5 The Blackhole

5. THE BLACKHOLE It was nine o'clock on Saturday morning, and Matilda was waiting at the end of the harbor wall, clutching a satchel stuffed with newspaper clippings. She had caught a bus to town with her dad, who had popped into the hardware store to see if they had more padlocks in stock— just in case the pirates had any interest in lawn mowers.

Matilda saw the sails of the Blackhole appear on the horizon, and her heart skipped a beat. Jim Lad would be in the crow's nest with Bones, his wooden- legged dog. She wondered if he could already see her through his telescope. She waved just in case. "They were still sold out of padlocks," Dad groaned as he returned with a still- empty bag. "I'll have to use your bike lock to secure the shed, if we're going to keep my lawn mower safe from pirates. Talking of pirates, are those the Jolley-Rogers heading our way?"

He sat beside Matilda on a bench, and they watched together as the Blackhole neared. They could see tiny figures aloft, furling sails and being thrown from side to side as the hull rolled in the surf. Even with the ship in view, it seemed like an eternity to Matilda before the Blackhole eventually arrived in Dull-on- Sea, waves breaking across her bow as she turned in to the harbor. All the sails were furled and Matilda could hear the slow, rhythmic chug of the engine. Jim's little sister, Nugget, was at the wheel, standing on a barrel of grog.

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"AHOY!" yelled Jim Lad, who was balancing on a yard, steadying himself by holding on to a rope. Matilda jumped up from the bench and ran along the harbor wall, keeping pace with the ship. Bones was barking excitedly from the crow's nest. Jim grabbed another rope and slid from a great height down onto the bowsprit. "MATILDA!" he shouted with a broad, gap-toothed grin.

He scuttled toward the deck and ducked beneath the rail. When he reappeared, he was holding a coil of rope across one arm, and in his other hand he had a knotted ball, which formed the end of the rope. "CATCH, TILLY!" The knotted ball bounced along the cobbles, and Matilda grabbed hold of it and pulled more rope toward her. She wrapped it around a mooring and held tight, nervously waiting for the Blackhole to pick up the slack. At the stern, Jim's dad jumped ashore with another coil, shouting directions to Nugget, who was belting out a sea chantey as she steered the ship against the harbor