Attack on the High Seas! by Brian James Page B

Even if he was as rotten as his name, he was still our teacher and the ship’s first mate, so we had to give him a salute. That’s part of the pirate code.
    Rotten Tooth paced in front of us. The Sea Rat shook as he stomped his boots. “Where be those other two pollywogs?” he asked.
    I shook my head.
    Inna shrugged her shoulders.
    And Gary sneezed.
    I thought for sure Aaron and Vicky were going to get stuck with kitchen duty. But just then we heard footsteps. Aaron and Vicky burst through the door and ran over to us, their mouths still full with one last bite of sea slug cereal.

    â€œArrr! Ye sea dogs made it just in time,” Rotten Tooth said. “Ye be lucky I’m a nice pirate.”
    â€œAye, nice and stinky,” Vicky whispered to me.
    I had to cover my mouth to hold in my giggle.
    â€œArrr! I don’t have time for ye mangy litter today,” Rotten Tooth mumbled. “The Sea Rat is being chased by another ship. A rival pirate ship named the Filthy Sails. ”
    We all gulped!
    The Filthy Sails was the most dreaded pirate ship there was. Grown-up pirates were always telling scary stories about the ship to us pirate kids. They said it sank every ship it attacked and made the crew walk the plank. Even the kids! And its captain, Captain Fish Face, was even meaner than Rotten Tooth. And uglier, too! He had whiskers like a catfish, and his face was all squished up like a fish.
    â€œAre they going to attack?” Inna asked.
    I could tell she was a little scared because her hand was shaking. But I wasn’t scared. Captain Stinky Beard could outsmart that fish-faced captain.
    â€œCan we help fight them off?” I asked.
    â€œAYE! We’ll sink their ship lickitysplit!” Aaron shouted.
    Rotten Tooth waved his arms in the air. “Quiet,” he growled. “The only thing ye will be doing is keeping out of the way!”
    We all moaned and groaned. It sounded like Rotten Tooth was going to make us do chores, like swabbing the deck or emptying the fish-gut tank. It wasn’t fair. We were part of the crew, too.
    I stepped forward and raised my hand. “But Captain Stinky Beard said you had to teach us more pirate stuff.”
    â€œArrr! I’ll be teaching ye all right,” he barked. “But the cap’n never said what I had to teach you. Ye little shipmates think pirating is all swashbuckling and treasure?”
    â€œAye! And good grub, too!” Aaron said.
    â€œAye! And pretty jewelry!” Inna said, and proudly showed us her shiny necklace.
    Rotten Tooth let out a fearsome laugh. He laughed so loud, I saw the sails puff up! “Captain Stinky Beard was right about one thing, ye really do have a lot to learn!”
    I was confused. “Blimey! Isn’t that the point of Pirate School?” I asked.
    â€œAYE!” Rotten Tooth roared. “And I’m the teacher, so that means I decide what ye learn and when. And I’ll be making sure ye learn all the boring stuff first. And I’ll also be sure to give ye so much homework that I won’t have to hear a peep out of any of you!”
    Boring stuff? Homework? Pirate School wasn’t sounding like so much fun anymore.

Chapter 3
    Knot So Much Fun!
    Inna stretched out her arms. Then she picked up the rope with only the tips of her fingers. “Eww! This rope is all slippery and slimy,” she said.
    â€œAye, and it looks like a snake, too!” Gary said.
    â€œYUCK!” Inna screamed and dropped the rope back on the deck. Then she gave Gary a mean look. “Why did you have to bring up snakes? I hate snakes!”
    Gary covered his mouth with both hands. “Sorry.”
    â€œArrr! Don’t be such a scallywag! It’s just a silly rope,” Aaron said. “And the sooner we learn how to tie all those knots, the sooner we’ll be able to join in the battle.” Then he picked up the rope with both hands. He started swinging it around, pretending