Hunt for the Panther 3 (9781101610923) (19 page)

“Deadeye!” Lucas shouted, and a grizzled old sea dog with a patch over one eye stepped forward and grabbed her shoulder. She tried to pull away, but he held fast.

“All right, then.” She stopped struggling and stood still, knowing full well she could take out his knees with a well-aimed kick. But as soon as she did, she’d have forty pirates down her throat, and she wasn’t sure the crew was ready for that. She decided to stall. “Go on,” she told them. “Get your little cat. I’ll watch.”

Lucas and Captain Wallace both looked surprised.
They turned toward the cave, and Lucas stepped forward, making some clucking noises.

“It’s a cat, stupid, not a chicken.” Captain Wallace pushed Lucas out of the way and stuck his head into the dark hole. “Hallooo?”

“Move it!” Lucas shoved him aside and peered into the cave. “Here, kitty, kitty, kitty.”

A few moments later, he pulled his head out. “Nothing in there.” Then he spun around to face Scarlet. “Did you take it?”

Captain Wallace began to sneak up behind Lucas, positioning himself to shove his enemy into the lair.

“You did, didn’t you?” Lucas continued. “Give it back, McCray, or my men will take it from you.”

All at once his entire crew was surrounding her, unsheathing their cutlasses and baring their hideous teeth. She gulped and raised her dagger, signaling to the Lost Souls that now was the time to help her.

Suddenly, Captain Wallace began shrieking and Lucas started hollering, and the men looked away from Scarlet and up at the ledge, where an enormous black panther had emerged from his lair, baring a mouthful of flesh-ripping teeth.

Scarlet froze, mouth wide open. She’d never seen anything as sleek and muscular as the panther. His head came up to Lucas’s ribs, and his paws were so big they could have taken out all the pirates with a few swipes. But even more amazing, more
alarming
than the cat’s rippling muscles and glimmering eyes was what was perched on his back.

It was Scarlet’s cousin, Josephine.

“Sink me,” Scarlet breathed.

Behind Jo, Jem was hanging on for dear life, his face as pale as the beast was black. The panther turned to glare at Lucas and Captain Wallace, who now clung to each other, trembling and babbling nonsense. Throwing back his head, he let out a roar, then leaned back on his haunches and launched himself into the air, straight for the pirate captains.

They screamed and threw themselves off the ledge, crashing into the pirates below, who were trying to scramble back the way they’d come. The panther landed lightly on the ground and paused just long enough for Jo to give Scarlet an exhilarated smile before hurtling off after the pirates.

Scarlet stood and stared after them long after they’d disappeared, trying to decide if she’d really seen her Old World cousin riding on the back of a panther and chasing the pirates off her island. Eventually, Tim joined her and tapped her shoulder.

“Captain, look.” He pointed up at the ledge, where a tall, blond boy was creeping out of the den, blinking in the sunlight.

“Smitty!”

Smitty waved. “Hullo!” he called. “What’s all this fuss about? I was just inside having a nice nap—a catnap, get it?” He chuckled.

“Come on, Smit,” Scarlet said. “We’re going home.”

“Oh. Well, all right,” Smitty said, clambering down from the ledge. “But you’ll never believe the dream I
had, just a few minutes ago. Fitz was there, with this Old World girl I’d never seen before. And somehow they tamed the panther into letting them ride him! Isn’t that the craziest thing you could imagine?”

Scarlet shook her head and stared again at the path her panther-riding cousin had taken. “It doesn’t get much crazier than that.”

“Show us again what Captain Wallace looked like!”

Tim eagerly complied, hopping to his feet and pulling Liam up with him to play the role of Lucas Lawrence. As the other Lost Souls sat around the bonfire on the edge of the clearing, Tim and Liam imitated, for the fifth time at least, Captain Wallace and Lucas babbling like babies at the sight of the black panther.

The Lost Souls howled with laughter, and Tim and Liam took their bows.

Jem leaned back on his elbows and stared up at the sky, which was now chock-full of stars. The fire warmed his bare feet, and for the first time in days, he took a deep breath and relaxed. The pirates were gone—for now, at least—and he had actually survived not only an encounter with the dreaded panther but a ride on its back.

And best of all, he would never,
ever
have to do that again.

“I want to know how Jo talked to the panther!” said Ronagh. She turned to Jo, who sat on the grass beside her. “You were amazing!”

“Oh, it was nothing, really,” Jo said shyly, as all heads turned to her. She and Sina were working on a new outfit for Jo, since their adventures that day had left her dress ripped and stained. They were tearing pieces of fabric off
the skirt and weaving them with long ferns to make a very different kind of dress.

“You met an enormous predator and convinced him to let us ride on his back,” Jem reminded her. “I’d hardly say that’s nothing.”

“Did you really talk to him?” Scarlet asked from across the circle. “Like, in English?”

“I thought island animals didn’t understand English,” said Elmo.

“Except for the pigs,” added Emmett. “But that’s because they’re from the Old World.”

Jo shook her head. “I did talk to him. But…” She paused, as if trying to decide how to explain it. All the Lost Souls leaned forward expectantly. “But it’s more than that. Cats need to be approached in a certain way. They need a special touch.”

“So do monkeys,” Ronagh said, petting the one that was sitting in her lap, snacking on some flies.

“Ships too,” added Tim.

Jem looked back up at the stars, recalling how he and Jo had stood together, knees knocking, while the panther looked them up and down, as if trying to decide which one he ought to devour first. He began to pace, his enormous black muscles rippling with every step.

