"Nobody'll stop you. In fact there's been a good many folks, off and on, digging around here, for quite a few years back."
"Did any of 'em ever find anything?" exclaimed Sammy.
"Nary a one," laughed the old sailor. "It's all left for you boys to find."
"Well, maybe we can, after all," said Sammy, as he saw his chums looking at him and smiling. "I'm going to have a try, anyhow."
"It will take more than one Summer to dig all over this place," spoke Bob. "And it will spoil all our other fun. I want to have some swimming, boating and crabbing. You can have all the treasure you get, Sammy."
Sammy did not reply. He was looking toward the rocks, where, according to the story, the pirate vessel had been wrecked. Then he turned his gaze toward the shore, and looked up and down the beach. Was there a treasure buried in it? He hoped so. Yet he had been deceived so many times before!
"Come boys!" called Mrs. Bouncer, from the porch of the cottage. "I want you to go to the store for some things for supper. Then, too, I want to plan your sleeping rooms."
"We'll see you again," said Sammy, to the old sailor. "Maybe you can pick out the best spots for us to dig for the treasure."
"Not me!" exclaimed the old man, quickly and sharply. "I won't have anything to do with it. In the first place pirate gold is unlucky, and in the second place I've seen too many folks let their business go to rack and ruin spending their time looking for this treasure. I won't have anything to do with it."
Sammy looked a bit uncomfortable, and the old sailor, seeing this, hastened to add:
"But that needn't stop you from searching for the treasure—
