"To battle, boys! Attack!" Peter’s voice rang out. In an instant, the boys raised their weapons and charged the pirates.
Swords clashed and screams pierced the air. Stunned, the pirates scattered around the deck, and the boys hunted them down in pairs. Though the pirates were stronger, they were surprised by how fierce the boys were. Separated and alone, each pirate thought he was the last one alive. Some jumped into the sea; others hid in the dark corners of the ship. Tootles, instead of fighting, ran around the deck with a lantern. He shone his light in the faces of hiding pirates, blinding them. Then the other boys took over. Slightly continued to count the victims—five, six, seven, eight, nine. The count grew until they were all dead. Even John and Michael managed to kill a pirate or two.
With his pirates gone, Hook was surrounded by the boys, but he kept them back with his sword and hook.
Then Peter arrived. "Put away your swords, boys," he called. "This man is mine!"
Face to face, the two enemies stared at each other. Hook growled, while Peter smiled.
"So, Peter Pan, this is all your doing," said Hook.
"Yes, and this time, it’s you or I!" Peter challenged.
"Then prepare to die!" cried Hook.
Their weapons flashed and the battle began! Peter was an excellent swordsman, fast and precise. But he was small, and he struggled to get close enough to strike Hook’s chest. Hook, though not quite as quick, was experienced and skilled. But he found it hard to land his blade on his hated foe. Light as a feather, Peter fluttered around, always avoiding Hook’s sword. Then the captain swung at Peter with the point of his hook. But Peter ducked under it, lunged forward, and pierced Hook between the ribs. At the sight of his own blood, Hook dropped his sword.
The boys cried, "Hooray!"
Peter hushed them and invited his foe to pick up his sword. Humiliated by Peter’s display of fairness, Hook was now furious. He no longer cared whether he won or lost. All that mattered was that Peter should die. He rushed to the cannon, known as Long Tom, and hooked a bag of gunpowder with his iron claw. With his good hand, he held up a lantern, threatening to light the powder with its flame.
"We will all be blown to bits!" Hook screamed.
Like an arrow, Peter flew straight at the bag, grabbed it, and threw it overboard. Then he marched toward Hook with his dagger. Hook sprang onto the rail at the side of the ship and threw himself into the water. Sadly, the pirate captain was unaware that the crocodile had followed Peter and was swimming around the ship. That was the last anyone saw of Captain James Hook.
"Hooray!" shouted the boys.
Wendy glowed with pride at Peter’s success. The boys crowded around her, and she praised them all equally. Then she took them into Hook’s cabin and pointed to his watch hanging on a nail.
"It’s one thirty in the morning!" she said. "You should all be asleep!" Quickly she got the children to bed in the pirates’ bunks and tucked them in. There was no time for a story, but they didn’t need one. They only had to remember the grand adventure of that very night.
Only Peter stayed up on the deck of the Jolly Roger. He paced up and down, thinking about Wendy, about her leaving Neverland, and about the trip home. Finally he fell asleep. Wendy found him in the night, curled up beside Long Tom. She bent over and kissed him on the cheek.
The next morning, Peter was the new captain of the Jolly Roger. The boys took their places as crew. They even pretended to be pirates for a while. Peter made a brief speech and everyone cheered. As the wind filled the sails, they headed for England. Captain Peter calculated they would reach the coast in a couple of days. Then they would fly the rest of the way to their final destination—the home of Wendy, John, and Michael.