The highlights of Jem’s life had just begun to flash before his eyes when Jo reached into her pocket and pulled something out. She took a deep breath and stepped right up to the panther, hand outstretched.

“What are you doing?” Jem had croaked. “Get back!”

The panther had stopped pacing and swung his great
head around to stare at her. Its yellow-green eyes glinted, and Jem had been absolutely certain he’d seen the last of his new friend.

But the panther tilted its head and regarded whatever Jo had in her hand. And then, slowly, he moved forward to sniff it.

Jem held his breath.

“That’s a good kitty,” Jo whispered. “Take your toy.”

Toy?
Jem couldn’t believe it. She had a cat toy in her pocket?

The panther had faltered at the sound of her voice, then slowly leaned in again. And he drew back his lips to expose a mouthful of sharp and shiny teeth, which he used to pluck the object out of her hand.

Jem’s mouth fell open. It was a small gray mouse, which someone had knit by hand.

“There,” Josephine said softly. “I knew you’d like it. Now, look. We’re here for two reasons. First of all, we need our friend back. We believe you’ve seen him?”

“Jo,” Jem spoke up without taking his eyes off the panther that was chewing thoughtfully on the mouse’s tail. “The island wildlife doesn’t understand English. Just the Islander language.”

Jo had considered this, then shrugged. “Well, hopefully one cat isn’t too different from another. I’ll just talk to him like I talk to my own.” And she proceeded to explain the entire situation to him, including the approach of some pirates who wanted to capture him.

The panther kept on chewing his new toy, but he was obviously listening. Every now and then he’d look at Jo
and cock his head to the side, as if to say, “You don’t say. Go on.”

And then, in a move that had caused Jem’s jaw to practically fall off his face, the panther suddenly dropped his mouse and took a step toward Jo. And he began to
rub his head against Jo’s hand
! Soon she was petting him, and before Jem knew it, they were heading deep into the cave, where Jo had clambered up on the panther’s back and pulled him up behind her.

This was hands down the strangest day of my life,
Jem told the stars.
But possibly also the most fantastic. And,
he reminded himself,
it never would have happened in the Old World. So score one more for Island X.

“I think,” Jo continued, “that the panther’s just misunderstood. He was lonely and wanted a friend.”

“Exactly!” Smitty piped up from the other side of the circle. “The panther wasn’t such bad company, though he did snore even louder than Swig.” He elbowed Tim in the ribs. “I think Jo’s right—he just wanted a friend, and when he saw me, he knew I was the perfect one.”

Tim snorted.

“Sure,” said Liam. “Whatever you say…” He paused, coming up with a new name. “Meriwether.”

For a moment, Smitty looked startled. Then as quickly as his expression had changed, it returned to normal. He shoved his hands in his pockets and whistled a tune.

But Liam had noticed it. “Wait,” he said. “That’s it, isn’t it?”

“What’s it?” Smitty said without looking at him.

“Your name!” Liam crowed. “It’s Meriwether!”

The Lost Souls gasped. All heads turned to Smitty.

“No!” Smitty protested. “It’s not! That’s a terrible name!”

“It is!” Liam jumped to his feet. “Admit it, Meriwether! That’s your name!”

“Is it really?” yelled Monty.

“Come clean, Smitty!” Gil called.

Smitty protested a few minutes longer, then gave up, throwing his hands in the air. “Fine! You got me! My name is Meriwether Smith, and now you know why I go by Smitty!”

A cheer went up around the bonfire, and several Lost Souls who’d been trying to solve the mystery for years punched the air and slapped each other on the back. Liam began to dance a jig.

“Yeah, yeah,” Smitty grumbled. “Laugh it up.”

But beside him, Sina was looking pensive. “Meri… wether,” she said, trying out the name. “Meriwether.” Then she nodded and smiled.

Smitty turned to her, incredulous. “You
like
it?”

“Meriwether.” Sina tried it out again. She nodded.

“Well, sure, it sounds good when
you
say it,” Smitty muttered as the others hooted with laughter.

Later, as the Lost Souls began to wander off to their tree houses, Jem joined Scarlet to help douse the fire.

“It’s been quite the week,” she commented, pouring water from her canteen on the embers.

“That’s the understatement of the century,” Jem told her.

“You did well here, taking care of everyone,” Scarlet said. “And that panther trap was pretty brilliant.”

“Thanks,” Jem said. “Too bad we didn’t get to test it on a real panther.”

“I wouldn’t be surprised if we got to test it on some pirates someday soon.” Scarlet kicked some dirt on the coals and sighed. “We sure haven’t seen the last of them.”

They both fell silent for a moment, pondering what Lucas and Captain Wallace might do next. Then Scarlet said, “You know, Fitz, I think you might make a good captain some day.”

“Really?” Jem turned to her. “You think?” This was the highest praise he’d ever heard come out of her mouth.

She nodded. “You’re a good leader.”

“Wait, you’re not thinking of leaving, are you? Did a week of hot breakfasts and shiny cutlery make you go soft?” He poked her in the shoulder.

She laughed. “Not on your life. I’m just thinking ahead. Even a good captain can’t stay captain forever.”

Captain,
Jem thought to himself.
Captain Fitzgerald.
It had a nice ring to it. Maybe someday…

“Speaking of breakfasts and cutlery, I’m going to have to take Jo back to port tomorrow.” Scarlet sighed.

“I’ll come with you,” he offered.

“You can watch my father feed me to the sharks.”

Jem put a hand on his captain’s shoulder. “Let’s deal with that tomorrow,” he suggested. “Right now, let’s get some sleep.”