Pirates Ahoy! by Franklin W. Dixon

Author:Franklin W. Dixon
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Aladdin

5

Dig This!

The boys gathered around the tattered piece of paper.

“A treasure map?” Frank asked. “Are you sure?”

“It says ‘Bayport Treasure’ on the bottom,” Joe said. “And it’s got drawings of trees, rocks, and a whole bunch of X’s all over it.”

“Captain Crook’s missing treasure map,” Frank cried. “Ye-es!”

Joe was excited, too. “I wonder where it came from,” he said.

“I’ll bet it’s a message from Captain Crook,” Chet said. “He’s telling us to go for it.”

Frank, Joe, and Chet exchanged high fives. Then they spread the map out on the sand.

“How do we know which X marks the treasure?” Chet asked.

“I guess we’ll have to check them all out,” Frank said with a shrug.

“You mean dig through the whole town of Bayport?” Joe asked.

“You bet,” Frank said. “Which means we’ll need a good shovel.”

“The only shovel we have at my house is a snow shovel,” Chet said.

Joe snapped his fingers.

“I know,” he said. “Tony Prito’s dad is a construction worker. They probably have loads of shovels around the house.”

“Good thinking,” Chet said. “Maybe he’ll lend us a wrecking ball, too.”

The Prito house was just a few blocks from the marina. The boys saw eight-year-old Tony dribbling a basketball in the driveway.

“Hi!” Tony called. He pointed to a basketball hoop above the garage. “Want to shoot some hoops?”

“Can’t,” Joe said. “We’re working on a mystery.”

“Another mystery?” Tony asked. “What is it this time?”

“First you have to promise not to tell anyone,” Frank said.

“What do you think I am?” Tony asked. “A snitch?”

Frank told Tony all about Captain Sid and the buried treasure.

“Wow,” Tony said. “Buried treasure in Bayport. Who knew?”

“That’s why we need a shovel,” Chet said. “A good, sturdy shovel.”

Tony waved his hand. “Forget the shovel. I have a better idea.”

He put his ringers to his mouth and whistled loudly. His sheepdog, Boof, stuck his head out from behind the house.

“Your dog?” Frank said.

“You bet,” Tony said as Boof ran over. “He digs so much in our backyard that he’s practically in China by now.”

Joe shrugged. “It might work.”

“Of course it’ll work,” Tony said. “I’ll even tie a red bandana around his neck. He’ll be an official pirate.”

“Cool!” Chet said.

After Tony tied a leash and a bandana around Boof, Frank showed him the map.

“I thought we’d check out the X marked on Seabreeze Street,” Frank told Tony. “It’s right around the corner.”

“You hear that, Boof?” Tony said.

Boof kicked up his feet and pulled Tony down the street. Frank, Joe, and Chet followed.

When they were around the corner, Joe studied the map. “The X looks like it’s in the middle of the block.”

The boys found where X marked the spot. It was in front of a yellow house with a big front yard.

“We can’t dig through someone’s yard,” Frank said. He pointed to a strip of dirt next to the sidewalk. “Let’s start there.”

Tony gave a big whistle. “Come on, Boof. Do your stuff.”

Boof jumped into the dirt. He began digging with his front paws.

“Woof!” he barked.

“Watch it!” Joe shouted as a clump of earth hit him on the forehead.

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