
“Hey! Careful!” Trundle yelped, ducking as the boom came sweeping back over his head.
The wind caught it, and they were off again, darting like an arrow through the rock-strewn sky.
“Nice going, Jack!” howled Esmeralda. “That’ll show ’em!”
Trundle peered over the stern of the skyboat. For a few moments, all he could see was the fast-receding chunk of rock, but then a fearful sight hove into view: a great ironclad pirate windship, its bloodred sails billowing and straining, its hull bristling with cannon.
“They’re still coming!” howled Jack.
“I’ll jibe ’em till their eyes spin!” shouted Esmeralda. “We’ll fill the sail on a new tack, then we’ll run before the wind!”
“But that will mean going straight into the middle of the Goills!” shouted Jack, sounding alarmed.
“I know!” hollered Esmeralda. “That’s the whole point!”
Clutching on to the mast, the wind whistling about his ears, Trundle turned to look ahead. His legs buckled and his prickles stiffened with fear at the sight that met his eyes.
The whole sky ahead of them teemed with massive rocks and boulders, and with great fists and crags of stone that stretched out in all directions.
This was the dreaded Goills—a scattering of sky rubble into which no sane sailor would ever venture. Trundle had read about the place in books, but he had never imagined being taken into it.
Especially not by a reckless Roamany girl who was more than half out of her mind! They’d be driven onto the rocks by the vicious whip of the wind. They’d be smashed to fragments.
Esmeralda leaned hard on the tiller, and the tall sail filled with wind. Ropes strained. The mast creaked. The boom shuddered.
A lump of rock the size of a house loomed up straight ahead. Trundle huddled down and closed his eyes tight. He felt the skyboat swerve to one side, and when he looked again, the rock was behind them and they were racing through the Goills like a feather on the wind.
“You’re crazy!” yelled Trundle.
“I’m brilliant!” shouted Esmeralda, her eyes gleaming.
“She’s both!” hollered Jack. He laughed wildly, pointing back. “Look at ’em! They daren’t follow us! We’ve done it, we’ve outrun ’em!” And he fell on his back in the keel and waggled his legs in the air.
He was right. The Iron Pig had come about, its red sails quivering as they lost the wind. The pirate ship was too big and unwieldy to venture into the Goills.
A figure stood at the bows of the dreadful ship, and a voice came howling across the air to them. “This ain’t over, you scurvy snippets! Run while you can! We’ll feast on your livers yet!”
Filled with a sudden angry courage, Trundle got to his feet, hanging on to the mast with one hand, shaking his fist and yelling at the top of his voice.
“Come on, you cowards! What’s wrong? Scared of a few pebbles, are you?” He took a deep breath. “You can’t sail for toffee!” he bellowed into the wind.
“Don’t taunt the pirates,” warned Esmeralda. “They have long memories, Trundle, and they’re not going to give up.”
Trundle looked uneasily at her. “But we’re safe now, aren’t
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