said Admiral Firwig, lowering the telescope from his eye and turning to Trundle, Esmeralda, and Jack, “battle is about to be joined! Which tactics do you recommend?”Run like fun! thought Trundle as he goggled at the looming pirate fleet.The Iron Pig, with its grisly red sails, was in the lead, while the rest of the vessels—a motley and mongrel bunch of windships, bristling with cannon and sabre-wielding pirates—were organized in two long columns that stretched out like a pair of ugly ribbons in the flagship’s wake. Already they were bearing down on the small Swallowhaven fleet like buzzards coming in for the kill.“I’ve seen this formation before,” Esmeralda said grimly, gripping the rail as she stared at the approaching armada. “They’ll try to smash right through your fleet, blasting away with their cannon as they go. If your windships stay where they are, they’ll be blown to smithereens.” She looked up at the admiral. “Have you seen the damage the pirates’ cannon can do?
