The pirate attack was a complete surprise. This shows that Captain Hook was a very dishonest man. Usually, there are rules for a fight in the woods. These rules say that the warriors always attack first. They usually attack just before the sun rises. They know that people are very tired at that time.
The white men usually build a stockade on a hill near a river. They wait there for the attack. The new men are nervous and make noise. But the experienced men sleep until the morning. During the night, the warriors move through the grass like snakes. They make no noise. Sometimes they make a sound like a coyote. Other warriors answer with the same sound.
Captain Hook knew these rules very well. But he decided to break them. The warriors trusted Captain Hook to follow the rules of war. They knew the pirates were on the island. They heard a pirate step on a dry stick. Then, the warriors made their coyote calls. They looked at every piece of ground between the pirates and the home under the trees.
The warriors saw only one hill near a river. They thought Captain Hook would go there and wait for the morning. So, the warriors sat above the children’s home. They waited for the cold hour before the sun rose. They wanted to surprise the pirates then.
But Captain Hook was very treacherous. He did not stop at the hill. He did not wait for the morning. He and his pirates ran forward to attack immediately. The warriors were very confused. They were masters of many ways to fight, but they did not expect this. They were not ready to fight yet.
Tiger Lily was there with many of her strongest warriors. Suddenly, they saw the pirates coming at them. The warriors knew they could not win now. They knew they would die. But they were brave. They did not move a muscle. They wanted to show they were not afraid. Then they grabbed their weapons and gave a loud cry. But it was too late.
The fight was very short. It was more like a massacre than a fight. Many of the best warriors died that night. Some pirates died, too. A warrior named Panther killed a pirate with his tomahawk. Finally, Panther and Tiger Lily escaped with a few other warriors.
Captain Hook was the winner. He stood alone and wiped his cutlass. His pirates stayed away from him. They were a little afraid of him. Captain Hook was a dark and mysterious man. He did not feel happy. He felt lonely.
The night’s work was not finished. Captain Hook did not come to kill the warriors. He wanted to catch Peter Pan and Wendy. He wanted Peter most of all. Peter was only a small boy. Why did a man like Captain Hook hate him so much?
It is true that Peter cut off Captain Hook’s arm. He gave the arm to a crocodile. Now Captain Hook was always in danger because the crocodile followed him. But that was not the only reason. Captain Hook hated Peter’s cockiness.
Peter’s pride made Captain Hook very angry. He felt like a lion in a cage with a small bird. He could not rest while Peter was alive. Now, Captain Hook needed to get into the home under the ground. He looked at the trees. He looked for his thinnest pirates. He wanted to push them down the trees like sticks.
Below the ground, the children heard the fight. While the noise went on, they stood like stone statues. They held their arms out to Peter. They were very afraid. Then the noise ended. They wanted to know who won the fight.
The pirates listened at the top of the trees. They heard the boys asking questions. They heard Peter’s answer. "If the warriors won, they will beat the tom-tom," Peter said. "That is their sign of victory."
A pirate named Smee found the tom-tom. He was sitting on it. Captain Hook told Smee to beat the drum. Smee understood the plan. He thought Captain Hook was very wicked and very smart. Smee hit the drum two times.
"The tom-tom!" Peter cried below the ground. "The warriors won!"
The children cheered. The pirates liked the sound of the children’s joy. The children began to say goodbye to Peter. They prepared to come up the trees. The pirates smiled and rubbed their hands. Captain Hook gave silent orders. One pirate stood at each tree. The other pirates stood in a long line. They were ready to catch the children.