Peter and the Starcatchers

Two crewmembers from the Never Land, Alf and Mack, retrieve a wooden trunk from a warehouse near the wharf. The wooden trunk and a black trunk came into the warehouse at the same time. The black trunk was loaded onto the Wasp, and Slank promised Alf and Mack extra pay to load the wooden trunk onto the Never Land. When Alf touches the wooden trunk, he feels warm and euphoric, as though he is “floating above the warehouse floor” (12), but he assumes he touched rat poison that made him hallucinate. Alf and Mack carefully move the trunk and discuss the Wasp, a new ship built to rival the Sea Devil, the ship of the infamous pirate Black Stache. Alf and Mack are disappointed to be on the decrepit Never Land, which is captained by Cyrus Pembridge, “the most incompetent man to command a ship since the formation of water” (15). After they load the trunk onto the Never Land, Slank scolds Alf for trying to touch the trunk again. 

Peter watches as the wooden trunk is loaded onto the Never Land, wondering what it might contain. Peter notices a pretty girl “perhaps an inch taller” than he is, who looks well taken care of (19). He is about to escape the ship when the girl shakes her head, signaling him to stay put. A sailor attempts to desert the ship via the gangplank—which was Peter’s plan as well—but is caught by Slank’s goon Little Richard, an enormous sailor. Slank sentences the would-be deserter to a week in the ship’s prison.

The girl is Molly Aster; she is sailing with her governess Mrs. Bumbrake. Molly and Peter each pretend to be older than the other, but compromise that they will both be 14 years old; in reality, they are both closer to 12. Mrs. Bumbrake complains that they are sailing on the Never Land while Molly’s father, Leonard Aster, sails on the Wasp. Molly explains that both ships are sailing to Rundoon, where Leonard is to be the new ambassador to the cruel King Zarboff III, who feeds servants who disappoint him to his enormous pet snake. Mrs. Bumbrake interrupts Molly, and Slank arrives to scold the boys for bothering Molly and Mrs. Bumbrake, who are first-class passengers. Slank and Mrs. Bumbrake flirt. The boys learn that they are going to Rundoon to become King Zarboff III’s new servants. 

Captain Black Stache watches the Wasp and the Never Land set sail from aboard the Sea Devil, moored in a treacherous reef across the bay. Black Stache is infamous and terrifying, with greasy black hair and a prominent moustache, “long and black, lovingly maintained, measuring nearly a foot between its waxed and pointed tips” (33). His crew laughs at all his jokes out of fear, though they call him “Ratbreath” in secret. Black Stache consults with his first mate Smee about “The Ladies,” a special set of sails made from a pattern by a “ladies’ corset maker” (34). Black Stache wants to use the sails to chase the Wasp, rumored to be even faster than the Sea Devil. A captured British soldier told Black Stache that the Wasp carries a great treasure from the Queen of England. Black Stache orders his crew to prepare for pursuit. 

Peter and the other boys arrive at their cramped quarters on the Never Land, where a sailor named Hungry Bob gives them a pot of rotten, infested food to eat. When the boys refuse to eat the putrid slop, Hungry Bob swallows it down, worms and all. Peter promises to talk to the Captain about their food, despite Hungry Bob’s laughter.

Peter finds Captain Pembridge above deck, shouting nonsense orders at the crew. Slank holds the real authority over the Never Land, and mockingly repeats the Captain’s orders to the amused crew before suggesting the Captain return to his cabin. Slank scolds Peter for leaving his quarters, and Peter returns to the boys empty-handed. 

Black Stache admires the speed of the Wasp and resolves to take the ship as well as the treasure it carries. The Sea Devil flies the Union Jack flag to deceive the Wasp into thinking they are a British ship. Black Stache and Smee debate how to catch the Wasp; Black Stache concludes that his usual tricks will not work, as the Wasp’s crew is likely prepared for an attempt to steal the treasure. Instead, the Sea Devil must “pure run her down” (48). To gain speed, Black Stache orders the crew to throw their drinking water overboard to make the ship lighter. It is a diabolical plan; the crew will die without fresh water, so they now have extra incentive to catch the Wasp and steal its provisions. Black Stache also throws Preston and Harbuckle, the two heaviest members of the crew, overboard in a leaky rowboat, demanding that all remaining men prove they are “worth their weight” (50). Smee, who is also heavyset and thus worried about his position on the ship, works the crew extra hard and skips dinner. 

Hungry after three days with no improvement in the food, Peter and the boys pick at the slop. As the boys’ leader, Peter feels it is his duty to solve the problem. Assuming Slank and the first-class passengers must be eating better, Peter decides to search the main deck at night.

Sneaking to the deck, Peter hears Mrs. Bumbrake cavorting with Slank in his cabin. Peter continues exploring the ship, and finds a man passed out on the floor near a doorway, deducing that the sailor was on watch but fell asleep. Peter goes into the room to search for food. He hears rats and sees a pair of glowing green eyes in the dark. Frightened, Peter turns to leave, but runs into the awakened guard. The guard trips in the dark and Peter escapes, but he turns around when he hears the guard make an astonished noise. A rat floats in midair, “as if hanging from a string” (57), above the wooden trunk Peter saw loaded onto the ship. Molly appears and whispers to Peter to leave quickly. Peter realizes that Molly has green eyes. As the two children flee, evading Little Richard in the corridor, Molly gives Peter a package. Peter returns to the boys, who are eager to see what he has brought them. Molly’s package contains a fresh loaf of bread, and the boys devour it quickly.